Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1907-05-10

new OASIS. Iuere was no Danger Oh
his becoming a dictator, or of gather
ing ito the executive head of the young
nation power which such an officer
should not have. Yet Washington saw
then, in the dawn of this Republic the
danger of such step. He firmly but
digniliedlv declined it. At that day
there was no man to whom the nation
looked as they did to him. But bis
declination and the election of another
settled one question forever, and that
Was hat the existence of one man,
and his continuance in one office, are
seldom essential to the existence of
nation.
jefferson was, like Washington.
tempted with third term. But so
far seeing was he that be planted bis
foot squarely against such an idea, in
deed it may truthfully be said of him
that he possessed more than any other
man before or since, an insight as to
what should be the course of this gov
eminent, and with that wonderful
omnicience which characterized him,
be said that presidents should not be
elected for third terms, and his advice
has up to this day been followed.
Since the days of Washington and
Jefferson but one effort to break
down this national safeguard has been
really attempted. That was in the case
of Gen. U. s. Grant. We will venture
to repeat bit of che history of that
attempt. Gen. Grant flushed with
victory from the civil war, came on
the scene as do conquerors generally,
amid blare of trumpets and the BOOM
ing of cannon. He was elected to the
presidency two successive terms with
the utmost ease. His own sense of
conditions and that of his friends told
him he must not try for third term
at the close of his second term. 1t was
arranged that he should make tour
of the World. This he did. The ma.
tions of the earth who knew little of
our form of government regarded him
as OUR KING. They supposed be had
placed the government in the hands
of regent who should hold and gov.
ern it in his absence, and that he was
simply travelling as would any other
monarch for rest and recreation. The
scheme was largely the evolution OF
the brain of Roscoe Conklin, then a
senator from New York, and a mon
archist of pronounced type. 1t was
determined that after this ''swing
around the circle" Gen. Grant should
return crowned by his triumphal re.
ception throughout the globe, honOred
and welcomed by a victorious nation,
the pride of the people, and most dis
tlnguished of all our citizens. Reach
ing home just prior to the National
Convention his name would be pre-
sented there by Conklin in his most
masterful style and he would be nomi-
mated, overwhelming all opposition as
some great tidal wave. But the task
was not 80 easy. There was feeling
then that such step would invite
monarchy. that it struck at the very
root of our government, and might
wipe it out of existence. If three terms
were safe, why not four; if, four, why
not for life; if for life, why might a
president not name his successor; if be
could name his successor, why not let
the office pass by hereditY or inheri-
tance? Thus would we have first
Mexicanized this country, then would
we have given opportunity for coup
d 'etat such as Napoleon III executed
in France. and then farewell to the
Republic. The scheme failed and there
was no brighter day than the day of
that victory when Conklin of New
York, Cameron of Pennsylvania, and
Logan of Illinois, and Grant their can
didate, went down before that phalanx
vi AlACI w hO COulu HUI bc
swept into the vortex of hero worship
at Chicago in 1880. 1t is remembered
how for 80 ballots the vote stood 3O5 for
Grant. and 2S3 fer Blaine. Then at the
close of the 35th ballot the claims OF
even SO great man and popular hero
as Grant tOttered and fell in the NOM
ination of Garfield. This third term
monster was humbled then and has
never dared again to raise his head
until now, and even now there is cause
to believe that so discredited has been
such an attempt and so dangerous is
the idea, that it will be felied like
Lucifer to rise no more, even though
the crusade be led by so remarkable
and inexplicable a person as Theodore
Roosevelt.