The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1880-05-06
The Grant Movement.

The Roadway which the third term
movement has already attained is of it.
self sufficiently alarming to excite some
Solicitude. -Four years ago the state
Of feeling was such that liz man would
risk his standing for sagacity, not to
say patriotism, to have predicted the
possibility of Grants denomination. In
order that the country might he fully
advised OF the sentiment of the domi-
nant party, it deliberately placed it
self on record, both i'm Congress and
in Il large number of State Conventions,
as irrevocably hostile to his reelection,
basIng it specifically on the objection to
Il third term. The popular feeling in
the Republican ranks was also freely
exhibited by contemporaneous expires
sions from men of the highest authOri-
ty, all warming both the party and
country against the danger which Il
denomination involved. Conspicuous
among these warnings was one from
Secretary Sherman, who was not then
himself candidate, and whose utter
ances We're entitled to full weight being
then an impartial but prominent
spokesman. In letter of january,
1876, he stated that the question Of Il
third term had been positively closed
by the public judgment. This, he
added, was based upon the strongest
reason, and was enforced by many
preccpts, which it would be Criminal
folly TO disregard" He declared,
further, that the established precedent
against it would make his nomination
an act of suicide, and that it would
distacrt the party in every State.
There can lie no question that this rep
resented the true opinion Of the Re
publican party four years ago and
what Sherman predicted is fast coming
| to pass. Now, as this verdict of the
Republicans is supplemented by the
fact that it was through Grants agen-
cy that the foundation was laid for
bringing upon the country all our fl
nancial troubles in the past and dam
ger0us incertitude for the future, which
the absolute certainty that in case of
his election the complexion of rhe SUI
preme Court is to be moulded by the
will Of the "strong man." the third
term movement immensely intensiie>
hazards which it would be the height
of folly to ignore and extreme rtupid-
ity to neglect.
If Grant has desire to create an
empire and subvert the Republic, ever
without over acts of revolution, tho
door will be wide open to him to ac
complish his purpose by entrenchins
himself behind the ramparts Of thu
Federal Judiciary, from which i
would be impossible to dislodge him
it is not the possible contingency o.
Grants being President alone that
should awaken public solicitude, but the
placing in his hands power to practi
cally couple the executive and Judicial
departments together and thus to rev
olutiOnizc the Government withou
striking Il single blow Such union o
these two departments in the hands o
single man would render the legisla
tive branch powerless to defeat his am
bilious designs if any are entertained
and tend directly toward imperial pow
err if they were not. Grant is Il sol
dier, not statesman. He was trained
i'll the school of force, not of statesman
ship based on an intelligent under
f standing of the Constitution and tn
, popular will. Even with honest in
+ tentiOns consolidation and centraliza
ton, union of the purse and swor,
would be inevitable, and the peOpl
would be deprived Of their sovereignt,
before they became aware of it, an,
large majority not even knowing b,
what process if was accomplished
We have too much confidence in tn,
! intelligence of the people to believ,
that Grant can be elected if nominated
but if there is any force in the record
cd judgment of the Republican part,
adverse to the third term, the country
cannot afford to run the risk of the pc
culiar strain upon the principles o
( free government which campaigl
, with Grant again in the field would
, necessarily involve. Anything t,
t beat Grant, is therefore legitimat,
} cry, which special circumstances appli
cable to him alone enforce with pecul
: lar potency.
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