National Republican., 1875-06-24

pied the Presidential chair fop the third
term, and when all his party wanted him
to, he retired from public life, as he says,
on account of advanced age and broken
Frame" but he says nothing whatever
about 'precedents" and "unwritten law.
And now, on this point of the applica-
tion of the elective principle" " what does
President Grant say? Simply this:
"The question of the number of terms al
lowed to any one Executive can only come up
fairly in the shape of a proposition to amend
the Constitutional shape in which all politl-
cal parties can articipate-fxing the length
of time or the number of terms tor which any
one person shall be eligible for the othce OF
President. Until such an amendment is
adopted the people cannot be restricted in
their choice by resolution further than they
are now restricted, as to age, nativity, Sc."-
See Letter Of Nay 90, 1875.
The soundness of this commentary on
the Constitution has never been questioned
by any legal authority. Now. hear the
editor $50 called) of the Spirit Of the Times
enunciate another principle in American
pOlity:
"The sopIlstry which exists in Gen. Grants
recent letter appears to rest upon tunda-
mental principle, namely-that The People
have the sole right to govern, and that In them
the absolute sovereignty exists. Unquestlon-
ably this is true, and free nation has the In
herent right to appoint a dictator, to re-elect
for an indefinite term, or an indefinite number
of terms, President; to even choose hlng,
or to reduce itself to q condition OF utter sla-
very. Nations have done this, and viii DO so
again. But the theory of Grant that these
things should be admitted until they are pro
l., lo,u fs ant IN ha raRnnnilP0
with freedom"
Poor, wretched mountebank +! Ilustrious
type" OF Ferdinand Mendez Pinto ! Whom
and where did you learn that the President
admits the inherent right of the people to
break up our present foIm of government,
TO appoint dictator, ito even choose
king" or TO reduce US from freedom ''to
condition of utter slaveryH" Do you find
it in the record of great captain, fresh
from the field of glory whereon such pre-
tentions met with their death at his hands?
Do you find it in any attempt as the Execu-
tive of the United States to invade the
privileges and authority of the legislative
and judicial powers of the Government
Does he admit of the possibility of ''dic-
tator" or of q liking" when he says:
THE idea that any man could elect himself
President, Lr even reDOminate himself, Is pre-
uostcrous. 1t is reflection upon the intelli-
eence and patriotism of the people to suppose
such thing possible. Any man can destroy
his chances for the office, but no one can iorce
an election or even nomination"
He has fought at the head of the people
for the peoples rights. for the preservation
of their forms of liberty, and as their
chosen President he has executed the laws
OF the United States, and so perfect has
been the administration Of national affairs
during the past six years that Theophilus
Parsons in his great legal work just issued,
and entitled "The Political, Personal and
property Rights of Citizen OF the United
estates" says, p. 4 THE Government of
"these United States is this day the strong
lest government in the world, for it is the
"organ of q nation endowed with self
government, and is invested with the
"nation's might, to be used for the nations
"good, in whatever way may prove to be
."the best. 1t is the government Of law,
land its strength is in the Constitution.
eve are nation that includes as wide q
diversity of opinion, of sentiment, OF
character and of interest as Of soil and
"climate. But over US all the Constitution
"bends like the universal sky, holding US
call within its embrace, but lifted up too
"high for any one to reach it with sacri-
"legious hand. Like the sky it comes
"down as the benefcent air which sur
rounds US at every step and at every mo-
"ment, supplying US with the element of
political life, and yet so soft, so yielding
"and invisible that we do not think
"of it as we engage in the work or
enjoy the happiness of every day. Soft,
yielding and invisible is this sweet air
eve breathe and live upon; and yet it
"may, when there is need, put forth its
strength-and who Can stand against the
Knight of the unfettered wind! p The
Constitution is the Government, and the
state it would be in were President Grant
to leave it to-day is thus described by Mr.
Parsons yet Mendez Pinto Wilkes, the
consort OF slanderers, against whom he asks
time to vindicate himself, pours out his
wretched trash about "sophistry," ''dic-
tator'' and a "king," and impugns the
patriotism of the Chief Magistrate. Such
trash, coming from a man whose character
is "past all surgery" is hardly worth at
tention; but their author apes the condition
of a gentleman, and will not stick to his
legitimate business, "to suckle fools and
chronicle small beer"