abraham lincoln and the union-第36章

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erty；　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　life　above　all　through　the　sensibilities。　Kipling　speaks　scornfully　of　people　who　if　their　〃own　front　door　is　shut　will　swear　the　world　is　warm。〃　　They　are　relations　in　the　full　blood　of　Horace　Greeley。

In　July；　when　the　breach　between　the　President　and　the　Vindictives　was　just　beginning　to　be　evident；　Greeley　was　pursuing　an　adventure　of　his　own。　　Among　the　least　sensible　minor　incidents　of　the　war　were　a　number　of　fantastic　attempts　of　private　persons　to　negotiate　peace。　　With　one　exception　they　had　no　historic　importance。　　The　exception　is　a　negotiation　carried　on　by　Greeley；　which　seems　to　have　been　the　ultimate　cause　of　his　alliance　with　the　Vindictives。

In　the　middle　of　July；　1864；　gold　was　selling　in　New　York　at　285。　There　was　distress　and　discontent　throughout　the　country。　　The　horrible　slaughter　of　the　Wilderness；　still　fresh　in　everybody's　mind；　had　put　the　whole　Union　Party　into　mourning。　　The　impressionable　Greeley　became　frantic　for　peace　peace　at　any　price。　　At　the　psychological　moment　word　was　conveyed　to　him　that　two　persons　in　Canada　held　authority　from　the　Confederacy　to　enter　into　negotiations　for　peace。　　Greeley　wrote　to　Lincoln　demanding　negotiations　because　〃our　bleeding；　bankrupt；　almost　dying　country　longs　for　peace；　shudders　at　the　prospect　of　fresh　conscriptions；　of　further　wholesale　devastations；　and　of　new　rivers　of　human　blood。〃

Lincoln　consented　to　a　negotiation　but　stipulated　that　Greeley　himself　should　become　responsible　for　its　conduct。　　Though　this　was　not　what　Greeley　wanted　for　his　type　always　prefers　to　tell　others　what　to　dohe　sullenly　accepted。　　He　proceeded　to　Niagara　to　meet　the　reputed　commissioners　of　the　Confederacy。　　The　details　of　the　futile　conference　do　not　concern　us。　　The　Confederate　agents　were　not　empowered　to　treat　for　peaceat　least　not　on　any　terms　that　would　be　considered　at　Washington。　　Their　real　purpose　was　far　subtler。　　Appreciating　the　delicate　balance　in　Northern　politics；　they　aimed　at　making　it　appear　that　Lincoln　was　begging　for　terms。　　Linco