National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1880-01-26

and yet that they were charging him with
wanting to be u king
Mn HOWE follows this with the follow
ing pertinent suggestions:
wAsH1NGToN, like GRANr-tho Father of
his country, like the Savior Of twas accused
Of "CRsarism.' 1t is not so very strange that
100000 Of people just emerged from mon
archy should be jealous of imperial designs.
But IL is passing strange that 100000 just
staggering into the second century OF free
dom should be scared by SO soft spook
No one expected to dissuado President
| WASHINGTON from the retirement he so pas
sionately coveted beyond the expiration of his
second torn. He was siXty-one years old
| when that term commenced. He was sixty
| five when it ended. The infrmities of which
he complained at sixty were aggravated ut
sixty.fve. He died before the next term
ended. The number of his enemies had NUT
| tiplied. Their hate was intensified. JEFFER-
son had left his Cabinet MADISON was
| alenated from him. He had been compelled
| TO recall MONROE from France. He yearned
for rest, and he inhexibly sought it. Such
was the example of our first President.
In referring to JEFFERsoS's declining u
third term Mr. Howe illustrates the fact
that Mr. JEFFERsoN's reelection was an
impossiblity, with the following record;
The legislature of Vermont first threw his
flag to the breeze ON the 9th of November
! 1906. More than two years before his second
! term expired the legislature of Vermont ad-
| dressed to Mr. JEFFERSON formal invitation
| to become a candidate for q third term. In
| December following the Georgia legislature
! Joined IN that invitation. Maryland did the
same in January, 1907. Rhode Island in Feb
l ruary and Now York and Pennsylvania in
| March followed their example.
Mr. Jefferson is known to nayC been q
most diligeut correspondent During all those
months he was constantly receiving letters
from individuals, from municipalities from
religious societies and political organizations
He replied to such promptly, becomngly. But
to the legislatures of those great States no
degned no reply for more than year after the
first one addressed him. On December 4, 1907,
the legislature of New Jersey Joined in the IN
vitation of Vermont. Mr., JEFFERSON dcter-
mined to wait no longer. Ho addressed letters to
Vermont, New Jersey aud Pennsylvania de-
cining to be a candidate for reelection. In
, stating his reasons for declining he employed
the same terms in each letter. Those letters
bear date the 10th of December, 1907. They
were given to the public in the columns of the
aurora at Philadelphia, on the 18th of the
same mouth. Up to that time no one
had heard an objection to n third term. Seven
States had asked Mr.. JEFFERSON to accept
, a third term. Nobody objected to his having
|
two. What he himself thought of IL third
term he had diligently concealed from the
1 public during the whole agitation. Two days
before his letter appeared in the aurora that
= journal copied from the Trenton True Amcrt
can an article commencing in these words
I "Will Mr.. JEFFERSON consent TO serve an
a other term as President is a question which
4 almost every Republican anxiously asks, bu
which no one can certainly answer" The
= States which at that time had declared for
third term stsixty.tw electoral votes NOrtl
:. Carolina subsequently joined the number
North Carolina then gave eleven votes Tha
would make the number ofelectoral votes whicl
had declared for Mr.. JEFFERSON seyenty-t
- But the States OF Ohio, Tennessee, Ken
:, lucky, Georgia, South Carolina and worst Of
II all, Virginia, where both JEFFERSON an,
i MADISON had their homes, Obstnately refused
to ioin in the JEFFERSON BOOM" They wer,
Republican States, they voted for MADISON
anu they were accorded Glty-fve electora
votes.
Then the States of New Hampshire, Massa
: chusetts, ConnecticutaS1 Delaware cast thirty
e nine electoral votes They wo,c Fedora
J. States, not Republican. They voted 10
, PGNCKNEY, and would not vote for JEFFERso,
- | OF MADISON either
h or course, when it was ascertained that Their
IS were thirty-nime votes which no Republican
l. could secure, and fitty.iive Republican vote
e. !
II MADISON could, the former had excellent rea
| sous for declining third term for himself
= But he had no reason for declining thrI
, term for all his successors. When satisfied
l. after an active canvass of more than thirteeI
5 months, that the people did not wish to pro
= long his services beyond q second term he die
well to recognize the fact lilo would hay,
dOno better ii he had not attempted TO frame
his disappointment into law which shoul'
5 prevent any of his successors from serving
A longer than he did.
= Mr.. HOWE then says: "To tell ratiOna
j. Creatures that free institutions are imper
lied by the reelection of one who 70
q "eight years has proved faithful magis
y trate, but are insured by the election o
a one who has never been proved at all
Il "seems to be the extreme of audacity. Tha
h is to say, that our institutions would have
/ been endangered by the election o
a GEORGE WAsHINGToS to n third term
Il "but were preserved by the election G
y " JOHN ADAMS that is to say, our repub
lican system would have been threatened
"by third election Of JAMES MADISON @
y "ANDREw JACKSON but was preserved b
D. "the fortunate election of JAMES MoNRo
S. "reign of JERoBoAM the world has no
Sc seen true believers seduced from the woI
i. "ship of GOD to that of mere metalli
,e "calves. 1t Is much to be desired that tn
d, "wOrld may not again see true Republi
" "cans scared by senseless clamor int
se putting lighted candles in their caps aft,
:" the manner of miners, and going dow
at Into subterraneau depths to quarry out
ne " President, while the foremost man Of h
re cage stands upon the mountain-top, upo
ty "whom the eager world has set the seal
ed ''primacy."
e. The strongest objection that can possbl
lis be urged against third term relates to
&C. continuous period in Office for three term
as That was the proposition before WASHING
VIZ TON and JEFFERSON. 1t was that whiC
NJ led the friends and supporters of Gener
81 GRANT in the closing year of his secol
ed term to defer to the public sentiment {
as that point. They yielded to it GRACEFUL
re- and his name was not presented to d
nd nominating convention This obiectic
Int however, is now wanting in the case
x General GRANT. He has no G0,OOO oliic