Evening star., 1925-03-22
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

Although there was a third term"
sentiment for Gen. Cant on the eve
of the Republican ma
Inc 1oeaI tlonal convention of
pr..;d.r+ 1875, the general tend
1feSlueAt. ency Of belief in that
party was that he should not be re-
nominated after serving two full
terms. Various candidates. were In
evidence more than a year before the
conventions. In the course of the
discussion of this question many
kites" were sent aloft through the
columns of the party press. The Star
OF March Is. 1875. quotes in an edi-
torial from one of these expressions:
1T is time, the Cincinnati Gazette
thinks, to begin 70 look about for a
proper presidential candidate for
1876, and that paper sets forth in
portentious array the requisites for
that Office. The nominee must be a
man with q national reputation and
character, both political and personal,
which will command the respect of
the country; which will have no
breaches for assault and will make
his supporters secure from the liza
bility of being thrown upon the de-
fensive. He must have the intellec-
tual requirements, the experience in
public affairs and the demonstrated
capacity which entitle him to the
rank of a statesman. He must have
a history OF fidelity to the principles
of freedom, of emancipation, of equal
political rights and Of the supremacy
of the national Constitution. He must
be man of such natural elevation Of
views as will accept the presidential
ONCE, not as a reward of merit, not
as a thing for personal enjoyment,
not as a prize from which to dis
pense to personal friends, not even as
a means of rewarding his political
supporters or of supporting the party
which elected him; but as a high
public trust, to be administered for
the general welfare.
HE must be man of such firmness
of character and such befitting Of
fetal reserve as will keep the base
order of managing politicians at a
proper distance, will abash the Of
fice-seeking horde. will lift the af-
fair of appointments from the con-
troll of w1reworkers and the strife
of personal favoritism and will remit
1t to be regulated by rules making
the public service the first considera-
ton. He must have dignity of con-
duct which will give a high tone to
the administration and to Congress
and will tolerate no official or person
al associates whose reputation does
hcS OittitiC thChi " tAC NO0hNAy
spect.
His nomination must come, not
through combinations of managers;
not through any scheme to direct a
presidential succession or create a
political dynasty; but as the result of
the deliberation of the people. He
must have such statesmanlike quail
ties that in his course in the affairs
of the untranquil sections he will re-
gard neither personal nor party fav-
orites of furtune, but will consider
only the establishment of the prin-
ciples of constitutional liberty; he
must be a man whose reputation for
statesmanship and for high patriotic
aims will be accepted as a response to
the popular longings for peace, secur-
ity, the reign of law and the subordi-
nation of political disturbance and
animosities to the things of material
prosperity. He must carry to the ma
tional mansion house the personal
dignity of George Washington and
John Adams and their families in
stead of any representation of po-
litical demagogism, shoddy vulgarity
or backwoods uncouthness.
This Is a formidable array of quail
ities," observes The Star, demanded
for the coming candidate. The man
will be rather hard to find in our
present crop of statesmen. The Ga
zette does well in entering upon the
search at this early day"