Year: 1874

PresIdent Grant ana Vhir0 AoHns


Taking the recent statements with all
proper allowance for defect Of authentic evil
dence, they have nevertheless sufficient color
of probability to justify discussion of
General Grants chances for third nomina-
ton by the republican party If be desires it
1t is his chances for third nomination, not
for q third election, that we choose to con-
slider; /; for if the republicans do not take him
for their candidate the other question is pre-
cluded. Nobody supposes that he could be
elected as an independent candidate. Nobody
believes that the democratic party win nomi-
nate him. Unless the Republican National
Convention shall again propose him y the
people for their suffrages there will be no
place for the third term question


General Grants prospects for third NOM
nation are more favorable at present than
they were previous to the recent veto. Before
that act, whose political Importance is only
less than its financial, all the republican
aspirants, East and West, had common in
terest in preventing his denomination. He
stood in the way Of them all even more than





the developments of the winter and spring in
relation to the currency have changed the
situation. II the Republican National Con-
vention were to be held this year, all the
Eastern candidates would readily consent to
the denomination of President Grant Morton,
with all the infationists to back him, would
easily secure the nomination against Conkling,
though probably not against Grant.


This is a fair, logical inference from the in
fation and anti-infation votes in Congress.
The infationists were found on trial to have
large majority in the House and small one
in the Senate. They failed to carry their bin
over the veto only because it required two
thirds Of both houses instead Of simple ma
jority. In the National Convention ma
jority would control, unless the republicans
should adopt the two-thirds rule which pre-
walls in the Democratic National Convention.
1t was only by the operation Of this rule that
Pendleton failed to receive the democratic
nomination in 1863. 1t is certain that such
rule could not be adopted by the republicans
as means of defeating Morton. The rule
itself would have to be adopted or rejected by
a mere majority vote. Its purpose would be
well understood, and the inAationist majority
of the Convention would vote it down
at once. Mortons chief purpose, as the
foremost champion of imitation, was
the same as Pendletons in advocating pay
ment of the public debt in greenbacks. He
expected it would give him q majority of
81 s,,% %1o Po,,, Nat
tion, and until the measure was wrecked on the
Presidential veto that seemed shrewd calcu-
lation. The infationists would be somewhat
stronger in republican national convention
than they are in Congress. The House, being
fresher from the people, more accurately rep
House majority Of the democrats voted
against imitation, SO that, without some changes
in public opinion, republican convention
would contain . larger preponderance of
infationists than the House of Representa-
tives. There can be no doubt, therefore, if
such convention were to be held now, that
the supporters of an imitation candidate from
the West would outvote the supporters of an
anti-infation candidate from the East and
succeed in nominating him. But SO strenuous
is the Eastern opposition to imitation that the
success of such candidate in the Convention
would split and destroy the party.


Should the relative strength of the infa-
tionists in the republican party continue to be
as great as it is at present the denomination
of President Grant might be advocated by his
friends as the only means of preserving party
unity. The Eastern anti-infation candidates
would lose nothing by relinquishing their
pretensions. They might support Grant as
the only hope of saving the party from the
control of Western and Southern inflationists 4
II it be said that the infationist majority of
the Convention could as easily defeat the
nomination of Grant as of Conkling, the an
swer is obvious. Conkiing has not Grants
facilities for giving the desirable color to the
Convention The Executive patronage, skill
fully used, could control the election Of
sufficient number of Western and Southern
delegates to turn the scale in his favor. There
is no reason for believing that the renomina-
ton of President Grant would lead to an open
republican bolt.


Lie IIcoldtut uO uOuDJ httgdClOuSly per
ceives that recent circumstances have given
him the winning cards for the nomination, if
he chooses to play them. But he must also
know that nomination SO obtained might
not be equivalent to an election. As a third
term candidate he would necessarily weaken
his party and increase the chances of the
opposition. But the loss might not prove 80
fatal as the great split and schism that would
ensue on the nomination of Western infa-
tionist In the latter case the democratic
party would take the highest anti-infation
ground and elect their candidate. But against
Grant they could make little Of the currency
issue. The Eastern republicans would unan-
:r1