Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-03-04
BLACK ON THE THIRD TERN.

.Iolse Jere Black in North American Review.
Where the Chief Magistrate is vest
ed, ms ours is, with great power liable
TO gross abuse, if there is no law or
practice which forbids him to be re-
elected he can remain in Office for
life as easily rs for term. lie has
the appointment of all officers, the
making of all public contracts, and a
veto upon all legislation, besides the
command of the army and navy. BY
ap INSCRIPTIONS use of these means he
can coerce not only his horde of inn
mediate dependents, but he can con-
troll the corporations and become the
master of all the rings, put the bust
ness of all classes under his feet, cor.
rupt the venal, frighten the timid, and
check all ambitions but his own. He
can force the elections of every State
he desires to carry by the bayonets Of
his army. If that fails, he can order
4 false return, and pay for it out of
the public Treasury. The people
would soon perceive opposition to be
useless and accept the situation; cleo
tons would be rs mere matter of
form rs they were in Rome when such
Consuls as Nero and Domtian were
elected regularly y every year under
the supervision of the pretorian guards.
If these were no more than remote
possibilities prudence should guard tbs
against them. But they are near
probabilities the signs of the times
warn us that the peril to our institu-
tons is imminent; the danger is al
ready on the wing. 1t is vain to re-
mind us that the President swears to
preserve, protect and defend the Con
stitution and see the laws faithfully
executed. That is true and it is also
true that, if there be no perjury in the
case, the Constitution, laws and liber-
ties of the country are safe. But the
last twenty years have given us ample
proof that an oath is not much re-
.traint upon President who is incit-
ed by ambition, rapacity or strong
party feeling to break it.
1t is true that this presupposes a
people much degenerated and mag
i,trate animated mainly by the vulgar
love of power for its own sake; but
exactly such a conjunction Of things
has always been feared with good
reason, and hence comes the desire to
put every check on that tendency to
strong government which is now
maniicsting itself in many quarters.
What is the remedy? How shall
we avert the dire calamities with
which we are threatened? The an
swer comes from the graves of our
fathers: BY the frequent election of
new men. Other help or hope for the
saI~ation of free government there is
none under heaven.
If history does not teach this, we
have read it all wrong. In the repub-
lies of ancient and modern times the
chief magistrate was entrusted with
only temporary power, and always
went out of office at the end of short
period, fixed and prescribed by law or
custom. 1t was this, indeed, which
made the substantial distinction be-
tween them and the monarchies around
them. An unpunished transgression
Of the customary limitation was uni
formly followed by destruction. Every
where and always it was the fatal
symptom of decay-the sure forerun-
ner of ruin. When Cesar refused to
lay down his Consulship, as his pre-
decessors had, at the end of year,
and was reelected time after time
with the acquiescence Of the Senate
and the people, all that was real in
Roman freedom ceased to exist. Two
republics in France were brought to
an end in the same way. Napoleon
began by being Consul for a term,
then was elected for life, and finally
became Emperor, with the power of
an absolute despot. The last Bona
parte was President for four years,
was reelected for ten, and ended, like
his uncle, in grasping the imperial
crown.
May this be washed in the Lethe
and forgotten p Shall these lessons
be lostl Shall the lamp which guided
our forefathers be extinguished ? Shall
the broad daylight Of all human ex-
Perience be closed up in a little dark
lantern manufactured at Milwaukee 7
! think this cannot be done "the
eternal verities" are against it. The
most powerful third-termer may as
we'll try to blow out the sun, as he
would a tallOw candle, with the breath
of his mouth.
A third term for Grant does not
mean third term only, but any num-
Der of terms that he chooses to de-
mand. The imperial method Of car
rying all elections by corruption OF
force, or of declaring them to be car
fipl tyhan thax, ara nof il fa ha nor