The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-06-04

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We publish this morning forcible and
pungent letter from the Hon. Reverdy
johnson. Of Maryland, commenting upon
General Grants letter in reference to the third
term. Mr.. Johnson is one of the foremost
men Of the Republic, statesman Of wide and
long extended fame, jurist Of learning ana
capacity, thoroughly familiar with the history
and spirit Of our laws. His career embraces
large part of the coniederated life OF the he
public. He knows better than most living
men upon what our constitution rests, and
what are the sources and attributes Of our
national power, the value and the limitations
of the federal and State compacts- he knows
especially how much danger there is IN the
proposition to make the Office Of the Presi-
dency reflective. Mr.. johnson IN an earlier
time was a disciple of Henry Clay, who
eloquently sustained the dogma that has as
sumed new force in these later days. that the
Office of the Presidency should be limited to
one term. 1t is natural, therefore, that in
commenting upon so important document
as the letter of President Grant, and upon
question SO interesting as the third term, he
should not forget the teachings of the elo-
quent and lamented statesman of Kentucky.
As we indicated yesterday in discussing this
subject there are many questions that could
be proftably considered by the country were
we to believe o third term to be no longer
potent issue in our politics. 1t Is impossible
to read what SO eminent statesman as Mr..
Johnson says without seeing that this ques-
ton is far from dead, and that General
Grants letter, 30 far from destroying it, has
given it life it never before possessed
What before was merely q political or news
paper speculation is now seen to have been
entertained as a defnitive Presidential pur-
pose. If we could feel that the third term
was an impossible incident; that it was di-
rectly forbidden by constitutional amend
ments, like those forbidding slavery and the
payment of the Confederate debt, we could
see well how the country could now enter
upon the work of reorganization, of strength
ening the finances, of peace for the South, of
achieving sound tariff and revenue system,
of doing what General Grant, who came into
power six years ago with SO many opportuni-
ties and promises OF usefulness, has yet failed
to do. We could see how the next campaign for
the Presidency would be conducted upon
broader, more generous and more distinctly
national basis. We could feel that we were
coming to one OF those cycles in our politi-
cal history when new men and new policy
and new influences would govern the
country. There Ia no doubt that such de-
parture would be q great advantage to the
Republic. We need change. Even the best
instruments become deadened after long use,
and the most acceptable of our national SER
wants ten years ago no longer have either
skill or opportunity. Consequently drastic,
deeply-reaching. widely-spreading change, be-
ginning with the Presidency and permeating
every department of the government, would
give the Republic new life and enable us to
enter upon a higher career of social and ma
tional progress.
We agree with Mr.. johnson that while il is
not probable that President Grant viii be re-
nominated or reelected for a third term
the danger of this issue in our politics is by
no means at an end. The cardinal error in
the letter of the President is that he holds his
Office Of Presidency as something above and
apart from the people. 1t is incredible that
any statesman or any leader of public opinion
should really feel in this nineteenth century
that the presence or the absence of any Prcsi-
dent would be disastrous" or even "unfor-
tunate' to the country. There is really no
independent free nation dependent upon
the genius or the courage or the
- kba
absence Of one man in the White House could
Of itself be disastrous to the country it would
show that We have failed in the first duty of
republican government-namely, how to gov
ern ourselves So this, which is really meant
By President Grant to be plain statement Of
his own views as to o possible contingency
which might compel the reelection Of q
President for third term, is really humili-
ating confession BY the Chief Magistrate of
the Republic that we had not yet attained
the highest dignity Of republican govern
ment and free institutions. This is what we
mean By C@sar1sm-tne placing the Office
above the people. There has been no Presi-
dent since the time Of Washington who has
made the impression upon the country in
spired BY Abraham Lincoln. One would
think that Mr. Lincoln's death Of the close Of
the war would have been an irreparable calam-
ity, disastrous 10 the peace and prosperity Of
the nation, and at the peculiar crisis when it
occurred so grave o misfortune that its ex-
tent could not be estimated Events showed
that Mr.. Lincoln's death was an individual
disaster distressing 70 humanity. The country
went on and on through trials almost as great
as those Of the war And it is to-day stronger
and more prosperous and more powerful than
at any period Of its history. Now, il We
could survive an event as disastrous as the
sassination Of Lincoln at time when the
/ Union was torn and trembling, il is most ex-
traordinary that in . time Of peace General