New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-12-03
THE THIRD TERM REVITAL.

TO any one who takes the pains to watch the
current of public opinion it must be very OBJ
vious that there il at this moment more
general belief in the fact of President Grants
third term aspirations than there has been
any time these three years. One would sup
pose that the positive utterances of several
Republican State Conventions upon the sub
ject. together with the Presidents own letter.
which at least was fairly open to the con-
struction of a withdrawal of his name, would
have been sufficient to settle the mat
ter. But in spite of them all, there
is prevalent impression that third
term for Grant is within the reasonable prob
abilities. So far as the utterances OF the State
Conventions are concerned it happens unfor-
tunately that the people have pretty much
given up counting on them. Conventions have
got so much In the habit of saying one thing
and meaning another that the average voter
puts but little dependence on them. AS to
the Presidents third-term letter, it was long
AGO pointed out that while seeming to be a
withdrawal it was absolutely nothing of the
kind but left a very wide door open for his
acceptance of a denomination. Hence 1t hap
pens that the third-term agitation is revived,
and a well founded suspicion exists that the
leading candidate for the Republican nomina-
ton for the Presidency when the Convention
meets will be found to be Ulysses s. Grant.
We are now 80 near the time for holding
the Conventions and making the nominations
that the discussion seems more practical than
ever before. Instead of turning over the ques-
ton whether the President really desires re-
nomination, or whether the Convention can be
managed in his interest, people now are look
ing over the field and inquiring who is the
best and most available candidate. II is a
field pretty tlickly strewn with the dead and
wounded Of the past years campaign. There
are not so many promising candidates for the
Republicans as there were year or even SIX
months ago. The managing politicians looking
about for IA choice find some fatally weak spot
in the record of each prominent man. They
come back involrntarily to Grant. And they
say, "Well, after all, why not third term
What is there about it that is so dreadful
Grant is our strongest man-we know
:" him, and can trust him, and we can do no
better than ren0minate him." Then there is
an element which can hardly be oyerestmated
in considering the possibilities OF tho next
Republican Convention, to wit, tho Office
holders. Whether Grant desires a reelection
or not, these men, without exception, most
earnestly desire it for him. They know very
well that change of Executive involves Il
strong probability Of their own removal. 1t l.
the simple natural instinct of sclf-preser-
yatiOn that leads them to support the
Administration which gives them their living
and to seek to have it continued With them
this is business. They waste no time or words
on sentimental politics. What they are look
ing ont for is their own immediate and per
sonal bread and butter. They do not c0nsti-
mte a majority. it Is true, but they are the
men who attend caucuscs and conventions and
act for the majority. They appoint delegates
and direct the action of parties, and. taking
the country through. are the most powerful
unorganZed class III the community. They
viii moi be disturbed either by being reminded
of the anti-third-tcr utterances Of their own
conventions or of the Presidents letter Of
Withdrawal They will call it an emergency"
and go right on.
These are the considerations which are being
weighed by the people, and which lead TO the
conviction, already toerably wide -prcad, that
the candidate who has the best chance fOr
securing the next Republican nomination is Gen
Grant. We shall see a more ample developing OF
Presidential programmes shortly, but whoever
surpo,es that hc can leave ont OF his cacuia-
tons the present occupant of the White House
in estimating the possibilities of 1876 may
vet lind it worth while to examine the field
with "a little more care aud revise his judy
nent of the same.