, 1875-05-16

I
Crooks and C1orEo to the Latins. i. !.
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q 4 s2&AnaE 8ToRY.: ~.
#: The Philadelphia BuAet.as publishea stor
i which ia decidedly sensational, md :whic
i processes to explain why President GnAN
! has never publicly disclaimed 8 candidacy 70
! the third term. The story in substance is
4 that the first intimaton of m intention ol
the part Of the President to be candidat
for third term was tbs fecetious publication
of the New York Herald, in which Caasarisp
! was discussed as joke: Tho Democrats
| however, took up the story as in earnest, ant
rung the changes SO long and vahemently OF
Cesarism that thousands Of persons believed
| that the President had such On intention.
| Feeling that. tho card was good one, The
Democrats feared that: the President would
destroy it by eome public denial and, to
prevent such IN occurrence, a. deep-laid
scheme Was concocted. =
Knowing that no man Of independence
and courage con be frightened or coerced by
threats into the performance of any act not
morally OF Legally required Of him, and that,
even if it were thing which Of his own vo1i-
ton or on polite request he could do with
pleasure, he would refuse to do it under such
constraint, and knowing the Presidents char-
acter in this respect, conspiracy was FORM
ed A message was sent to the President de-
manding from him public disavowa1 Of any
intention on his part to be o candidate for q
third term, and declaring that his failure to
comply With. the demand would insure for
him tho fate Of CEsAn aud LINCOLN. The
communication was long one, and recited
that the signers had been his friends and sup
portera; referred to the rumors Of his seek
ing third election, and to the scandalous
discussions that had followed; and claimed
that he owed it to the people to publicly dis
claim any intention to b. = candidata. The
letter asserted that its authors were a
band OF patriots who had pledged their lives,
fortunes, and honor to preserve the country.
against CRsarism,. and that his refusal to re-
pudiato nu intention to be candidate would
furnish just grounds for the belief that the
agninst him were well founded.
The Bul1etin adds So.
The paper concluded with tho explicit demand that
tho PEcstdcnt should, within specified t1mp-about
Zen days-rnbcly daclase, authorize some .esponsl
'le Person to decAre In his md behalf thst ho
lad hover entertained dears for third tesp, and
hat he would not, undax any possible condition Of
'1aers, allow Lis name to be used agatn canddzte
ao No ~aa a5 ehe same tina nsaured TINT hts neglect
u refusal to comply With the demand would speedily
au down upon him tho fats af CxsAR md Lmco1s.
.hen followed, a. sfonaturea tho names Of Bauru*,
sAss1Us, L7oAK1us, and other aasxgsins Of CxsAR and
J. "r1Krs BOOTH, HAao1n, and othars, murderers
t LINCOLN. ~ ~,
This letter, it is said, was written and de-
'vered in the summer Of: 1873, when the
'resident was with his family st Long
sranoh., The letter, however, failed in its
urposa to frighten the President into max
ag the disclaimer; but the writer leaves it
conjecture whether it had the effect of
reventng him from doing, under threat,
hat be otherwise would have done readily;
nd the article thus concludes:
But can there bo = Apiritcd or hono1ahls man On |
Irth, who oven had any respect for the Predent or
% e1alted ofhca he holds, who could hava wished !
I'M to mako zuch i disclaimer In the face Of such
9nand and THREAT Can any wonacr TINT this, |
no other consideration, should have prevented hia
aknR one "aa 1t not enough, apart from Ill
A~A NN1~~~A~Ae1 |
II car to al Subsequent demands ol sinlar nature
hether they proceeded from fziend or foe Z
We publish this story for what it is worth. | 6
piniona will differ as to whether this is not :
lothor assault upon the Preside lent, under r
70 cover OF otfering an excuse or apology :
r something which needs no excuse or t
'ology. Why should the President make =
,bho disclaimer of an intention to do any Z
t II the President Ind the power Of Z
-electing himself, then such d disclaimer i,
'uld probably be proper: But when 80 | +,
my Presidents hare tried to have them is
[Tes elected even. to second term, and @
led la1nentahly, it ought to be understood i
city well BY this tinio That tho people elect
esidents, and that Presidents do not elect
The President cannot decline in
vance an Office which has not been offered N
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