Los Angeles daily herald., 1875-05-12
Why Not Speak for Himself.

Every now and then some obscure
individual, to fame and fortune un-
known, after volunteering the infor-
nation that he is the intimate per-
asonl friend of the President - the
bearer of his most secret thoughts and
his confidant and adviser-proceeds to
inform the expectant world that his
Excellency is not a candidate for the
third term, and would not accept the
nomination for reelection ii rendered
him by the unanimous consent of the
Republican party. This is all very
well SO far as it goes, but unfortunately
for both the President and his fugle-
men, it does not go far it does not, in
fact, go at all. The people are not in
clined to accept the statement of the
vassal, while the chief maintains a
non-committal attitude. One word
from GRANT himself would effectually
and finally settle the question, and he
very we'll knows that until he utters
that word the protestations and asser-
vations of his intimate friends y and
confidential advisers" will go for
naught-that they pass by unheeded,
receiving neither the attention nor
confidence of the people. Yet he as
carefully avoids uttering that one
word as he would the pronouncing of
his own doom. Why these assurances
from unreliable and unofficial sources,
and why the continued silence of the
oracle Is there but one conclusion
open to the candid, thinking man :?
We trow not, and that conclusion is
that the unofficial pronounciamento
is a preconcerted falsehood, and
the President will not speak, be-
cause to do so would be to un-
mask his plans and give the lie
direct to the oft repeated assertions
of his satellites-to pronounce and
brand as false reports which he has
himself caused to be circulated.
GRANT may yet announce that he is
not candidate for a third term, but
if he makes such announcement it
will be under pressure so great that
even his bulldog pertinacity cannot
longer resist it. He will only do so
when the last vestige of hope that
he can retain his place at the head of
the nation has passed away. 1t is i'm
possible he should be so stupid as not
to know that by maintaining silence
on this most important question he is
driving thousands of men out of the
Republican party daily, and digging
deep and wide the grave in which his
persistence will bury that party so far
beneath the surface that it will scarcely
hear the resurrection horn. If he is
not relying upon forlorn hope; if he
does not f1atter himself that with the
weak and enfeebled force which will
stand by him unto the day of battle
to the hour of trial-he may yet win
the victory, why does he persist in
course which is decimating his party
with the certain rapidity that an epi-
demic melts away an army. And
finally, if he does not intend to try for
third term, why is it that the lead
ing journals Of the party have not
busted themselves in naming his sue
cessor? There are able men in the
party; men who would be candidates
if GRANT uttered that little word;
men who have newspaper organs that
would gladly urge their claims upon
the party, were the embargo taken off.
But neither those men nor their Or
gans dare speak of that which is
nearest their hearts, because the Pres
ident is not yet satisfied that he can
not force his reelection. MORTON,
SHERMAN, WAsHBURN, CARPENTER,
BLAINE, WILSON, BOUTWELL,, DIX,
CoNKLING and host of others are
anxiously waiting for that little word,
but until it is spoken they nor their
organs dare whisper that they would
like the party nomination for Presi-
dent.