the sequel of appomattox-第15章

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　of　the　validity　of　the　United　States　debt。　These　terms　were　embodied　in　the　Fourteenth　Amendment；　which　was　adopted　by　Congress　and　sent　to　the　States　on　June　13；　1866。

In　the　congressional　campaign　of　1866；　reconstruction　was　almost　the　sole　issue。　For　success　the　Administration　must　gain　at　least　one…third　of　one　house；　while　the　radicals　were　fighting　for　two…thirds　of　each　House。　If　the　Administration　should　fail　to　make　the　necessary　gain；　the　work　accomplished　by　the　Presidents　would　be　destroyed。　The　campaign　was　bitter　and　extended　through　the　summer　and　fall。　Four　national　conventions　were　held：　the　National　Union　party　at　Philadelphia　made　a　respectable　showing　in　support　of　the　President；　the　Southern　Unionists；　guided　by　the　Northern　radicals　met　at　the　same　place；　a　soldiers'　and　sailors'　convention　at　Cleveland　supported　the　Administration；　and　another　convention　of　soldiers　and　sailors　at　Pittsburgh　endorsed　the　radical　policies。　A　convention　of　Confederate　soldiers　and　sailors　at　Memphis　endorsed　the　President；　but　the　Southern　support　and　that　of　the　Northern　Democrats　did　not　encourage　moderate　Republicans　to　vote　for　the　Administration。　Three　members　of　Johnson's　CabinetHarlan；　Speed；　and　Dennisonresigned　because　they　were　unwilling　to　follow　their　chief　further　in　opposing　Congress。

The　radicals　had　plenty　of　campaign　material　in　the　testimony　collected　by　the　Joint　Committee；　in　the　reports　of　the　Freedmen's　Bureau；　and　in　the　bloody　race　riots　which　had　occurred　in　Memphis　and　New　Orleans。　The　greatest　blunder　of　the　Administration　was　Johnson's　speechmaking　tour　to　the　West　which　he　called　〃Swinging　Around　the　Circle。〃　Every　time　he　made　a　speech　he　was　heckled　by　persons　in　the　crowd；　lost　his　temper；　denounced　Congress　and　the　radical　leaders；　and　conducted　himself　in　an　undignified　manner。　The　election　returns　showed　more　than　a　two…thirds　majority　in　each　House　against　the　President。　The　Fortieth　Congress　would　therefore　be　safely　radical；　and　in　consequence　the　Thirty…ninth　was　encouraged　to　be　more　radical　during　its　last　session。

Public　interest　now　for　a　time　turned　to　the　South；　where　the　Fourteenth　Amendment　was　before　the　state　legislatures。　The　radicals；　taunted　with　having　no　plan　of　reconstruction　beyond　a　desire　to　keep　the　Southern　States　out　of　the　Union；　professed　to　see　in　the　ratification　of　the　Fourteenth　Amendment　a　good　opportunity　to　readmit　the　States　on　a　safe　basis。　The　elections　of　1866　had　pointed　to　the　ratification　of　the　proposed　amendment　as　an　essential　preliminary　to　readmission。　But　would　additional　demands　be　made　upon　the　South？　Sumner；　Stevens；　and　Fessenden　were　sure　that　Negro　suffrage　also　must　come；　but　Wade；　Chase；　Garfield；　and　others　believed　that　nothing　beyond　the　terms　of　the　Fourteenth　Amendment　would　be　asked。

In　the　Southern　legislatures　there　was　little　disposition　to　ratify　the　amendment。　The　rapid　development　of　the　radical　policies　during　1866　had　convinced　most　Southerners　that　nothing　short　of　a　general　humiliation　and　complete　revolution　in　the　South　would　satisfy　the　dominant　party；　and　there　were　few　who　wished　to　be　〃parties　to　our　own　dishonor。〃　The　President　advised　the　States　not　to　accept　the　amendment；　but　several　Southern　leaders　favored　it；　fearing　that　worse　would　come　if　they　should　reject　it。　Only　in　the　legislatures　of　Alabama　and　Florida　was　there　any　serious　disposition　to　accept　the　amendment；　and　in　the　end　all　the　unreconstructed　States　voted　adversely　during　the　fall　and　winter　of　1866…67。　This　unanimity　of　action　was　due　in　part　to　the　belief　that；　even　if　the　amendment　were　ratified；　the　Southern　states　would　still　be　excluded；　and　in　part　to　the　general　dislike　of　the　proscriptive　section　which　would　disfranchise　all　Confederates　of　prominence　and　result　in　the　breaking　up　of　the　state　governments。　The　example　of　unhappy　Tennessee；　which　had　ratified　the　Fourteenth　Amendment　and　had　been　readmitted；　was　not　one　to　encourage　conservative　people　in　the　other　Southern　states。

The　rejection　of　the　amendment　put　the　question　of　reconstruction　squarely　before　Congress。　There　was　no　longer　a　possibility　of　accomplishing　the　reconstruction　of　the　Southern　states　by　means　of　constitutional　amendments。　Some　of　the　Border　and　Northern　states　were　already　showing　signs　of　uneasiness　at　the　continued　exclusion　of　the　South。　But　if　the　Constitutional　Amendment　had　failed；　other　means　of　reconstruction　were　at　hand；　for　the　radicals　now　controlled　the　Thirty…ninth　Congress；　from　which　the　Southern　representatives　were　excluded；　and　would　also　control　the　Fortieth　Congress。

Under　the　lead　of　Stevens　and　Sumner；　the　radicals　now　perfected　their　plans。　On　January　8；1867；　their　first　measure；　conferring　the　franchise　upon　Negroes　in　the　District　of　Columbia；　was　passed　over　the　presidential　veto；　though　the　proposal　had　been　voted　down　a　few　weeks　earlier　by　a　vote　of　6525　to　35　in　Washington　and　812　to　1　in　Georgetown。　In　the　next　place；　by　an　act　of　January　31；　1867；　the　franchise　was　extended　to　Negroes　in　the　territories；　and　on　March　2；　1867；　three　important　measures　were　enacted：　the　Tenure　of　Office　Act　and　a　rider　to　the　Army　Appropriation　Actboth　designed　to　limit　the　power　of　the　Presidentand　the　first　Reconstruction　Act。　By　the　Tenure　of　Office　Act；　the　President　was　prohibited　from　removing　officeholders　except　with　the　consent　of　the　Senate；　and　by　the　Army　Act　he　was　forbidden　to　issue　orders　except　through　General　Grant　or　to　relieve　him　of　command　or　to　assign　him　to　command　away　from　Washington　unless　at　the　General's　own　request　or　with　the　previous　approval　of　the　Senate。　The　first　measure　was　meant　to　check　the　removal　of　radical　officeholders　by　Johnson；　and　the　other；　which　was　secretly　drawn　up　for　Boutwell　by　Stanton；　was　designed　to　prevent　the　President　from　exercising　his　constitutional　command　of　the　army。

The　first　Reconstruction　Act　declared　that　no　legal　state　government　existed　in　the　ten　unreconstructed　states　and　that　there　was　no　adequate　protection　for　life　and　property。　The　Johnson　and　Lincoln　governments　in　those　States　were　declared　to　have　no　legal　status　and　to　be　subject　wholly　to　the　authority　of　the　United　States　to　modify　or　abolish。　The　ten　states　were　divided　into　five　military　districts；　over　each　of　which　a　general　officer　was　to　be　placed　in　command。　Military　tribunals　were　to　supersede　the　civil　courts　where　necessary。　Stevens　was　willing　to　rest　here；　though　some　of　his　less　radical　followers；　disliking　military　rule　but　desiring　to　force　Negro　suffrage；　inserted　a　provision　in　the　law　that　a　State　might　be　readmitted　to　representation　upon　the　following　conditions：　a　constitutional　convention　must　be　held；　the　members　of　which　were　elected　by　males　of　voting　age　without　regard　to　color；　excluding　whites　who　would　be　disfranchised　by　the　proposed　Fourteenth　Amendment；　a　constitution　including　the　same　rule　of　suffrage　must　be　framed；　ratified　by　the　same　electorate；　and　approved　by　Congress；　and　lastly；　the　legislatures　elected　under　this　constitution　must　ratify　the　proposed　Fourteenth　Amendment；　after　which；　if　the　Fourteenth　Amendment　should　have　become　a　part　of　the　Federal　Constitution；　the　State　should　be　readmitted　to　representation。

In　order　that　the　administration　of　this　radical　legislation　might　be　supervised　by　its　friends；　the　Thirty…ninth　Congress　had　passed　a　law　requiring　the　Fortieth　Congress　to　meet　on　the　4th　of　March　instead　of　in　December　as　was　customary。　According　to　the　Reconstruction　Act　of　the　2nd　of　March；　it　was　left　to　the　state　government　or　to　the　people　of　a　state　to　make　the　first　move　towards　reconstruction。　If　they　preferred；　they　might　remain　under　military　rule。　Either　by　design　or　by　carelessness　no　machinery　of　administration　was　provided　for　the　execution　of　the　act。　When　it　became　evident　that　the　Southerners　preferred　military　rule；　the　new　Congress　passed　a　Supplementary　Reconstruction　Act　on　the　23d　of　March　designed　to　force　the　earlier　act　into　operation。　The　five　commanding　generals　were　directed　to　register　the　blacks　of　voting　age　and　the　whites　who　were　not　disfranchised；　to　hold　elections　for　conventions；　to　call　the　conventions；　to　hold　elections　to　ratify　or　reject　the　constitutions；　and　to　forward　the　constitutions；　if　ratified；　to　the　President　for　transmission　to　Congress。

In　these　reconstruction　acts　the　whole　doctrine　of　radicalism　was　put　on　the　way　to　accomplishment。　Its　spread　had　been　rapid。　In　December　1865；　the　majority　of　Congress　would　have　accepted　with　little　modification　the　work　of　Lincoln　and　Johnson。　Three　months　later　the　Civil　Rights　Act　measured　the　advance。　Very　soon　the　new　Freedmen's　Bureau　Act　and　the　Fourteenth　Amendment　indicated　the　rising　tide　of　radicalism。　The　campaign　of　1866　and　the　attitude　of　the　Southern　states　swept　all　radicals　and　most　moderate　Republicans　swiftly　into　a　merciless　course　of　reconstruction。　Moderate　reconstruction　had　nowhere　strong　support。　Congress；　touched　in　its　amour　propre　by　presidential　disregard；　was　eager　for　extremes。　Johnson；　who　regarded　himself　as　defending　the　Constitution　against　radical　assaults；　was　stubborn；　irascible；　and　undignified；　and　with　his　associates　was　no　match　in　political　strategy　for　his　radical　opponents。

The　average　Republican　or　Unionist　in　the　North；　if　he　had　not　been　brought　by　skillful　misrepresentation　to　believe　a　new　rebellion　impending　in　the　South；　was　at　any　rate　painfully　alive　to　the　fear　that　the　Democratic　party　might　regain　power。　With　the　freeing　of　the　slaves；　the　representation　of　the　South　in　Congress　would　be　increased。　At　first　it　seemed　that　the　South　might　divide　in　politics　as　before　the　war；　but　the　longer　the　delay　the　more　the　Southern　whites　tended　to　unite　into　one　party　acting　with　the　Democrats。　With　their　eighty…five　representatives　and　a　slight　reaction　in　the　North；　they　might　gain　control　of　the　lower　House　of　Congress。　The　Union…Republican　party　had　a　majority　of　less　than　one　hundred　in　1866；　and　this　was　lessened　slightly　in　the　Fortieth　Congress。　The　President　was　for　all　practical　purposes　a　Democrat　again。　The　prospect　was　too　much　for　the　very　human　politicians　to　view　without　distress。　Stevens；　speaking　in　support　of　the　Military　Reconstruction　Bill；　said：

〃There　are　several　good　reasons　for　the　passage　of　this　bill。　In　the　first　place；　it　is　just。　I　am　now　confining　my　argument　to　Negro　suffrage　in　the　rebel　states。　Have　not　loyal　blacks　quite　as　good　a　right　to　choose　rulers　and　make　laws　as　rebel　whites？　In　the　second　place；　it　is　necessary　in　order　to　protect　the　loyal　white　men　in　the　seceded　states。　With　them　the　blacks　would　act　in　a　body；　and　it　is　believed　that　in　each　of　these　states；　except　one；　the　two　united　would　form　a　majority；　control　the　states；　and　protect　themselves。　Now　they　are　the　victims　of　daily　murder。　They　must　suffer　constant　persecution　or　be　exiled。　Another　good　reason　is　that　it　would　insure　the　ascendancy　of　the　union　party　。。。。　I　believe　。　。　。　that　on　the　continued　ascendancy　of　that　party　depends　the　safety　of　this　great　nation。　If　impartial　suffrage　is　excluded　in　the　rebel　states；　then　every　one　of　them　is　sure　to　send　a　solid　rebel　electoral　vote。　They；　wit