New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-06-04
Public Opinion on the Fresident's Letter.
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| A special dispatch from Washington, May
81, 10 the st. Louis Globe Democrat, says:
| The President to-day received numerous
| telegrams from personal friends and public
men eoDgratulating him upon his antithird
term letter. He has expressed himself very
| freely regarding the matter, and says he
| feels greatly relieved now that the matter
| has been disposed Of "NO one knows what
! a load has been taken off my shoulders"
| he said, and added, "friends and foes have
alike been troubled by this bugbear. but
| they have not been troubled half as much
| as have. The number OF letters sent to
me, anonymous and otherwise, Offering all
| sorts of advice in the premises. is almost
| countless Very few people, however, have
| talked to me regarding il. until to day, and
find that great many regret my course.
| But Washington is not always healthy
place from which to Judge public opinion.
| country will appreciate the difficulties
| have labored under, and will give me the
| credit Of being truthful. l really do not in
! tend to be a candidate, and if any one con-
! strues my letter otherwise. or that | am
seeking or will accept a nomination, they
! will do NE great injustice. That is all l
have 10 say, only to repeat that 1 never
| felt more relieved by the performing of a
! public or political duty in all my life than
| do now"
| Comments by the Eastern journals on the
! letter received here tonight have attracted
| considerable attention. The fact that the
! Baltimore Sun, Independent Democratic,
| gives the President credit for being earnest
| in his declension, is accepted as an indica-
! tiOn that the more moderate Democrats of
| Maryland, Virginia and other border States
| will now proceed to arrange for the future
| with the understanding that some other
! man than Grant will be the Republican
candidate. Such journals as Aleck Me
! Clure's Philadelphia Times assume that the
| letter is a blind and that Grant still intends
| to run again. The Philadelphia Inquire,
| thinks this deliberate utterance was doubt
| less Intended by President Grant to pro-
! mote harmony and set at rest distracting
| discussion, but that it will be so accepted
! by the country is matter of hope rather
| than assurance. The PHILADELPHIA Press
| thinks the letter will have the effect to har-
| monize political Gissension in the Pennsyl
| vaDia campaign and add to the strength of
| the Republican party in that State.
The gossips in Washington have it that
| Secretary Fish will now be prominently
urged as a candidate on the basis, tele-
| graphed to you some time ago, of a change
| in his Cuban policy.
One thing is certain; the letter has raised
| an unexpected disturbance in political cir
| cles, and has already got the friends of
| numerous possible candidates at logger
heads. 1t is generally believed, in view
of this fact, that regular Kilkenny cat
fight will ensue, and the third d-termers, work
ing, as previously stated, without the sane
ton Of the President, see in this prospective
condition OF affairs great deal of encour.
agemept. "If we don't get Grant" they
argue. "who can we get p
A Washington special 10 the Chicago
Inter Ocean says:
The publication of the Presidents letter on
the third term question excites no surprise
here, from the tact that his views on the
subject have always been known by reason
of the frequency with which he expressed
them in public. AS a literary document the
letter Is criticised, but everybody ackloTl
edges il TO be plain, unpretending state
meGt, from plain, unpretentiGus man. ex-
pressing bis views General Grant has al
ways considered the third term discussion
3 game of his enemies and enemies of the
Republican party to provoke quarrels and
con6piiacies among aspiIants Tor the pres.
delcy. A few weeks since. when spoken
to on the subject, he said:
Il think more harm can be done by TAX
ing notice of the matter than by 10Y silence
III regard to it. never sought the office
but gwice received it as a gift from peo-
pie who supposed themselves to he owing
gratitude to me. | accepted the gift as any
other man would accept al honor, the high,
est he could receive. Ii the people see tit
to of,cr the same gift 10 me again | should
accept il, hut | DO not think they will
ILeIa Is no reason ior me 10 decline an hon
Or /, fore 1t is tendered me-"
Tie Ercning Star tIndependent) saws
enitv1ialiy TO night: The Presidents letter
20 rho chairman of the late Republican
State Convention Of Pennsylvania, which |
We lTlnt in another column, viii command !
Wide attention, not only on account OF the |
conclusions announced than for the frank |
spldletlY manner in which they are stated. !
BY this brief document the President shows /
blmselt 10 he not only patriotic citizen OF |
the republic, but wiser and more consis- |
tent member OF the Republican party than
many OF those who assume to have that OF |
ganIzlTion IN their special keeping. The |
third term bugabOo never had much il any |
thing more than an imaginary existence; |
but, whatever shape or vitality 1t may have
had, it is now dead beyond resurrection.
Let it be speedily and etfectually buried"
The circumstances of the publication OF
the etter Ust at this time were as follows:
Before the Pennsylvania convention a
strong pressure was brought to bear on the
President TO secure an expression on the
subject, bu, he declined on the ground that
there was no necessity Oft, and gave differ
ent Gentlemen authority to speak for him
This they besitated to do. The strong ex-
pftsstoH IL inc pennsylvania platform !
seemed to influence the President in his
views Of tie matter and on Thursday last
he expressed to prominent officials bis in
tentIon OF very soon publishing a formal
letter 10 his friends, who were advocating
o thiIl term, Withdrawing his name from
their consideration. On Saturday Edwin
Covles, of the Cleveland Leader and an
other prominent Ohioan, called on the Presi-
dent and asked him for an expression Of
his views before the meeting Of the Ohio
Republican Convention. The President
tod them that he would consider the mat
ter, and invited them to call on Sunday
evening, when he presented them with the
draft of the letter published, which met
their approval.