The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1875-07-07
Clean Hands. j

vas urgently Piesseu w AolHlsai up
peals from the Legislatures Of Mas
sachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island,
New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland,
New Jersey and North Carolina, to
be a candidate for reelection The
Government was then in comparative
infancy, the Constitution had only
been in operation for nineteen years,
and the great experiment was on
trial.
Doubts and distrust still plagued
patriotic minds as to the final success
Of the new republic, and in this state
of anxiety about the future some of
the foremost men of the time coun-
selled stability as the part of wisdom,
and were adverseto frequent changes
in the Executive, at least until the
system was deeply rooted and the
real or supposed dangers were passed.
MIR. jefferson did not share in these
fears. He was sincere republican
| al, heart and inIpractice, and he knew
that in a country just emerging from
monarchial rule, and where the peo-
| pie had been accustomed to knight
was most important to exclude the
Idea Of a prolonged Presidency
Hence he replied to these addresses
by saying: .s . ~
If some termination TO the services of
the Chief Magistrate be not fixed by the
Constitution; or supplied by practice,
his office, nominally for years, will, in
fact, become for life; and history shows
how easily that degenerates into an in.
heritance. ,,,4 XII.
| Believing that representative gov
ernment, responsible at short periods Of
election, is that which produces the
greatest sum of happiness to mankind,
feel it duty to do no act which shall
essentially impair that principle; and
should unwillingly be the person WHO,
disregarding the sound precedent set
by an an illustrious predecessor, should
furnish the first example Of prolonga-
ton beyond the second term Of office.
h In the thirty-seven years which
have elapsed since these sentiments
were uttered, no party has ever ven
tured to propose a third term, and
1.-THE practice which Jefferson suggest
ed as the alternative for constitu-
tional amendment became a part of
the unwritten political law, sanctifed
by usage, like the precepts Of the
common law in our courts of justice.
It was reserved for Grant, the. last
and worst Of Presidents, to set him
self up against this eonsecrated prac-
ltice, and to suggest sit may happen
in the future history of the country
that to change an Executive because
he has been eight years in. office will
prove unfortunate, if not disastrous"
4 Jefferson did not wait for these
Legislatures to approach him on this
subject, nor did he deem it "beneath
the dignity of the Office" as Grant
processes to have done,a to put him-
self clearly on the record, two years
before the expiration of his second
term, against any movement for a re-
election, when he wrote in this posi-
| tive manner: 3i -
| / am entitled to my discharge, and
should be sorry indeed that others
should be sooner sensible than myself
when ought to ask it. have, there
fore, requested my fellow-citizens to
think of a successor for me, to whom |
shall deliver the public CONCERNS with
greater joy than ! received them: !
have the consolation, too, of, having
4 added nothing to my private fortune
i during my public service, and Of retir-
j ing with hands as clean as they are
empty.
! IF these last words had been writ
ten with a knowledge Of the present
situation, they could not have been
made more pointed or suggestive.
Grant has dieffred as much from his
] predecessors in seeking to augment
his private fortune in Office, as he
). has with regard to the third term,
which is as much prompted by his
ayarice as by any other motive.
At the close Of the civil war he re-
ceived rewards and honors such as
had never been accorded to any other
!. President. He was raised from pow
erty to wealth, and voted what, in
ibis peculiar English, he calls "a life
position" with a large salary and
allowances. All these exceptional
recognitions did not gil the measure
Of his ambition &gs .,,.s.,ss
He still wanted to be President,
and was elected Yet he was not
satisfied. He bargained for second
term as a commercial transaction,
and when that was obtained, he i'm.
i portuned an expiring and corrupt
! Congress, in its last hours, to double
i his salary and perquisites. After all
these, concessions have been made
J he cries out for more, and is as plain