American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-02-07
The Opposition to Grant.


edited by that model reformer, Mr..
George William Contemplated
declines to say whether he will or will
not support Grant, if nominated. Steal
ing one of Lincoln's favorite proverbs,
that paper says: owe shall not cross
the river until we come to it." In other
words, Ha1per's Weekly and its editor
are waiting to see what will turn up;
sitting on the fence, ready to jump
down on the winning side, whatever
side that may be. Should Grant cap
ture the Convention, he is rs certain of
the enthusiastic Endorsement and cham
pionship of the "Journal of Civiliza-
ton" as he is of the votes of Babcock
and Belknap. Is it any wonder that
such humbug reform as this was ridden
over and down by the Conkling Cornell
machine, and that the eX-Chairman of
the Civil-service-reform Commission
cannot muster corporaPs guard in his
own State?
In marked contrast to Harper-Curtis
is the Springfield (Mass.) Republican,
which has thrown Grant overheard long
ago, and handles the third-term BUSH
ness in the following vigorous fashion
1T is deep, underlying principle which
makes opposition to Grant no more person
al matter than Wcbsters answer to Haynes
speech was a matter personal to Hayne.
great constitutional question lies across the
track of the Republic. 1t ought to be cleared
up. Public men, whose influence does not
rest on Office, should speak out upon it. There
are still some such left not tied down by the
hopes and fears of patronage, nor gagged by
the machine. They know the peril. They UNI
derstand exactly what n third term means
They realize the shock which must come to
the Constitutional fabric, which has broadened
slowly down from precedent to precedent II
the practice and habit of the Republic be over
turned AT this point.
at is question on which mere lawyers and
precisonists cannot advise, but where the peo-
ple themselves should take counsel of caution,
r,,tner man Oh necoiess rask nmd sno M sPG,x t
which brought Mr. EvartS to the independent
platform, when General De Trobriand organ
lied the Louisiana House with file of United
States soldiery-only vastly more important.
because the departure from Constitutional
practice is to be more deliberate, more perma-
nent and sweeping in effect 1t is question
in which every man can see the danger and
the peril. 1t interests Democrats as well as
Republicans, and every man whose opinion
carries weight with the people should be urged
to express it.
If General Grant should be nominated by the
Republican party, this danger to free institu-
name of the Democratic party, and men would
be broadly and with reason invited to support
the Democratic candidate, in order to save the
democracy of our Government.
This is manly, straightforward talk
and means business" The Repat6-
Hcdn, unlike the milk-and-water oppo-
nents of the third-term. does not raise
the question of expediency; does not
base its opposition on the weakness of
Grant as Il candidate, and the prob
ability that he would lose several all
important States. Rising above party
to patriotism, it points out the evils
which must inevitably come from the
breaking down of g-established
precedent, and warns the people
against Il pernicious example which
will plague their children to the latest
generation. If there were more of
such Republicanism there would be
good deal less of Gfantism, but, for
tunately for the bummers and boomers,
the majority of their opponents are of
the Harper-Curtis stripe; as weak in
knees as in principle, and therefore of
nc consequence. So far as Democrats
are concerned. they are rather glad
than otherwise that this is the case.
They want Grant nominated. because
they want an opportunity to ''kill two
birds with one stone" by eXtinguishing
him and the third-term theory to-
gether. He will draw to their ticket a
vast amount of support it would not OBJ
tain were he out of the ring. His rec
ord will be an unanswerable campaign
document, and the character and ante
cedentS of the men to whom he will
owe his nomination will have more cf-
feet than ten thousand stump speeches.
If Democratic wishes could insure the
event, his success at Chicago would be
q forcgone conclusion.-St. Louis Re
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