Evening star., 1925-06-07
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

From the beginning of President
Grants second term POLITICAL gossip
was busy on the subject of a possible
third term for him. The Democratic
press harped upon
uen. Urant on the topic IN order
a Third Term. corntrT 10 arouse IN ne
danger" Of a self-perpetuatinE ad-
ministration. Gen. Grant himself kept
silent on this subject, as on most
all questions. Finally, however, he
was compelled to make his position
known, and he did so in a letter ad-
dressed TO Gen. Harry White, presi-
dent of the Pennsylvania Republican
State convention, which had declared
in favor of the Presidents renornina-
ton. The letter, published in The
Star of May 81, 1875, follows.
"A short time subsequent to The
presidential election of 1872 the press
| "a portion of it-hostile to the Re
publican party and particularly so to
the administration, started a cry of
| 'Caesarism' and the third term call
ing Justify upon me to define my
position on the latter subject. I
believed it to be beneath the dignity
of the Office which l have been twice
| called upon to fill to answer such a
question before the subject should be
presented by competent authority to
| make a nomination or by a body Of
such dignity and authority as not to
! make a reply a fair subject OF Tidi-
cule. But a body of the dignity and
party authority of a convention TO
make nominations for the State on
GERS Of the second State in the Union
shaving considered this question. !
deem it not improper that l should
now speak.
In the first place. 7 never sought
the Office for a second. nor even for a
first nomination. To the first was
called from a life position, one created
by Congress expressly for me for sup
posed services rendered to the Repub-
lie. The position vacated I liked. It
would have been most agreeable to
me to have retained it until such time
as Congress might have consented 10
my retirement with the rank and q.
| portion of the emoluments which l so
much needed, to a home where the
balance of my days might be spent in
peace and the enjoyment of domestic
| quiet, relieved from the cares which
| have oppressed me so constantly now
| for IA years. But / was made to be-
| lieve that the public good called me to
make the sacrifice.
Without seeking the office for the
! rendered to me by a unanimous vote
of the delegates of all the States and
| Territories, selected by the Republi-
cans of each to represent their whole
number for the purpose of making
their nomination. / cannot say that
l was not pleased at this. and at the
| overwhelming Endorsement which
| their action received at the election
| following. But II must be rernenl-
| bered that all the sacrifices-eXcept
| that of comfort-had been made in
| accepting the first term; then. too,
| such a fire of personal abuse and
! slander had been kept up for four
years, Notwithstanding the consciep-
/ tious performance OF my duties, TO
! the best of my understa nding-thou
l admit, in the light of subsequent
events, many times subject to fair
, criticism-that an Endorsement from
the people, who alone govern repub-
| lies, was a qualification that il is only
human to have appreciated and en-
joyed
Now, for the third term do not
want 1t any more than 1 did the first.
/ would not write or utter q word TO
change the will of the people In ex-
pressing and having their choice. The
question of the number of terms al
lowed to any one Executive can only
come up fairly in the shape of a
proposition to amend the Constitu-
ton, a shape in which all political
parties can participate. fixing the
length of time or the number of terms
for which any one person shall be
eligible for the office of President
Until such an amendment is adopted
the people cannot be restricted in
| their choice by resolution further
| than they are now restricted ag to
age, nativity, etc. 1t may happen in
the future history of the country that
to change an Executive because he
has been eight years in office will
prove unfortunate, IL not disastrous
The idea that any man could elect
himself President, or even renominate
himself, is preposterous. 1t Is a re-
fiection upon the intelligence and
patriotism of the people to suppose
such thing possible. Any man can
destroy his chances for the ONCE. but
no one can. force an election. or even
nomination"