National Republican., 1878-07-23

did he not decline II at the end of his second-l
why could he never be brought to say that he
would not bo thrd-term candidatoT'
"Because the agitation was started before
the nomination had been offcrod to General
GRANT. Tho newspapers and the men who
started the movement wanted TO drive GRANT
into declaring that he would never accept
what had never been offered to him, and Gen.
eral GRANT Is not man to bo driven into
anything. He would not be driven-that was
all. He did not desire his third nomination,
as he had not wished his second"
What do you think, then, of the fear which
has been expressed that GRANT will mako
himself king and set up an American mon
arcby II elected for third term"
Mr.. Fish laughed heartily. GRANT akingp
he exclaimcd-"a monarchy In this country
Pshawl IL Is not worth talking about. GRANT,
tho simplest the plainest man for really
strong man--and no one can deny that ho is
strong mani have ever known In all my
life! / am in constant correspondence with
General GRANT, and only few weeks ago
received = letter from him In which ho tells
me how much more he Is enjoying tho latter
part of his trip, In which he has not been de.
layed so much with answering speeches In non.
| English-speaking countries. know, from all
his letters, that he has never taken these at
tentions in any other light than as compli.
ment to his country. He knows that they are
| meant not so much for himself as for the coun.
swer to remark Of your correspondent, Mr..
FISH said GRANT is no fool, and he who
takes him for one makes sad mistakoV
do you think that the third.term principle
Is q dangerous one"
"WelI, all can say about that" Mr.. FISH
very quietly replied, "is that If the people
want man for third term they will have
him-thats all. There is no prohibition In the
Constitution which prevents 1t. II Is often
said that 'all our great Presidents were satij-
fed with two terms; but look at IL. Our first
five Presidents all left their second term Of
Office as old men. They were all about sixty
seven or sixty-cight years old, or thereabouts,
when they went out of Office. At that age n
mans ambition Is satisfied. Moreover, they
all had been actors In our Revolutionary
war, and had been so long before the country
that they might well have thought the conn-
try had had enough OF them by that time.
Tako MONROE, for instance he was captain
he left office he had been before the country
nearly fifty years, period Of time sufficient to
satisfy any ambition. No President was ever
elected at so young an age as General GRANT.
"Do you think, then, that If our first five
Presidents had been much younger men they
would have been elected for third termr'
Possibly some Of them might-with tho ex-
ception of General wAsHISGToS, who, 1 be-
lieve, would not have accepted It, He never
showed any signs Of ambition"
"Do you think II probable that General
GRANT will be the Republican candidate, al
though he may not desire II ?"
"I don't-for tho reason that no man ha'
ever been nominated President whose nomina
tion has been talked of three years before
+ Mr.. FISH then, with great wealth Of historica
illustration, pointed at the various contests FOL
the Presidential nomination, In which invari
ably some new, almost unhoard-of compromis
candidate was finally taken, and particular!
= at the nomination Of Polk, Taylor, and Pierce
4 But, pardon me, Mr.. FISH, was not GRAN
talked OF three years before his first nomina
: tionY
1 "No," was Mr.. FIsus reply, GRANT wa
: nominated In the fall of 1868, and that woul'
= take us back to the fall Of 1865, while GRAN
u did not turn up prominently as tho probabl
/ candidate until JoHSsoN's later quarrels wit
4 Congress, when Congress took all the powe
from him which It could take, and placed 1t ]
the hands Of the General Of the Army" MI
I FISH here gave an interesting account Of th
v well l-known enactments by which Prcsden
r. JoHSsOSs power was crippled, showing ho'
. vividly his memory retained all the events Q
II that stirring time
& 1t is barely possible that the pendin
N movement, which has its origin in the iea
= of the enemies Of General GRANT and Re
= publicanism, that his candidacy Is possbl
k under the logic of events, may prove
II boomerang to its engineers, and that Ger
1t eral GRANT may become o candidate
D, spite of himself or anything his enemi'
20 may do to prevent it, in which case he wi
N sweep the country rs HARRISON did
A. 1910. The reasons for such concluSiO
TO are numerous, prominent among which
At the possibility that he is tho only prom
DC ncnt man to-day to which the p0pul,
n mind can turn with confidence in an estal
Id lishment Of the laws Of government,
lie guarantee of public peace aud the pc
E. petuity of the Republic The public mir
l. is crowded with fear lest the late Confet
" crates may come into full possession of Il
Government, result which might insure
overthrow, either by coup detdt or a bloot
as revolution. Such consequences are mu,
II dreaded, and tho apprehension that th'
I'd may fall upon the country is the only re
H. son why General GRANT may be possib
It's candidate against his own wishes. v
of havo no doubt that Mr. FISH correctly I
Mt flected the wishes of General GRANT in h
,il view of the case rs 1t now stands. He wi
is not be urged as candidate by any Of i
is friends; and il he shall be made one, it W
I'd be by the strong will and voice of the pc
w pie, which will prove irresistible and owe
NJ whelming. This the enemies of the cou
lie try fear, and hence this early demonstrate
e. and discussion in the hope that his non
l., nation may be defeated by pressing
he name to the front prematurely.