National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-04-24
TIE People and the Third Term.

FROM Oen, Nemi OllO state journal.
The Cleveland Herald, which is edited by an
old Andy johnson postmaster, expresses some
apprehension that ''the editor of the State
Journal, being a postmaster" may have
something to do with the position of the State
Journal on the third-term question, and its
opinion as to the defeat of Joe Hawleyin Con-
necticut. We feel that the editor of the Her.
aid ought not to be kept in suspense on this
subject. crest, perturbed spirit, rest" 1t
may have been the fashion for Andy johnson
postmasters to receive minute directions from
headquarters, but in the numerous times the
editor of the State Journal has slept with
President Grant and played confidential Pedro
with the Postmaster General they never once,
either of them, asked what our influential
course would be on the third-term question,
or demanded that the State Journal should
throw its powerful influence in favor Of Stark
weather. Our opoinion on the subject of Joe
Hawley was based on facts and figures which
the Herald would do well to study before lee
turing us further. Hawley was what is called
an independent party man-that is, he was
Republican if the Republican party obeyed the
wishes Of Joe Hawley, and he was the pet of
the New York Tribune if it didn't. He opposed
most of the distinctive party measures, espe-
Cially during the last session of his term. Con-
seqUently he was much praised by the Tribune
as Gan honest and independent man, who could
not be driven by the party lash, and who was
brave enough to show his dislike of Grantism."
If he had just as honestly voted for the meas
ures advocated by the Republican party as ne
cessary.for the public good, he would have
been denounced by the Tribune as q
party hack, but would have shown men of
affairs that he knew enough of statecraft to
subordinate his personal whims and resent
ments to the more comprehensive policy of a
powerful body, working toward some settled
line Of policy in craftsmanship as a well-or-
dered corporation works in its quasi-public ca
pacity-an embodied intellectual and moral
energy for the accomplishment of political
fact, or the reaching Of a result in statesman
ship. Hawley loudly proclaimed his indepen-
dcnce of the party, and the party reciprOcated
at the polls by pToclaiming its independence of
Hawley. The third term had no more to do
with it than infant baptism had. We are as
tOLished to see the sagaCious editor of the
Herald adopting that secondhand scarecrow
at this late day, and setting it up in the Con-
nGcticut nutmeg patch as he does. Can't the
Herald read the figures? Hawley opposed the
Administration and voted against his party in
nearly every, distinctive party measure last
winter, and he was defeated. Starkweather, a
man whose only advantage was that he had
less levity in his party attachments, was re-
elected. Hawley, with national reputation,
ambitious, restless, yigilant, aided by every
appliance that could be brought to bear, petted
by the Tribune and the "lndependent" press,
is beaten, while a commonplace man, little
known out of his district, is reelected. Haw-
ley's majority in 1872 was ,2S2; Stark
weather's only GS5. There must be some rea-
son for it-cant the Herald editor find it,
without making discTeditabe insinuations
against the editor of this paper, which he
knows TO be both unjust and ungenerous If
he will look little further back, into another
State, he will find a suggestive fact for COM
parison Ellis II. Roberts, ofthe Twenty third
New York district, just such a Republican as
Hawley, and singularly like him in general re-
spects as to surroundings, dropped from ma
iOrity of 2 sos in 1872 TO a minority of 1926 in
1874, loss of 800 votes. Gen. McDougall,
"a good example Of a square Republican, by
way of cOntrast,) whose entire majority in
1872 was less than the loss on Roberts vote,
was reelected in 1874 by majority of !, $40.
1t docs not take many such examples to point
this moral and adorn its tale. These Excess
sively independent gentlemen, whose feeling
of responsibility to their constituency goes no
further than TO swell them up with the SELF
important fancy that they are to represent only
one man in the district, are apt to find, after a
term or two, that their support at the polls is
accurately limited to that part of their constitu-
ency which they have so faithfully represented.
Joe Hawley having represented only Joe Haw-
ley in Congress, will, in course of time find
Joe Hawley his only supporter at the polls
then he can damn caucuses and party dicta-
ton, in the Unrestricted independence of private
life, 10 his hearts content. These are the
men who adoTn The age with that severe public
virtue which is always ready to be voted for,
and always willing to have its own way in all
things at high salary-for the public good.