The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-03-10
Tho Anti-Cesarism or President
Hayes.


ern policy, have SO occupied public atten-
ton that we have not found it convenient
until now to state, with proper emphasis,
our warm approval of his sentiments upon
question in which tho HERALD has for sew
eral years taken deep interest. 1t would
not be quite accurate to say that we indorse
his views; tho truth is that he has Endorsed
and adopted ours We are proud of so dis
tinguished convert; we congratulate our
selves that not President Hayes alone, but
other statesmen of eminence, may be counted
among the disciples of the HERALD. Some
three or four years since we raised our shrlli-
est notes Of warning and sent them far and
wide. At first we were greeted with uni
versal chorus of jeers and derision. 1t was
thought that we were out of our wits, or at
least that, like poor Don Quixote, we were
valiantly fighting a windmill. We never
theless kept up our persistent notes Of
warning. Before two years had passed
the tone of light mockery and fippant ridi-
cule had died into silence. A new set of
responses took their place. Thousands of
echoes came back to US from as many pub
lie journals in every part of the United
States, and never did echoes more faithfully
reflect back the sounds which they repeated.
For several months before the Forty-fourth
Congress met in it's first session the third
term was the staple topic of serious discus
sion in the American press. Derision had
given way to alarm; incredulity had been ex-
changed for conviction. There was a universal
expectation that President Grant would be
again a candidate for reelection, and that
apprehension was not quieted until the
Dabcock trial and the Belknap impeachment
put an extinguisher OH his chances. When
the immediate danger had passed the dis
cussion was dropped. Public attention
preparations, progress and singular result
Of the Presidential canvass.
But although the discussion was sus-
pended tho question did rot lose its
Importance. 1t slept, but it was not
dead. Those who thought it SO or
who may still think it so never
had IN intelligent appreciation OF the
grounds on which the discussion was
commenced. The real danger did not lie SO
much in the character Of General Grant as
in the enormously increased power and
patronage which are a consequence of the
civil war. Any President who stood we'll
with his own political vsrty could easily Sc
strong and popular President for third
term, unless struck with violent head wind
like the Belknap and Babcock exposures,
which came just at the point of
time when the preparations were max
ing for the National Convention of the
republican party. The great source of
danger is the overshadowing patronage of
the government, which any ambitious,
strong-willed President might employ with
success to force his reelection. This is the
worst legacy Of the civil war. Andrew
Johnson was unable to use it because he
was ut loggerheads with his own political
party. General Grant used it with trium-
plant success to secure one reelection, and
he would have had considerable chances for
third term had it not been for the i'm
parchment of q mem Der Of his Cabinet and
the trial Of his private secretary on o crimi-
nal charge. The great source Of danger
still exists. We have been rescued by
mere accident. Even before tho war
every President abused his patronage in
attempts to secure reelection; and now,
when the patronage is SO enormously in
creased, the temptation and the power are
augmented in the same ratio. Unless the
power and the temptation are destroyed by
an amendn tent of tho constitution the first
President we may have who is at once ambi-
tious, popular and fortunate will pcrpetu-
ally re-elect himself and become veritable
Caesar.
| The third-term discussions and the wide
spread feeling of alarm they occasioned were
so fresh in the public mind when the two
| Presidential candidates wrote their letters
necessary to reassure the public mind re-
specting his own intentions. The Republic
can National Convention, from motives of
delicacy to General Grant, forebore to touch
the question; but Mr.. Hayes in his letter
of acceptance, went beyond the platform
and proclaimed his ''infexible purpose, if
| elected, not to be q candidate for second
election" Mr.. Tilden, wishing to Ego one
better" in appealing to the public
alarm which the HERALD had aroused on
that point, judged it expodient to say -
ut might encourage dclusive expectations
if withheld here the expression of my con-
viction that no reform of the civil service
will be complete and permanent until the
Chief Magistrate is constitutionally dis
qualified for reelection" President Hayes
in his inaugural strongly Endorsed this idea
of his defeated competitor, and recon-
mended can amendment to the constitution
prescribing term of six years for the Presi-
Dental Office, and forbidding reelection. "