abraham lincoln and the union-第24章

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in　the　ratio　of　the　military　population；　and　the　number　required　was　to　be　drawn　by　lot；　if　the　district　raised　its　quota　voluntarily；　no　draft　would　be　made；　any　drafted　man　could　offer　a　substitute　or　could　purchase　his　discharge　for　three　hundred　dollars。　　The　latter　provision　especially　was　condemned　by　Stanton。　　It　was　seized　upon　by　demagogues　as　a　device　for　giving　rich　men　an　advantage　over　poor　men。

American　politics　during　the　war　form　a　wildly　confused　story；　so　intricate　that　it　cannot　be　made　clear　in　a　brief　statement。　　But　this　central　fact　may　be　insisted　upon：　in　the　North；　there　were　two　political　groups　that　were　the　poles　around　which　various　other　groups　revolved　and　combined；　only　to　fly　asunder　and　recombine；　with　all　the　maddening　inconstancy　of　a　kaleidoscope。　The　two　irreconcilable　elements　were　the　〃war　party〃　made　up　of　determined　men　resolved　to　see　things　through；　and　the　〃copperheads〃*　who　for　one　reason　or　another　united　in　a　faithful　struggle　for　peace　at　any　price。　　Around　the　copperheads　gathered　the　various　and　singular　groups　who　helped　to　make　up　the　ever　fluctuating　〃peace　party。〃　　It　is　an　error　to　assume　that　this　peace　party　was　animated　throughout　by　fondness　for　the　Confederacy。　　Though　many　of　its　members　were　so　actuated；　the　core　of　the　party　seems　to　have　been　that　strange　type　of　man　who　sustained　political　evasion　in　the　old　days；　who　thought　that　sweet　words　can　stop　bullets；　whose　programme　in　1863　called　for　a　cessation　of　hostilities　and　a　general　convention　of　all　the　States；　and　who　promised　as　the　speedy　result　of　a　debauch　of　talk　a　carnival　of　bright　eyes　glistening　with　the　tears　of　revived　affection。　　With　these　strange　people　in　1863　there　combined　a　number　of　different　types：　the　still　stranger；　still　less　creditable　visionary；　of　whom　much　hereafter；　the　avowed　friends　of　the　principle　of　state　rights；　all　those　who　distrusted　the　Government　because　of　its　anti…slavery　sympathies；　Quakers　and　others　with　moral　scruples　against　war；　and　finally；　sincere　legalists　to　whom　the　Conscription　Act　appeared　unconstitutional。　In　the　spring　of　1863　the　issue　of　conscription　drew　the　line　fairly　sharply　between　the　two　political　coalitions；　though　each　continued　to　fluctuate；　more　or　less；　to　the　end　of　the　war。

*　The　term　arose；　it　has　been　said；　from　the　use　of　the　copper　cent　with　its　head　of　Liberty　as　a　peace　button。　　But　a　more　plausible　explanation　associates　the　peace　advocates　with　the　deadly　copperhead　snake。


The　peace　party　of　1863　has　been　denounced　hastily　rather　than　carefully　studied。　　Its　precise　machinations　are　not　fully　known；　but　the　ugly　fact　stands　forth　that　a　portion　of　the　foreign　population　of　the　North　was　roused　in　1863　to　rebellion。　　The　occasion　was　the　beginning　of　the　first　draft　under　the　new　law；　in　July；　1863；　and　the　scene　of　the　rebellion　was　the　City　of　New　York。　　The　opponents　of　conscription　had　already　made　inflammatory　attacks　on　the　Government。　　Conspicuous　among　them　was　Horatio　Seymour；　who　had　been　elected　Governor　of　New　York　in　that　wave　of　reaction　in　the　autumn　of　1862。　　Several　New　York　papers　joined　the　crusade。　　In　Congress；　the　Government　had　already　been　threatened　with　civil　war　if　the　act　was　enforced。　　Nevertheless；　the　public　drawing　by　lot　began　on　the　days　announced。　　In　New　York　the　first　drawing　took　place　on　Saturday；　July　12th；　and　the　lists　were　published　in　the　Sunday　papers。　　As　might　be　expected；　many　of　the　men　drawn　were　of　foreign　birth；　and　all　day　Sunday；　the　foreign　quarter　of　New　York　was　a　cauldron　boiling。

On　Monday；　the　resumption　of　the　drawing　was　the　signal　for　revolt。　A　mob　invaded　one　of　the　conscription　offices；　drove　off　the　men　in　charge；　and　set　fire　to　the　building。　　In　a　short　while；　the　streets　were　filled　with　dense　crowds　of　foreignborn　workmen　shouting；　〃Down　with　the　rich　men；〃　and　singing；　〃We'll　hang　Horace　Greeley　on　a　sour　apple　tree。〃　　Houses　of　prominent　citizens　were　attacked　and　set　on　fire；　and　several　drafting　offices　were　burned。　　Many　negroes　who　were　seized　were　either　clubbed　to　death　or　hanged　to　lamp　posts。　　Even　an　orphan　asylum　for　colored　children　was　burned。　　The　office　of　the　〃Tribune〃　was　raided；　gutted；　and　set　on　fire。　　Finally　a　dispatch　to　Stanton；　early　in　the　night；　reported　that　the　mob　had　taken　possession　of　the　city。

The　events　of　the　next　day　were　no　less　shocking。　　The　city　was　almost　stripped　of　soldiers；　as　all　available　reserves　had　already　been　hurried　south　when　Lee　was　advancing　toward　Gettysburg。　　But　such　militia　as　could　be　mustered；　with　a　small　force　of　federal　troops；　fought　the　mob　in　the　streets。　　Barricades　were　carried　by　storm；　blood　was　freely　shed。　　It　was　not；　however；　until　the　fourth　day　that　the　rebellion　was　finally　quelled；　chiefly　by　New　York　regiments；　hurried　north　by　Stantonamong　them　the　famous　Seventhwhich　swept　the　streets　with　cannon。

The　aftermath　of　the　New　York　riots　was　a　correspondence　between　Lincoln　and　Seymour。　　The　latter　had　demanded　a　suspension　of　the　draft　until　the　courts　could　decide　on　the　constitutionality　of　the　Conscription　Act。　　Lincoln　refused。　　With　ten　thousand　troops　now　assembled　in　New　York；　the　draft　was　resumed；　and　there　was　no　further　trouble。

The　resistance　to　the　Government　in　New　York　was　but　the　most　terrible　episode　in　a　protracted　contention　which　involves；　as　Americans　are　beginning　to　see；　one　of　the　most　fundamental　and　permanent　questions　of　Lincoln's　rule：　how　can　the　exercise　of　necessary　war　powers　by　the　President　be　reconciled　with　the　guarantees　of　liberty　in　the　Constitution？　　It　is　unfortunate　that　Lincoln　did　not　draw　up　a　fully　rounded　statement　of　his　own　theory　regarding　this　problem；　instead　of　leaving　it　to　be　inferred　from　detached　observations　and　from　his　actions。　Apparently；　he　felt　there　was　nothing　to　do　but　to　follow　the　Roman　precedent　and；　in　a　case　of　emergency；　frankly　permit　the　use　of　extraordinary　power。　　We　may　attribute　to　him　that　point　of　view　expressed　by　a　distinguished　Democrat　of　our　own　day：　〃Democracy　has　to　learn　how　to　use　the　dictator　as　a　necessary　war　tool。〃*　Whether　Lincoln　set　a　good　model　for　democracy　in　this　perilous　business　is　still　to　be　determined。　　His　actions　have　been　freely　labeled　usurpation。　　The　first　notorious　instance　occurred　in　1861；　during　the　troubles　in　Maryland；　when　he　authorized　military　arrests　of　suspected　persons。　　For　the　release　of　one　of　these；　a　certain　Merryman；　Chief　Justice　Taney　issued　a　writ　of　habeas　corpus**。　　Lincoln　authorized　his　military　representatives　to　disregard　the　writ。　　In　1862　he　issued　a　proclamation　suspending　the　privileges　of　the　writ　of　habeas　corpus　in　cases　of　persons　charged　with　〃discouraging　volunteer　enlistments；　resisting　military　drafts；　or　guilty　of　any　disloyal　practice。。。。〃　　Such　persons　were　to　be　tried　by　military　commissions。

*President　Edwin　A。　Alderman；　of　the　University　of　Virginia。

**　The　Constitution　permits　the　suspension　of　the　privileges　of　the　writ　of　habeas　corpus　〃when　in　cases　of　rebellion　or　invasion　the　public　safety　may　require　it；〃　but　fails　to　provide　a　method　of　suspension。　　Taney　held　that　the　power　to　suspend　lay　with　Congress。　　Five　years　afterward；　when　Chase　was　Chief　Justice；　the　Supreme　Court；　in　ex　parte　Milligan；　took　the　same　view　and　further　declared　that　even　Congress　could　not　deprive　a　citizen　of　his　right　to　trial　by　jury　so　long　as　the　local　civil　courts　are　in　operation。　　The　Confederate　experience　differed　from　the　Federal　inasmuch　as　Congress　kept　control　of　the　power　to　suspend　the　writ。　　But　both　governments　made　use　of　such　suspension　to　set　up　martial　law　in　districts　where　the　local　courts　were　open　but　where；　from　one　cause　or　another；　the　Administration　had　not　confidence　in　their　effectiveness。　　　Under　ex　parte　Milligan；　both　Presidents　and　both　Congresses　were　guilty　of　usurpation。　　The　mere　layman　waits　for　the　next　great　hour　of　trial　to　learn　whether　this　interpretation　will　stand。　　In　the　Milligan　case　the　Chief　Justice　and　three　others　dissented。


There　can　be　little　doubt　that　this　proclamation　caused　something　like　a　panic　in　many　minds；　filled　them　with　the　dread　of　military　despotism；　a