Year: 1874

Speaking by Inference.


Not long since the Hon. John NJ Francis,
recently our Minister to Greece, and known to
stand high in the confidence of the President,
made an official declaration that President
Grant did not mean to run for a third term
that he actually grew impatient when the sub
ject was mentioned to him and had distaste
for the theme. Mr. Francis is an ingenious,
careful man, skilled in diplomacy, and any
averment he makes is entitled to respect and
attention. On the other hand we have Sena-
tor Gordon, of Georgia, who knows the Presi-
dent well, and who declares that he does
mean to run again. The home oracles and
Long Branch echoes are silent, if we may ex-
cept the Washington organ, which gives us
harmonious tones of concurrence Between
MIR. Francis and General Gordon We are per-
picked. But now comes Ellis H. Roberts,
fresh from Washington, with full enjoyment
of the confidence of the President and Senator
Conkling, and the opinion he expresses is as
concise and oracular as manifesto. of the
Count de Chambord. First he tells us that
General Grant has in no way intimated to
any person that he desires or would accept o
denomination for third term as President"
Second, we are told that ''no representative
journal or individual in the republican party
has advocated such nomination or given as
surance of support to it if made" And
third, predictions of canvass for a third
term come from the opponents of General
Grant and from those who have waged bitter
war against the acts with which his name is
indissolubly connected


These are ingenious propositions, and justify
as one of the few Representatives in Congress
not afraid of Ben Butler. But when we come
to analyze them we are panied and anxious to
find that statesman who stands so close to
the President and Mr.. Conkling should know
so little about subject which now exctes the
attention of the nation. We do not say
that General Grant has intimated to any per-
son" his desires upon the third term. But
Mr. Roberts will remember that he had no de-
sires to intimate upon the first term until the
patience Of the party was exhausted; that for
long time it was an even chance whether he





date, and that in the eyes of Mr.. Greeley he
was "a sashed and girded sphinx" who
would not and did not speak until his time
came. Asto the point that emo representative
journal or individual in the republican party"
has taken ground in favor Of such nomina-
tive men, like General Butler, Senator Brown
low, Senator Spencer, Judge Pierrepont and
others have declared their preference for q
third term. The Washington organ,
the Republican, which certainly repre-
sents the President, has done the
same thing. More than all, no representative
newspaper in the party and no representative
statesman has ventured to say word against
it. Even Mr. Roberts, who has strong opin-
ions which he knows how to express, speaks
as tenderly on the subject as a school maiden
when she refers her first proposal to her
father. Tradition, says this cautious states
man, tradition grows up in nation and
pervades every part of its institutions The
return of the President to the rank of citizen
at the close OF his second term, at farthest, is
fundamental principle. It was not put into
words at the beginning, but was enacted in
the example of our first President, and has
never been violated in our history. 1t is
safeguard against every abuse of executive
power" This means that Mr.. Roberts, if not
now in favor of third term, would support
Grant if nominated, and would in the national
Convention withdraw Mr.. Conkling's name
'tor the sake of harmony" and move to
'make the nomination of Ulysses s. Grant
unanimous, in an eloquent, feeling address.


If the third term idea is to be beaten men
like Mr.. Roberts must not speak in proverbs
and parallels, but with bold, clear and manly
voice. that such a nomination would be q
blow at republican institutions more terrible
than would have been the success of the rebel
lion.