Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-01-30

of the denomination of Gen Grant ignore the
very wide and important distinction between
three continuous terms in the Presidency,
and the reelection of an ex-president, shows
the essential weakness of their case. Almost
without exception, they rehearse the old ar
guments and quote the old expressions an
tagonisic to a third term continuous with
second term, us if they applied 10 the pres
ent case. As We have shown heretofore,
they do not apply at all. The essential rea-
sons why it is well for even a good President
to retire at the close of Il second term, have
absolutely no bearing on the question of the
reelection of an eN-Prcsidcnt. We say al
most without exception, for We have found
single exception Mr.. Curtis, in the last
number Of Harper's W,eHy. asserts that iii
is pucrilc to say that the objections 10 third
term are removed by an intervening term
1t seems to us ''pucrie'' to maintain the
converse of that proposition. Says Mr.
Curtis
The very situation illustrates the iallacy
of such a plea The intervening term rs
supposed to remove the difficulty because
the patronage will have changed hands. But,
as a matter of fact, the great body oil inc
office holding class to-day was appointed ny
General Grant, and the present admihistfa-
tion has made comparatively lew changes
| In New York, for instance, the Grant move
mept is managed by those who held Office
under the late President, and who regard the
HAYES administration as an imperiinence
/ ho.t ,l,ot h,a s1i1 in IL
| tenance of the idea that third term afteran
interval, is the same thing as the technical
third term'-ihat is third term coitinu-
| GUS with a second term-it had better not
have been said at all. The Federal patron
age has changed hands. Gen. Grant can
control no more of it than Mr.. Curtis can.
The ''great body of the ofiice-holding class
have no 'patronage"-they simply hold sub
ordinate offices. The sources of patronage
are the President and Cabinet. All these
have changed and none Of them are helping
the Grant boom. The important offices, in
Guiding all the leading Federal offices in New
York city, have been largely changed. The
Grant movement in New York is managed,
says Harpr's Weekly, by those who shield
office under the late President" All
Then they do not now hold Office,
they are private citizens, advocating
the nomination of a private citizen
If these men were now in office, and II they
are venal politicians, such as all ofiiceholder'
are supposed by all independent journal
are warped by their self-interest and depend
ence on the sources of patronagc-they woui'
not be for Grant; for they are now undel
Sherman, or Schurz, or Key, or other head'
of departments, whose views in regard Il
the succession are well known, and whose pre-
ferenccs will control their subordinates jus
SO far as the latter are the kind of men 10 b.
controlled by their superiors. These sugses
tions apply to all office-holders. If they arr
venal and controlled by their snperiors
they will not be for Grant. II disinter
ested and independent, their preference
is entitled to respect. In point OF FAC
the office holders, as class, are mainl,
not for Grant but if they were, it must b
because they rise above the selfish interests
connected with their position. As for eN
office-holders, they are private citizens as wei
entitled to their preference and judgment n
other citizens. There is as yet no order iron
Washington forbidding ex-otlice-holdcrs II
concern themselves with politics
But Harpy's Weekly soon drops back t.
its old objection to Gen. Grant, that no on
man, however honored and honorable is nee
; essary TO save this Government. Grant it
The Government would probably live
Gen. Grant should die tomorrow. But ON
man may have such qualities and such
standing in public confidence that he cal
do far better public service in an emergency
than others equally honorcd and honorable
As We write, our eye crosses column ruiz
in Hayper's Weekly and by the side of lh'
declaration that it is nonsense TO talk of thu
need of "a strong man" in the President
chair, we find Mr. Curtis expressing
his sense of the great good FORTUNE
for Maine that it had in Genera
|
character and courage" one who is more
patriot than partisan" It's the editor ol
Harper's Weekly who says; This trust IA
tie patriotic hOnestycJ ONE ctisen thus a'
keeps The peace in ManG''!! Precisely and
trust in the patriotic honesty of one man,
man of character and courage, who is
more patriotic than partisan, be as
necessary to the peace OF the Nation, moi
many months 10 come.
This paper has contributed very little tC
the Grant boom" Till the indications OF
popular desire for his denomination became
so marked and extensive that they could moi
be mistaken, We did not suppose it possible
that he could he again candidate. 1t Is
not now by any means clear that he will be-
lie cannot afford to have his name takei
into any scramble in the convention. Moth
ing but an almost unanimous and imperative
call from the delegated representatives, OF
the Republican party, basedon the conviction
candidate that Can he put in nomination,
will secure his consent 10 Il denomination
Whether such unanimty in regard 10 the
emergency, and as 10 the man To meet H.
will exist in the convention is of course
quite doubtful, But if il should. we should
have very little fear Of the result. W,
believe Gen. Grant could carry Ohio as wei
as Mr.. Sherman that he would be more
likely to carry New York than Mr.. Blaine
that he would sweep Illinois and Indiana,
California and other doubtful States, and
TINT he is probably the only Republican
that can carry IA single Southern State.