Year: 1874




a third term upon its merits. Either from
sheer lack of comprehension of the subject, or
a determination not to admit its seriousness
| and gravity, they treat it not as matter In
yolvng disregard of all precedents and
radical change in the very theory of our Gov
ernment. but simply as q question Of Presi-
dent Grants availability or capacity, or his
own wishes with regard to it. 1t seems almost
impossible to beat it into the heads of the
| small Drained persons connected with organic
journalism that this is not question whether
President Grant desires a reelection, nor OF


how many votes he could poll. nor of
| his strength in the party, nor of his fitness
| for Office. 1t is primarily governmental
question not one of party policy or personal
| belongings, and it is as such that it should be
| treated by men who undertake to be re-
| sponsible for the policy and acts of great
party having control Of the country. 1t is so
mischevOus and dangerous heresy. that the
unwillngness of some discreet and sober
minded party leaders at first to admit it into
the realm Of political discussion as possl-
blity to be considered can hardly be wondered
at. But willingly or unwIllingy, the subject
has been forced upon them in such manner
that they cannot safely overlook or neglect it.
They must meet it as purely political ques-


ton; stripped of all merely personal or party
| considerations. In that view of it, they are
relieved of all embarrassment concerning the
| relations OF the party to the President OF Its
| choice.


The question has been widely agitated.


State and other conventions of the Administra-


ton party have taken ground in favor of third


term; leading Administration organs have


either openly avOwed their support Of the


plan or fairly intimated their readiness at


some later and more appropriate time to come


out for it unequivOcaly and some of the most
| influential leaders of the party are known to
| bo doing all in their power quietly to push


the scheme to success. These are the facts


which demand thoughtful consideration. In


view of them and in view OF the tremen-


dous possibilities attaching to system OF


patronage which ramifies through the whole
country, with Washington as its center and
all the wires under the finger of the Executive,
| the Republican party was invited simply to put
| an end to the mischief which the very sug-


gestion of such possibility must cause. 1t
could have done it with half dozen words OF


affirmation Of @ plain principle of government,
! such as the Kansas Republicans put in their
platform. But the party managers, in the
pride and plenitude of power, preferred to
| treat with contempt the citizens who pro-
pounded to them civil and courteous questions
| and preferred reasonable requests, and to dis
| miss them as the clamOr OF men who are
"fond of making a fuss"


What course is open then to the citizen who
thinks he foresees danger in the careful
avoidance of the subject by the adroit man
ayers who know how to "fix things and bide
their timef He has asked his conventions to
affirm explicitly the adherence of the party to
the traditions of the past and the doctrines of
| the fathers, and the managers have dis.
missed him with the remark that he was
"making too much fuss" He has reason to
believe that the men who hold office are
planning to keep themselves in place by the
reelection of their patron, and he sees great
peril to the Republic in such proceeding.


What can he do except quietly protest against
il. aud against the cOnspiratOrs who
initiate their masters silence and wait
their opportunity. How protestf There is
but one way left, and that is at the ballot
box. The Democratic party may be danger
GUS and bad thousands of Republicans so
consider it, who do not like to vote for its
candidates, and yet are unwilling to give
cOuntenance or support, directly or indirectly,
to the third term conspiracy. Many OF them
will lay aside their scrupes and vote the
Democratic ticket, for the simple reason that
they can in no other way make their OppOsi-
ton to the Office holding management of their
own party effective. They will do this the
more readily because they see that the safety
and prosperity Of the country demand
that the minority should be strength
ened in Congress, and that the party
80 overwhelmingly preponderant in all branches
Of the Government should be reminded of its
responsibility to the people and put under ad-
ditional checks and restraints for its own and
the country's good. There is no danger of
immediate Democratic ascendency. There is
danger of the Republican party falling under
the absolute control of office-holders and being
used by them for purposes at war with the
principles upon which it was founded. There
have been times when q Democratic success
would have been greatly injurious to the
country. That is not now, however. The re-
hecting voter sees and understands this, and
it will not be strange if the coming elections
should disclose greater disposition Oh the
mart of the people to rise above party and act
for the country than has been seen in many
years before.


THE WONEN'S CONGRESS.


Tho Congress of Womep whose session has