abraham lincoln and the union-第33节

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ance　in　Northern　politics；　they　aimed　at　making　it　appear　that　Lincoln　was　begging　for　terms。　　Lincoln；　who　foresaw　this　possible　turn　of　events；　had　expressly　limited　Greeley　to　negotiations　for　〃the　integrity　of　the　whole　Union　and　the　abandonment　of　slavery。〃　　Greeley　chose　to　believe　that　these　instructions；　and　not　the　subtlety　of　the　Confederate　agents　and　his　own　impulsiveness；　were　the　cause　of　the　false　position　in　which　the　agents　now　placed　him。　　They　published　an　account　of　the　episode；　thus　effecting　an　exposure　which　led　to　sharp　attacks　upon　Greeley　by　the　Northern　press。　　In　the　bitterness　of　his　mortification　Greeley　then　went　from　one　extreme　to　the　other　and　joined　the　Vindictives。

Less　than　three　weeks　after　the　conference　at　Niagara；　the　〃Wade…Davis　Manifesto〃　appeared。　　It　was　communicated　to　the　country　through　the　columns　of　Greeley's　paper　on　the　5th　of　August。　Greeley；　who　so　short　a　time　before　was　for　peace　at　any　price；　went　the　whole　length　of　reaction　by　proclaiming　that　〃Mr。　Lincoln　is　already　beaten。。。。　　We　must　have　another　ticket　to　save　us　from　utter　overthrow。　　If　we　had　such　a　ticket　as　could　be　made　by　naming　Grant；　Butler；　or　Sherman　for　President　and　Farragut　for　Vice；　we　could　make　a　fight　yet。〃

At　about　this　same　time　the　chairman　of　the　Republican　national　committee；　who　was　a　Lincoln　man；　wrote　to　the　President　that　the　situation　was　desperate。　　Lincoln　himself　is　known　to　have　made　a　private　memorandum　containing　the　words；　〃It　seems　extremely　probable　that　this　Administration　will　not　be　reelected。〃　　On　the　1st　of　September；　1864；　with　three　presidential　candidates　in　the　field；　Northern　politics　were　bewildering；　and　the　country　was　shrouded　in　the　deepest　gloom。　　The　Wilderness　campaign；　after　slaughter　unparalleled；　had　not　in　the　popular　mind　achieved　results。　　Sherman；　in　Georgia；　though　his　losses　were　not　as　terrible　as　Grant's；　had　not　yet　done　anything　to　lighten　the　gloom。　　Not　even　Farragut's　victory　in　Mobile　Bay；　in　August；　far…reaching　as　it　proved　to　be；　reassured　the　North。　　A　bitter　cry　for　peace　went　up　even　from　lovers　of　the　Union　whose　hearts　had　failed。

Meanwhile；　the　brilliant　strategist　in　Georgia　was　pressing　his　drive　for　political　as　well　as　for　military　effect。　　To　rouse　those　Unionists　who　had　lost　heart　was　part　of　his　purpose　when　he　hurled　his　columns　against　Atlanta；　from　which　Hood　was　driven　in　one　of　the　most　disastrous　of　Confederate　defeats。　　On　the　3rd　of　September　Lincoln　issued　a　proclamation　appointing　a　day　of　thanksgiving　for　these　great　victories　of　Sherman　and　Farragut。

On　that　day；　it　would　seem；　the　tide　turned　in　Northern　politics。　Some　historians　are　content　with　Atlanta　as　the　explanation　of　all　that　followed；　but　there　are　three　separate　events　of　importance　that　now　occurred　as　incidents　in　the　complicated　situation。　　In　the　first　place；　three　weeks　later　the　radical　opposition　had　collapsed；　the　plan　for　a　new　convention　was　abandoned；　the　Vindictive　leaders　came　out　in　support　of　Lincoln。　Almost　simultaneously　occurred　the　remaining　two　surprising　events。　　Fremont　withdrew　from　his　candidacy　in　order　to　do　his　〃part　toward　preventing　the　election　of　the　Democratic　candidate。〃　And　Lincoln　asked　for　the　resignation　of　a　member　of　his　Cabinet；　Postmaster…General　Montgomery　Blair；　who　was　the　especial　enemy　of　the　Vindictives。

The　official　biographers　of　Lincoln*　keep　these　three　events　separate。　　They　hold　that　Blair's　removal　was　wholly　Lincoln's　idea；　and　that　from　chivalrous　reasons　he　would　not　abandon　his　friend　as　long　as　he　seemed　to　be　losing　the　game。　　The　historian　Rhodes　writes　confidently　of　a　bargain　with　Fremont；　holding　that　Blair　was　removed　to　terminate　a　quarrel　with　Fremont　which　dated　back　even　to　his　own　removal　in　1861。　　A　possible　third　theory　turns　upon　Chase；　whose　hostility　to　Blair　was　quite　equal　to　that　of　the　illbalanced　Fremont。　　It　had　been　stimulated　the　previous　winter　by　a　fierce　arraignment　of　Chase　made　by　Blair's　brother　in　Congress；　in　which　Chase　was　bluntly　accused　of　fraud　and　of　making　money；　or　allowing　his　friends　to　make　money；　through　illicit　trade　in　cotton。　　And　Chase　was　a　man　of　might　among　the　Vindictives。　　The　intrigue；　however；　never　comes　to　the　foreground　in　history；　but　lurks　in　the　background　thick　with　shadows。　Once　or　twice　among　those　shadows　we　seem　to　catch　a　glimpse　of　the　figure　of　Thurlow　Weed；　the　master…politician　of　the　time。　　Taking　one　thing　with　another；　we　may　risk　the　guess　that　somehow　the　two　radical　groups　which　were　both　relentless　against　Blair　were　led　to　pool　their　issues；　and　that　Blair's　removal　was　the　price　Lincoln　paid　not　to　one　faction　of　radicals　but　to　the　whole　unmerciful　crowd。

*His　private　secretaries；　John　G。　Nicolay　and　John　Hay。


Whatever　complex　of　purposes　lay　back　of　the　triple　coincidence；　the　latter　part　of　September　saw　a　general　reunion　of　the　factions　within　the　Union　Party；　followed　by　a　swift　recovery　of　strength。　When　the　election　came；　Lincoln　received　an　electoral　vote　of　212　against　21；　and　a　popular　vote　of　2；330；552　against　1；835；985。

The　inevitable　question　arises　as　to　what　was　the　real　cause　of　this　success。　　It　is　safe　to　say　that　the　political　campaign　contained　some　adroit　strategy；　that　Sherman　was　without　doubt　an　enormous　factor；　that　the　Democrats　made　numerous　blunders；　and　that　the　secret　societies　had　an　effect　other　than　they　intended。　However；　the　real　clue　seems　to　be　found　in　one　sentence　from　a　letter　written　by　Lowell　to　Motley　when　the　outlook　for　his　party　was　darkest：　〃The　mercantile　classes　are　longing　for　peace；　but　I　believe　that　the　people　are　more　firm　than　ever。〃　　Of　the　great；　silent　mass　of　the　people；　the　true　temper　seems　to　be　struck　off　in　a　popular　poem　of　the　time；　written　in　response　to　one　of　the　calls　for　more　troops；　a　poem　with　refrains　built　on　the　model　of　this　couplet：

〃We're　coming　from　the　hillside；　we're　coming　from　the　shore；　We're　coming；　Father　Abraham；　six　hundred　thousand　more。〃



CHAPTER　XIV。　LINCOLN'S　FINAL　INTENTIONS

The　victory　of　the　Union　Party　in　November　enabled　Lincoln　to　enjoy　for　a　brief　period　of　his　career　as　President　what　may　be　thought　of　as　a　lull　in　the　storm。　　He　knew　now　that　he　had　at　last　built　up　a　firm　and　powerful　support。　　With　this　assured；　his　policy；　both　domestic　and　foreignthe　key　to　which　was　still　the　blockademight　be　considered　victorious　at　all　points。　　There　remains　to　be　noticed；　however；　one　event　of　the　year　1864　which　was　of　vital　importance　in　maintaining　the　blockade。

It　is　a　principle　of　international　law　that　a　belligerent　must　itself　attend　to　the　great　task　of　suppressing　contraband　trade　with　its　enemy。　　Lincoln　was　careful　to　observe　this　principle。　Though　British　merchants　were　frankly　speculating　in　contraband　trade；　he　made　no　demand　upon　the　British　Government　to　relieve　him　of　the　difficulty　of　stopping　it。　　England　also　took　the　legitimate　position　under　international　law　and　warned　her　merchants　that；　while　it　was　none　of　the　Government's　business　to　prevent　such　trade；　they　practised　it　at　their　own　risk；　subject　to　well…understood　penalties　agreed　upon　among　nations。　　The　merchants　nevertheless　continued　to　take　the　risk；　while　both　they　and　the　authorities　of　the　Confederacy　thought　they　saw　a　way　of　minimizing　the　danger。　　Instead　of　shipping　supplies　direct　to　the　Confederate　ports　they　shipped　them　to　Matamoros；　in　Mexico；　or　to　the　West　Indies。　　As　these　ports　were　in　neutral　territory；　the　merchants　thought　their　goods　would　be　safe　against　capture　until　they　left　the　Mexican　or　West　Indian　port　on　their　brief　concluding　passage　to　the　territory　of　the　　Confederacy。　Nassau；　then　a　petty　West　India　town；　was　the　chief　depot　of　such　trade　and　soon　became　a　great　commercial　center。　　To　it　came　vast　quantities　of　European　goods　which　were　then　transferred　to　swift；　small　vessels；　or　〃blockade…runners；〃　which　took　a　gambler's　chance　and　often　succeeded　in　eluding　the　Federal　patrol　ships　and　in　rushing　their　cargoes　safe　into　a　Confederate　port。

Obviously；　it　was　a　great　disadvantage　to　the　United　　States　to　allow　contraband　supplies　to　be　accumulated；　　without　interference；　close　to　the　blockaded　coast；　and　the　Lincoln　Government　determined　to　remove　this　disadvantage。　　With　this　end　in　view　it　evoked　the　principle　of　the　continuous　voyage；　which　indeed　was　not　new；　but　which　was　destined　to　become　fixed　in　international　law　by　the　Supreme　Court　of　the　United　States。　　American　cruisers　were　instructed　to　stop　British　ships　sailing　between　the　British　ports　of　Liverpool　and　Nassau；　they　were　to　use　the　recognized　international　rights　of　visit　and　search；　and　if　there　was　evidence　that　the　cargo　was　not　destined　for　actual　consumption　at　Nassau；　they　were　to　bring　the　ship　into　an　American　port　to　be　dealt　with　by　an　American　prize　court。　　When　such　arrests　began；　the　owners　clamored　to　the　British　Government；　and　both　dealers　in　contraband　and　professional　blockade…runners　worked　themselves　into　a　fury　because　American　cruisers　watched　British　ports　and　searched　British　ships　on　the　high　seas。　　With　regard　to　this　matter；　the　British　Government　and　the　Government　at　Washington　had　t