The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1912-03-22


opposed to the election to the presi'
dency of any person for third term.
| And in New York the Republican
hosts in convention assembled de
clared:
Recognizing as conclusive the presi-
dents public declaration that he is not
the sincerest gratitude for his patriotic
| services. we declare our unaitera ole
opposition to the election of any presi-
dent for third term.
The Ohio convention which nom
mated Rutherford B. Hayes for gov
ernor said:
ample in retiring at the close of a sec
ond presidential term, will be in the
future as 1T has been in the. past, re-
] garded as Fundamental rule in the
unWrltten law of the republic.
The Iowa, Wisconsin, Massachus
etts and other conventions took the
same attitude, and the house of repre-
Eentatives in December, 1875, adopted
this resolution:
Resolved. that in the opinion OF this
house, the precedent established by
| washington and other presidents Of the
iEdn ant,a, states in retiring from the pros
i
| mas become. by universal consent a
part OF our republican system of gov
eminent, and that any departure from
| this -honored custom would be I'M
wise, unpatriotic. and fraught with
| peril to our free institutions.
This was passed by a vote of 239
20 Is, many Republicans voting "yea.
General Grant himself wrote a letter
| indicating that he did not favor a
| third term except in case of a great
national crisis, which he apparently
cid not believe existed, and his candi-
dacy was not pressed before the con-
vehtion OF 1876.
In 1880. however, another "boom"
for the victor of the Appomatox was
started, and the question was not set
tied until many ballots had been
taken In the convention at Chicago,
which finally nominated James A. Gar
field, "a dark horse" Blaine and John
Sherman having been the leading can.
didates opposing Grant up to that
time.
Many circumstances combined to
make this effort to establish third.
termism more serious than that of
1876, but the opposition to breaking
the precedent was still powerful and
had much to do with Grants defeat.
Harper's Weekly. then a strong Re-
publican organ, was most outspoken.
as 1t had previously been. and re-
futed the consecutive term argument
thus:
d, A. A..
lions to n third term are removed by
an intervening term. The very situa-
ton illustrates the fallacy OF such a
plea. The intervening term is supposed
patronage will have changed hands.
But as a matter of fact the great body
of the oficeholding class today was APP
all the circumstances show how easily
powerful orgaHixation,s based upon
state and national PATRONAGE. and sup
may make the intervening term of no
account whatever as an Interference to
political plans and ambitions.
This applies remarkably we'll to
present conditions, yet The Outlook
says that "a man who leaves the presi.
dency and is reelected after a lapse
OF four or eight or twelve years, has
no body Of offlceholders behind him,
docs not possess the power of patron
age. and therefore stands on the same
footing as any other private citizen"
This ingenious view is well contra.
dicted by conditions In Texas, where
1t appears that at least part of the
federal machine is for Roosevelt
Moreover, the ex-president's shouters
do not seem averse to profiting by
the hold the colonel has on southern
officeholders, for Washington dis
patch says:
It is admitted by the supporters of
Col. Roosevelt that the situation in
practically all of the southern states is
controlled by the machine made up of
the federal office holders. but 1t is
pressed with the probability of Col.
Roosevelt receiving the nomination they
will turn to him.
The third term advocates of the sew
entities made very much of the fear
that the country would go to ruin IL
any man but Grant were chosen, and
their extravagant language sounds
quite familiar today. Senator limo
thy o. Howe of Wisconsin wrote in
the North American Review that
Grant was "the foremost man of his
age, standing upon the mountain-top,
upon whom the eager world has set
the seal of primacy.'
Roscoe Conkling, in nominating the
General at Chicago, declared that
The election before us will be the
Austerlitz of American politics 1t will
decide whether for years to come this
country shall be republican or Cos
sack" The need of the hour is a can
didate who can carry the doubtful
states, north and south.
Grant was not nominated. Garfield
was chosen and was elected-an able
and upright man-but was assassin
ated before he had been in Office four
months. This placed in the White
House Chester A. Arthur, who had
never been considered as a presiden.
tial possibility, and could probably
not have commanded a single vote in
the national convention had he been
proposed Yet the country did not
go to ruin.
After Grant, Mckinley was the first
president to feel called upon to men
ton the third term doctrine. A few