abraham lincoln and the union-第6章

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　made　himself　dictator。　　Walker　had　succeeded　in　having　his　minister　acknowledged　by　the　Democratic　Administration；　and　in　obtaining　the　endorsement　of　a　great　Democratic　meeting　which　was　held　in　New　York。　　It　looked；　therefore；　as　if　the　party　of　political　evasion　had　an　anchor　to　windward；　and　that；　in　the　event　of　their　losing　in　Kansas；　they　intended　to　placate　their　Southern　wing　by　the　annexation　of　Nicaragua。

Here；　indeed；　was　a　stronger　political　tempest　than　Douglas；　weatherwise　though　he　was；　had　foreseen。　　How　was　political　evasion　to　brave　it？　　With　a　courage　quite　equal　to　the　boldness　of　the　Republicans；　the　Democrats　took　another　tack　and　steered　for　less　troubled　waters。　　Their　convention　at　Cincinnati　was　temperate　and　discreet　in　all　its　expressions；　and　for　President　it　nominated　a　Northerner；　James　Buchanan　of　Pennsylvania；　a　man　who　was　wholly　dissociated　in　the　public　mind　from　the　struggle　over　Kansas。

The　Democratic　party　leaders　knew　that　they　already　had　two　strong　groups　of　supporters。　　Whatever　they　did；　the　South　would　have　to　go　along　with　them；　in　its　reaction　against　the　furious　sectionalism　of　the　Republicans。　　Besides　the　Southern　support；　the　Democrats　counted　upon　the　aid　of　the　professional　politiciansthose　men　who　considered　politics　rather　as　a　fascinating　game　than　as　serious　and　difficult　work　based　upon　principle。　　Upon　these　the　Democrats　could　confidently　rely；　for　they　already　had；　in　Douglas　in　the　North　and　Toombs　in　the　South；　two　master　politicians　who　knew　this　type　and　its　impulses　intimately；　because　they　themselves　belonged　to　it。　　But　the　Democrats　needed　the　support　of　a　third　group。　　If　they　could　only　win　over　the　Northern　remnant　of　the　Whigs　that　was　still　unattached；　their　position　would　be　secure。　　In　their　efforts　to　obtain　this　additional　and　very　necessary　reinforcement；　they　decided　to　appear　as　temperate　and　restrained　as　possiblea　well　bred　party　which　all　mild　and　conservative　men　could　trust。

This　attitude　they　formulated　in　connection　with　Kansas；　which　at　that　time　had　two　governments：　one；　a　territorial　government；　set　up　by　emigrants　from　the　South；　the　other；　a　state　government；　under　the　constitution　drawn　up　at　Topeka　by　emigrants　from　the　North。　　One　authorized　slavery；　the　other　prohibited　slavery；　and　both　had　appealed　to　Washington　for　recognition。　　It　was　with　this　quite　definite　issue　that　Congress　was　chiefly　concerned　in　the　spring　of　1856。　　During　the　summer　Toombs　introduced　a　bill　securing　to　the　settlers　of　Kansas　complete　freedom　of　action　and　providing　for　an　election　of　delegates　to　a　convention　to　draw　up　a　state　constitution　which　would　determine　whether　slavery　or　freedom　was　to　prevailin　other　words；　whether　Kansas　was　to　be　annexed　to　the　South　or　to　the　North。　　This　bill　was　merely　the　full　expression　of　what　Douglas　had　aimed　at　in　1854　and　of　what　was　nicknamed　〃popular　sovereignty〃the　right　of　the　locality　to　choose　for　itself　between　slave　and　free　labor。

Two　years　before；　such　a　measure　would　have　seemed　radical。　　But　in　politics　time　is　wonderfully　elastic。　　Those　two　years　had　been　packed　with　turmoil。　　Kansas　had　been　the　scene　of　a　bloody　conflict。　　Regardless　of　which　side　had　a　majority　on　the　ground；　extremists　on　each　side　had　demanded　recognition　for　the　government　set　up　by　their　own　party。　　By　contrast；　Toombs's　offer　to　let　the　majority　rule　appeared　temperate。

The　Republicans　saw　instantly　that　they　must　discredit　the　proposal　or　the　ground　would　be　cut　from　under　them。　　Though　the　bill　passed　the　Senate；　they　were　able　to　set　it　aside　in　the　House　in　favor　of　a　bill　admitting　Kansas　as　a　free　state　with　the　Topeka　constitution。　　The　Democrats　thereupon　accused　the　Republicans　of　not　wanting　peace　and　of　wishing　to　keep　up　the　war…cry　〃Bleeding　Kansas〃　until　election　time。

That；　throughout　the　country；　the　two　parties　continued　on　the　lines　of　policy　they　had　chosen　may　be　seen　from　an　illustration。　A　House　committee　which　had　gone　to　Kansas　to　investigate　submitted　two　reports；　one　of　which；　submitted　by　a　Democratic　member；　told　the　true　story　of　the　murders　committed　by　John　Brown　at　Pottawatomie。　　And　yet；　while　the　Republicans　spread　everywhere　their　shocking　tales　of　murders　of　free…state　settlers；　the　Democrats　made　practically　no　use　of　this　equally　shocking　tale　of　the　murder　of　slaveholders。　　Apparently　they　were　resolved　to　appear　temperate　and　conservative　to　the　bitter　end。

And　they　had　their　reward。　　Or；　perhaps　the　fury　of　the　Republicans　had　its　just　deserts。　　From　either　point　of　view；　the　result　was　a　choice　of　evils　on　the　part　of　the　reluctant　Whigs；　and　that　choice　was　expressed　in　the　following　words　by　as　typical　a　New　Englander　as　Rufus　Choate：　〃The　first　duty　of　Whigs；〃　wrote　Choate　to　the　Maine　State　central　committee；　〃is　to　unite　with　some　organization　of　our　countrymen　to　defeat　and　dissolve　the　new　geographical　party　calling　itself　Republican。。。。　　The　question　for　each　and　every　one　of　us　is。。。by　what　vote　can　I　do　most　to　prevent　the　madness　of　the　times　from　working　its　maddest　act　the　very　ecstasy　of　its　madnessthe　permanent　formation　and　the　actual　triumph　of　a　party　which　knows　one　half　of　America　only　to　hate　and　dread　it。　　If　the　Republican　party；〃　Choate　continued；　〃accomplishes　its　object　and　gives　the　government　to　the　North；　I　turn　my　eyes　from　the　consequences。　　To　the　fifteen　states　of　the　South　that　government　will　appear　an　alien　government。　　It　will　appear　worse。　　It　will　appear　a　hostile　government。　　It　will　represent　to　their　eye　a　vast　region　of　states　organized　upon　anti…slavery；　flushed　by　triumph；　cheered　onward　by　the　voice　of　the　pulpit；　tribune；　and　press；　its　mission；　to　inaugurate　freedom　and　put　down　the　oligarchy；　its　constitution；　the　glittering　and　sounding　generalities　of　natural　right　which　make　up　the　Declaration　of　Independence。。。。　　Practically　the　contest；　in　my　judgment；　is　between　Mr。　Buchanan　and　Colonel　Fremont。　　In　these　circumstances；　I　vote　for　Mr。　Buchanan。〃

The　party　of　political　evasion　thus　became　the　refuge　of　the　old　original　Whigs　who　were　forced　to　take　advantage　of　any　port　in　a　storm。　　Buchanan　was　elected　by　an　overwhelming　majority。　　To　the　careless　eye；　Douglas　had　been　justified　by　results；　his　party　had　triumphed　as　perhaps　never　before；　and　yet；　no　great　political　success　was　ever　based　upon　less　stable　foundations。　　To　maintain　this　position；　those　Northerners　who　reasoned　as　Choate　did　were　a　necessity；　but　to　keep　them　in　the　party　of　political　evasion　would　depend　upon　the　ability　of　this　party　to　play　the　game　of　politics　without　acknowledging　sectional　bias。　　Whether　this　difficult　task　could　be　accomplished　would　depend　upon　the　South。　Toombs；　on　his　part；　was　anxious　to　continue　making　the　party　of　evasion　play　the　great　American　game　of　politics；　and　in　his　eagerness　he　perhaps　overestimated　his　hold　upon　the　South。　　This；　however；　remains　to　be　seen。

Already　another　faction　had　formed　around　William　L。　Yancey　of　Alabamaa　faction　as　intolerant　of　political　evasion　as　the　Republicans　themselves；　and　one　that　was　eager　to　match　the　sectional　Northern　party　by　a　sectional　Southern　party。　　It　had　for　the　moment　fallen　into　line　with　the　Toombs　faction　because；　like　the　Whigs；　it　had　not　the　courage　to　do　otherwise。　　The　question　now　was　whether　it　would　continue　fearful；　and　whether　political　evasion　would　continue　to　reign。

The　key　to　the　history　of　the　next　four　years　is　in　the　growth　of　this　positive　Southern　party；　which　had　the　inevitable　result　of　forcing　the　Whig　remainder　to　choose；　not　as　in　1856　between　a　positive　sectional　policy　and　an　evasive　nonsectional　policy；　but　in　1860　between　two　policies　both　of　which　were　at　once　positive　and　sectional。



CHAPTER　III。　THE　POLITICIANS　AND　THE　NEW　DAY

The　South　had　thus　far　been　kept　in　line　with　the　cause　of　political　evasion　by　a　small　group　of　able　politicians；　chief　among　whom　were　Robert　Toombs；　Howell　Cobb；　and　Alexander　H。　Stephens。　　Curiously　enough　all　three　were　Georgians；　and　this　might　indeed　be　called　the　day　of　Georgia　in　the　history　of　the　South。

A　different　type　of　man；　however；　and　one　significant　of　a　divergent　point