The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-04-13
III. THE TWO BIG
PRESIDENTIAL TRIES

III. THE TWO BIG
PRESIDENTIAL TRIES
ONLY twice in history has
~ a President been recep-
tive to a third term" Ulysses
S. Grant was the first and
Theodore Roosevelt was the
second. In Roosevelt's case,
it wasn't exactly a third
term" for he had not previ-
ously had two complete terms
as President.
About the middle of Grants Sec
ond term some of his supporters
started a movement to lenominate
him. Immediately there was an up
rear.
"Caesarism!" shrieked the New
York Herald, the leading $anti-ad-
ministration newspaper, and that
cry was echoed by Horace Greeley's
powerful New York Tribune. Then
other papers joined in the campaign
to awaken the public to the dangers
of the political machine that had
been built up in Grants adninistra-
ton. .-..,.--s.4s = ia
AS a result of this uproar, the Re-
publican state convention in Penn
sylvania on May &c. 1875. resolved:
That we declare q firm, un-
qualified adherence to the UNI
written law of the Republic
which wisely, and under the
sanction of the most venerable
examples, limits the presiden-
tiaI service Of any citizen to
two terms and we the Repubii-
cans Of Pennsylvania, in recOg-
milton of this law, are unaltera-
bly, opposed to the election to
the presidency Of any for third
term.
Grant had felt that it was undig-
nified for the President to reply to
the accusations of the newspapers.
But when members of his own party
went on record so strongly he felt
that he couldn't ignore the issue.
He issued a statement informing
the convention that he had sought
neither his first term nor his second.
II am not. nor have I ever been,
candidate for rehomination, he
wrote. " wound not accept a renom-
inaaeps If teridered, unless itsshould
come Under such circumstances as,
to ualzesit an imperative duty-cir-
cunstances nq likely to OCCUR"
Feared He'd be Drafted
But this didn't allay the suspicion
that heamight permit himself to be
drafted. So state conventions con-
tinued to adopt anti-third term reso-
lutions and on December Is Rep.
william NJ. Springer of Illinois Of
fered in congress resolution
That in the opinion of this
house the precedent established
by Washington and other Presi-
dents of the United States in re-
firing from the presidential Of
flee after their second term has
become by universal concur
renee a part of our republican
system of government, and that
any departure from this time
honored custom would be un-
wise, unpatriotic, and fraught
with peril to our free institE-
tiOns. 81
The resolution was adopted =
vote of 234 to 1870 Republicans
joining with 146 Democrats to pass
it over the opposition OF IS Repuhli-
cans. That stopped the third term
talk and Grant supporters made nc
effort to oppose the Republican nom
nation of Rutherford B; Hayes, who
won in the election. -..-j
After leaving the White House
Grant started his tour of the world
which became a triumphal process
sion in every country he visited.
When he returned his friends began
talking third term again. Although
he told them privately Il am not
candidate for any Office. nor would
hold one that required any ma
neuvering or sacrifice to obtain"