the sequel of appomattox-第23节

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ling　a　political　question。　Much　evidence　favorable　to　the　President　was　excluded；　but　everything　else　was　admitted。　As　the　trial　went　on；　the　country　began　to　understand　that　the　impeachment　was　a　mistake。　Few　people　wanted　to　see　Senator　Wade　made　President。　The　partisan　attitude　of　the　Senate　majority　and　the　weakness　of　the　case　against　Johnson　had　much　to　do　in　moderating　public　opinion；　and　the　timely　nomination　of　General　Schofield　as　Secretary　of　War　after　Stanton's　resignation　reassured　those　who　feared　that　the　army　might　be　placed　under　some　extreme　Democrat。

As　the　time　drew　near　for　the　decision；　every　possible　pressure　was　brought　by　the　radicals　to　induce　senators　to　vote　for　conviction。　To　convict　the　President；　thirty…six　votes　were　necessary。　There　were　only　twelve　Democrats　in　the　Senate；　but　all　were　known　to　be　in　favor　of　acquittal。　When　the　test　came　on　the　16th　of　May；　seven　Republicans　voted　with　the　Democrats　for　acquittal　on　the　eleventh　article。　Another　vote　on　the　26th　of　May；　on　the　first　and　second　articles；　showed　that　conviction　was　not　possible。　The　radical　legislative　reaction　was　thus　checked　at　its　highest　point　and　the　presidency　as　a　part　of　the　American　governmental　system　was　no　longer　in　danger。　The　seven　Republicans　had；　however；　signed　their　own　political　death　warrants；　they　were　never　forgiven　by　the　party　leaders。

The　presidential　campaign　was　beginning　to　take　shape　even　before　the　impeachment　trial　began。　Both　the　Democrats　and　the　reorganized　Republicans　were　turning　with　longing　toward　General　Grant　as　a　candidate。　Though　he　had　always　been　a　Democrat；　Nevertheless；　when　Johnson　actually　called　him　a　liar　and　a　promise　breaker；　Grant　went　over　to　the　radicals　and　was　nominated　for　President　on　May　20；　1868；　by　the　National　Union　Republican　party。　Schuyler　Colfax　was　the　candidate　for　Vice　President。　The　Democrats；　who　could　have　won　with　Grant　and　who　under　good　leadership　still　had　a　bare　chance　to　win；　nominated　Horatio　Seymour　of　New　York　and　Francis　P。　Blair　of　Missouri。　The　former　had　served　as　war　governor　of　New　York；　while　the　latter　was　considered　an　extreme　Democrat　who　believed　that　the　radical　reconstruction　of　the　South　should　be　stopped；　the　troops　withdrawn；　and　the　people　left　to　form　their　own　governments。　The　Democratic　platform　pronounced　itself　opposed　to　the　reconstruction　policy；　but　Blair's　opposition　was　too　extreme　for　the　North。　Seymour；　more　moderate　and　a　skillful　campaigner；　made　headway　in　the　rehabilitation　of　the　Democratic　party。　The　Republican　party　declared　for　radical　reconstruction　and　Negro　suffrage　in　the　South　but　held　that　each　Northern　State　should　be　allowed　to　settle　the　suffrage　for　itself。　It　was　not　a　courageous　platform；　but　Grant　was　popular　and　carried　his　party　through　to　success。

The　returns　showed　that　in　the　election　Grant　had　carried　twenty…six　States　with　214　electoral　votes；　while　Seymour　had　carried　only　eight　States　with　80　votes。　But　an　examination　of　the　popular　vote；　which　was　3；000；000　for　Grant　and　2；700；000　for　Seymour；　gave　the　radicals　cause　for　alarm；　for　it　showed　that　the　Democrats　had　more　white　votes　than　the　Republicans；　whose　total　included　nearly　700；000　blacks。　To　insure　the　continuance　of　the　radicals　in　power；　the　Fifteenth　Amendment　was　framed　and　sent　out　to　the　States　on　February　26；　1869。　This　amendment　appeared　not　only　to　make　safe　the　Negro　majorities　in　the　South　but　also　gave　the　ballot　to　the　Negroes　in　a　score　of　Northern　States　and　thus　assured；　for　a　time　at　least；　900；000　Negro　voters　for　the　Republican　party。

When　Johnson's　term　ended　and　he　gave　place　to　President　Grant；　four　states　were　still　unreconstructedVirginia；　Texas；　and　Mississippi；　in　which　the　reconstruction　had　failed；　and　Georgia；　which；　after　accomplishing　reconstruction；　had　again　been　placed　under　military　rule　by　Congress。　In　Virginia；　which　was　too　near　the　capital　for　such　rough　work　as　readmitted　Arkansas　and　Alabama　into　the　Union；　the　new　constitution　was　so　severe　in　its　provisions　for　disfranchisement　that　the　disgusted　district　commander　would　not　authorize　the　expenditure　necessary　to　have　it　voted　on。　In　Mississippi　a　similar　constitution　had　failed　of　adoption；　and　in　Texas　the　strife　of　party　factions；　radical　and　moderate　Republican；　had　so　delayed　the　framing　of　the　constitution　that　it　had　not　come　to　a　vote。

The　Republican　politicians；　however；　wanted　the　offices　in　these　States；　and　Congress　by　its　resolution　of　February　18；　1869；　directed　the　district　commanders　to　remove　all　civil　officers　who　could　not　take　the　〃ironclad〃　oath　and　to　appoint　those　who　could　subscribe　to　it。　An　exception；　however；　was　made　in　favor　of　the　scalawags　who　had　supported　reconstruction　and　whose　disabilities　had　been　removed　by　Congress。

President　Grant　was　anxious　to　complete　the　reconstruction　and　recommended　to　Congress　that　the　constitutions　of　Virginia　and　Mississippi　be　re…submitted　to　the　people　with　a　separate　vote　on　the　disfranchising　sections。　Congress；　now　in　harmony　with　the　executive；　responded　by　placing　the　reconstruction　of　the　three　states　in　the　hands　of　the　President；　but　with　the　proviso　that　each　state　must　ratify　the　Fifteenth　Amendment。　Grant　thereupon　fixed　a　time　for　voting　in　each　state　and　directed　that　in　Virginia　and　Mississippi　the　disfranchising　clauses　be　submitted　separately。　As　a　result；　the　constitutions　were　ratified　but　proscription　was　voted　down。　The　radicals　secured　control　of　Mississippi　and　Texas；　but　a　conservative　combination　carried　Virginia　and　thus　came　near　keeping　the　state　out　of　the　Union。　Finally；　during　the　early　months　of　1870　the　three　states　were　readmitted。

With　respect　to　Georgia　a　peculiar　condition　of　affairs　existed。　In　June　1868；　Georgia　had　been　readmitted　with　the　first　of　the　reconstructed　States。　The　state　legislature　at　once　expelled　the　twenty…seven　Negro　members；　on　the　ground　that　the　recent　legislation　and　the　state　constitution　gave　the　Negroes　the　right　to　vote　but　not　to　hold　office。　Congress；　which　had　already　admitted　the　Georgia　representatives；　refused　to　receive　the　senators　and　turned　the　state　back　to　military　control。　In　1869…70；　Georgia　was　again　reconstructed　after　a　drastic　purging　of　the　legislature　by　the　military　commander；　the　reseating　of　the　Negro　members；　and　the　ratification　of　both　the　Fourteenth　and　Fifteenth　Amendments。　The　state　was　readmitted　to　representation　in　July　1870；　after　the　failure　of　a　strong　effort　to　extend　for　two　years　the　carpetbag　government　of　the　state。

Upon　the　last　states　to　pass　under　the　radical　yoke；　heavier　conditions　were　imposed　than　upon　the　earlier　ones。　Not　only　were　they　required　to　ratify　the　Fifteenth　Amendment；　but　the　〃fundamental　conditions〃　embraced；　in　addition　to　the　prohibition　against　future　change　of　the　suffrage；　a　requirement　that　the　Negroes　should　never　be　deprived　of　school　and　office…holding　rights。

The　congressional　plan　of　reconstruction　had　thus　been　carried　through　by　able　leaders　in　the　face　of　the　opposition　of　a　united　white　South；　nearly　half　the　North；　the　President；　the　Supreme　Court；　and　in　the　beginning　a　majority　of　Congress。　This　success　was　due　to　the　poor　leadership　of　the　conservatives　and　to　the　ability　and　solidarity　of　the　radicals　led　by　Stevens　and　Sumner。　The　radicals　had　a　definite　program；　the　moderates　had　not。　The　object　of　the　radicals　was　to　secure　the　supremacy　in　the　South　by　the　aid　of　the　Negroes　and　exclusion　of　whites。　Was　this　policy　politically　wise？　It　was　at　least　temporarily　successful。　The　choice　offered　by　the　radicals　seemed　to　lie　between　military　rule　for　an　indefinite　period　and　Negro　suffrage；　and　since　most　Americans　found　military　rule　distasteful；　they　preferred　to　try　Negro　suffrage。　But；　after　all；　Negro　suffrage　had　to　be　supported　by　military　rule；　and　in　the　end　both　failed　completely。



CHAPTER　VIII。　THE　UNION　LEAGUE　OF　AMERICA

The　elections　of　1867…68　showed　that　the　Negroes　were　well　organized　under　the　control　of　the　radical　Republican　leaders　and　that　their　former　masters　had　none　of　the　influence　over　the　blacks　in　political　matters　which　had　been　feared　by　some　Northern　friends　of　the　Negro　and　had　been　hoped　for　by　such　Southern　leaders　as　Governor　Patton　and　General　Hampton。　Before　1865　the　discipline　of　slavery；　the　influence　of　the　master's　family；　and　of　the　Southern　church　had　sufficed　to　control　the　blacks。　But　after　emancipation　they　looked　to　the　Federal　soldiers　and　Union　officials　as　the　givers　of　freedom　and　the　guardians　of　the　future。

From　the　Union　soldiers；　especially　the　Negro　troops；　from　the　Northern　teachers；　the　missionaries　and　the　organizers　of　Negro　churches；　from　the　Northern　officials　and　traveling　politicians；　the　Negroes　learned　that　their　interests　were　not　those　of　the　whites。　The　attitude　of　the　average　white　in　the　South　often　confirmed　this　growing　estrangement。　It　was　difficult　even　for　the　white　leaders　to　explain　the　riots　at　Memphis　and　New　Orleans。　And　those　who　sincerely　wished　well　for　the　Negro　and　who　desired　to　control　him　for　the　good　of　both　races　could　not　possibly　assure　him　that　he　was　fit　for　the　suffrage。　For　even　Patton　and　Hampton　must　tell