abraham lincoln and the union-第26章

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　He　sent　a　letter　denouncing　Lincoln　and　pledging　his　support　of　Fremont　because　of　the　latter's　〃clearsighted　statesmanship　and　rare　military　ability。〃　The　convention　declared　itself　a　political　party；　under　the　style　of　the　Radical　Democracy；　and　nominated　Fremont　for　President。

There　was　another　body　of　dreamers；　still　more　singular；　who　were　also　bitter　opponents　of　Lincoln。　　They　were；　however；　not　in　favor　of　war。　　Their　political　machinery　consisted　of　secret　societies。　　As　early　as　1860；　the　Knights　of　the　Golden　Circle　were　active　in　Indiana；　where　they　did　yeoman　service　for　Breckinridge。　　Later　this　society　acquired　some　underground　influence　in　other　States；　especially　in　Ohio；　and　did　its　share　in　bringing　about　the　victories　at　the　polls　in　the　autumn　of　1862；　when　the　Democrats　captured　the　Indiana　legislature。

The　most　serious　charge　against　the　Golden　Circle　was　complicity　in　an　attempt　to　assassinate　Oliver　P。　Morton；　Governor　of　Indiana；　who　was　fired　at；　one　night；　as　he　was　leaving　the　state　house。　When　Morton　demanded　an　investigation　of　the　Golden　Circle；　the　legislature　refused　to　sanction　it。　　On　his　own　authority　and　with　Federal　aid　he　made　investigations　and　published　a　report　which；　if　it　did　not　actually　prove　treason；　came　dangerously　near　to　proof。　　Thereafter；　this　society　drops　out　of　sight；　and　its　members　appear　to　have　formed　the　new　Order　of　the　American　Knights；　which　in　its　turn　was　eclipsed　by　the　Sons　of　Liberty。　There　were　several　other　such　societies　all　organized　on　a　military　plan　and　with　a　great　pretense　of　arming　their　members。　This；　however；　had　to　be　done　surreptitiously。　　Boxes　of　rifles　purchased　in　the　East　were　shipped　West　labeled　〃Sunday…school　books；〃　and　negotiations　were　even　undertaken　with　the　Confederacy　to　bring　in　arms　by　way　of　Canada。　　At　a　meeting　of　the　supreme　council　of　the　Sons　of　Liberty；　in　New　York；　February　22；　1864；　it　was　claimed　that　the　order　had　nearly　a　million　members；　though　the　Government　secret　service　considered　half　a　million　a　more　exact　estimate。

As　events　subsequently　proved；　the　societies　were　not　as　formidable　as　these　figures　would　imply。　　Most　of　the　men　who　joined　them　seem　to　have　been　fanciful　creatures　who　loved　secrecy　for　its　own　sake。　　While　real　men；　North　and　South；　were　laying　down　their　lives　for　their　principles；　these　make…believe　men　were　holding　bombastic　initiations　and　taking　oaths　such　as　this　from　the　ritual　of　the　American　Knights：　〃I　do　further　solemnly　promise　and　swear；　that　I　will　ever　cherish　the　sublime　lessons　which　the　sacred　emblems　of　our　order　suggest；　and　will；　so　far　as　in　me　lies；　impart　those　lessons　to　the　people　of　the　earth；　where　the　mystic　acorn　falls　from　its　parent　bough；　in　whose　visible　firmament　Orion；　Arcturus；　and　the　Pleiades　ride　in　their　cold　resplendent　glories；　and　where　the　Southern　Cross　dazzles　the　eye　of　degraded　humanity　with　its　coruscations　of　golden　light；　fit　emblem　of　Truth；　while　it　invites　our　sacred　order　to　consecrate　her　temples　in　the　four　corners　of　the　earth；　where　moral　darkness　reigns　and　despotism　holds　sway。。。。　　Divine　essence；　so　help　me　that　I　fail　not　in　my　troth；　lest　I　shall　be　summoned　before　the　tribunal　of　the　order；　adjudged　and　condemned　to　certain　and　shameful　death；　while　my　name　shall　be　recorded　on　the　rolls　of　infamy。　Amen。〃

The　secret　orders　fought　hard　to　prevent　the　Lincoln　victory　in　the　elections　of　1863。　　Even　before　that　time　their　leaders　had　talked　mysteriously　of　another　disruption　of　the　Union　and　the　formation　of　a　Northwestern　Confederacy　in　alliance　with　the　South。　The　scheme　was　known　to　the　Confederates；　allusions　to　it　are　to　be　found　in　Southern　newspapers；　and　even　the　Confederate　military　authorities　considered　it。　　Early　in　1863；　General　Beauregard　thought　the　Confederates　might　〃get　into　Ohio　and　call　upon　the　friends　of　Vallandigham　to　rise　for　his　defense　and　support；　then。。。call　upon　the　whole　Northwest　to　join　in　the　movement；　form　a　confederacy　of　their　own；　and　join　us　by　a　treaty　of　alliance；　offensive　and　defensive。〃　Reliance　on　the　support　of　the　societies　was　the　will…o'…the…wisp　that　deceived　General　John　Morgan　in　his　desperate　attempt　to　carry　out　Beauregard's　programme。　　Though　brushed　aside　as　a　mere　detail　by　military　historians；　Morgan's　raid；　with　his　force　of　irregular　cavalry；　in　July；　1863；　through　Indiana　and　Ohio；　was　one　of　the　most　romantic　episodes　of　the　war。　　But　it　ended　in　his　defeat　and　capture。　　While　his　gallant　troopers　rode　to　their　destruction；　the　men　who　loved　to　swear　by　Arcturus　and　to　gabble　about　the　Pleiades　showed　the　fiber　to　be　expected　of　such　people；　and　stayed　snug　in　their　beds。

But　neither　their　own　lack　of　hardihood　nor　the　disasters　of　their　Southern　friends　could　dampen　their　peculiar　ardor。　　Their　hero　was　Vallandigham。　　That　redoubtable　person　had　fixed　his　headquarters　in　Canada；　whence　he　directed　his　partisans　in　their　vain　attempt　to　elect　him　Governor　of　Ohio。　　Their　next　move　was　to　honor　him　with　the　office　of　Supreme　Commander　of　the　Sons　of　Liberty；　and　now　Vallandigham　resolved　to　win　the　martyr's　crown　in　very　fact。　　In　June；　1864；　he　prepared　for　the　dramatic　effect　by　carefully　advertising　his　intention　and　came　home。　　But　to　his　great　disappointment　Lincoln　ignored　him；　and　the　dramatic　martyrdom　which　he　had　planned　did　not　come　off。

There　still　existed　the　possibility　of　a　great　uprising；　and　to　that　end　arrangements　were　made　with　Southern　agents　in　Canada。　Confederate　soldiers；　picked　men；　made　their　way　in　disguise　to　Chicago。　　There　the　worshipers　of　Arcturus　were　to　join　them　in　a　mighty　multitude；　the　Confederate　prisoners　at　Camp　Douglas　in　Chicago　were　to　be　liberated；　around　that　core　of　veterans；　the　hosts　of　the　Pleiades　were　to　rally。　　All　this　was　to　coincide　with　the　assembling　at　Chicago　of　the　Democratic　national　convention；　in　which　Vallandigham　was　to　appear。　　The　organizers　of　the　conspiracy　dreamed　that　the　two　events　might　coalesce；　that　the　convention　might　be　stampeded　by　their　uprising；　that　a　great　part；　if　not　the　whole；　of　the　convention　would　endorse　the　establishment　of　a　Northwestern　Confederacy。

Alas　for　him　who　builds　on　the　frame　of　mind　that　delights　in　cheap　rhetoric　while　Rome　is　afire！　　At　the　moment　of　hazard；　the　Sons　of　Liberty　showed　the　white　feather；　were　full　of　specious　words；　would　not　act。　　The　Confederate　soldiers；　indignant　at　this　second　betrayal；　had　to　make　their　escape　from　the　country。

It　must　not　be　supposed　that　this　Democratic　national　convention　was　made　up　altogether　of　Secessionists。　　The　peace　party　was　still；　as　in　the　previous　year；　a　strange　complex；　a　mixture　of　all　sorts　and　conditions。　　Its　cohesion　was　not　so　much　due　to　its　love　of　peace　as　to　its　dislike　of　Lincoln　and　its　hatred　of　his　party。　　Vallandigham　was　a　member　of　the　committee　on　resolutions。　The　permanent　chairman　was　Governor　Seymour　of　New　York。　　The　Convention　was　called　to　order　by　August　Belmont；　a　foreigner　by　birth；　the　American　representative　of　the　Rothschilds。　　He　was　the　head　and　front　of　that　body　of　Northern　capital　which　had　so　long　financed　the　South　and　which　had　always　opposed　the　war。　　In　opening　the　Convention　he　said：　〃Four　years　of　misrule　by　a　sectional；　fanatical；　and　corrupt　party　have　brought　our　country　to　the　verge　of　ruin。〃　　In　the　platform　Lincoln　was　accused　of　a　list　of　crimes　which　it　had　become　the　habit　of　the　peace　party　to　charge　against　him。　　His　administration　was　described　as　〃four　years　of　failure；〃　and　McClellan　was　nominated　for　President。

The　Republican　managers　called　a　convention　at　Baltimore　in　June；　1864；　with　a　view　to　organizing　a　composite　Union　Party　in　which　the　War　Democrats　were　to　participate。　　Their　plan　was　successful。　The　second　place　on　the　Union　ticket　was　accepted　by　a　War　Democrat；　Andrew　Johnson；　of　Tennessee。　　Lincoln　was　renominated；　though　not　without　opposition；　and　he　was　so　keenly　aware　that　he　was　not　the　unanimous　choice　of　the　Union　Party　that　he　permitted　the　fact　to　appear　in　a　public　utterance　soon　afterward。　　〃I　do　not　allow　myself；〃　he　said；　in　addressing　a　delegation　of　the　National　Union　League；　〃to　suppose　that　either　the　Convention　or　the　League　have　concluded　to　decide　that　I　am　either　the　greatest　or　the　best　man　in　America；　but　rather　they　have　concluded　it　is　not　best　to　swap　horses　while　crossing　the　river；　and　have　further　concluded　that　I　am　not　so　poor　a　horse　that　they　might　not　make　a　botch　of　it　in　trying　to　swap。〃

But　the　Union　Party　was　so　far　from　being　a　unit　that　during　the　summer　factional　quarrels　developed　within　its　ranks。　　All　the　elements　that　were　unfriendly　to　Lincoln　took　heart　from　a　dispute　betweenthe　President　and　Congress　with　regard　to　reconstruction　in　Louisiana；　over　a　large　part　of　which　Federal　troops　had　established　a　civil　government　on　the　President's　authority。　　As　an　incident　in　the　history　of　reconstruction；　this　whole　matter　has　its　place　in　another　volume。*　But　it　also　has　a　place　in　the　history　of　the　presidential　campaign　of　1864。　Lincoln's　plan　of　reconstruction　was　obnoxious　to　the　Radicals　in　Congress　inasmuch　as　it　did　not　definitely　abolish　slavery　in　Louisiana；　although　it　required　the　new　Government　to　give　its　adherence　to　the　Emancipation　Proclamation。　Congress　passed　a　bill　taking　reconstruction　out　of　the　President's　hands　and　definitely　requiring　the　reconstructed　States　to　abolish　slavery。　　Lincoln　took　the　position　that　Congress　had　no　power　over　slavery　in　the　States。　　When　his　Proclamation　was　thrown　in　his　teeth；　he　replied；　〃I　conceive　that　I　may　in　an　emergency　do　things　on　military　grounds　which　cannot　be　done　constitutionally　by　Congress。〃　　Incidentally　there　was　a　further　disagreement　between　the　President　and　the　Radicals　over　negro　suffrage。　　Though　neither　scheme　provided　for　it；　Lincoln　would　extend　it；　if　at　all；　only　to　the　exceptional　negroes；　while　the　Radicals　were　ready　for　a　sweeping　extension。　　But　Lincoln　refused　to　sign　their　bill　and　it　lapsed。　　Thereupon　Benjamin　Wade　of　Ohio　and　Henry　Winter　Davis　of　Maryland　issued　a　savage　denunciation　of　Lincoln　which　has　been　known　ever　since　as　the　〃Wade…Davis　Manifesto〃。

*　Walter　L。　Fleming；　〃The　Sequel　of　Appomattox〃。　In　〃The　Chronicles　of　America〃。


There　was　a　faction　in　the　Union　Party　which　we　may　justly　name　the　Vindictives。　　The　〃Manifesto〃　gave　them　a　rallying　cry。　　At　a　conference　in　New　York　they　decided　to　compel　the　retirement　of　Lincoln　and　the　nomination　of　some　other　candidate。　　For　this　purpose　a　new　convention　was　to　be　called　at　Cincinnati　in　September。　　In　the　ranks　of　the　Vindictives　at　this　time　was　the　impetuous　editor　of　the　〃New　York　Tribune〃；　Horace　Greeley。　　His　presence　there　calls　for　some　explanation。　　Perhaps　the　most　singular　figure　of　the　time；　he　was　one　of　the　most　irresponsible　and　yet；　through　his　paper；　one　of　the　most　influential。　　He　had　a　trick　of　phrase　which；　somehow；　made　him　appear　oracular　to　the　plain　people；　especially　in　the　rural　districtsthe　very　people　on　whom　Lincoln　relied　for　a　large　part　of　his　support。　　Greeley　knew　his　power；　and　his　mind　was　not　large　enough　to　carry　the　knowledge　well。　　Furthermore；　his　was　the　sort　of　nature　that　relates　itself　to　l