the sequel of appomattox-第20章

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Though　it　was　not　yet　too　late　for　Johnson　to　meet　the　conservatives　of　Congress　on　middle　ground；　he　threw　away　his　opportunity　by　an　intemperate　and　undignified　speech　on　the　22d　of　February　to　a　crowd　at　the　White　House。　As　usual　when　excited；　he　forgot　the　proprieties　and　denounced　the　radicals　as　enemies　of　the　Union　and　even　went　so　far　as　to　charge　Stevens；　Sumner；　and　Wendell　Phillips　with　endeavoring　to　destroy　the　fundamental　principles　of　the　government。　Such　conduct　weakened　his　supporters　and　rejoiced　his　enemies。　It　was　expected　that　Johnson　would　approve　the　bill　to　confer　civil　rights　upon　the　Negroes；　but；　goaded　perhaps　by　the　speeches　of　Stevens；　he　vetoed　it　on　the　27th　of　March。　Its　patience　now　exhausted；　Congress　passed　the　bill　over　the　President's　veto。　To　secure　the　requisite　majority　in　the　Senate；　Stockton；　Democratic　Senator　from　New　Jersey；　was　unseated　on　technical　grounds；　and　Senator　Morgan；　who　was　〃paired〃　with　a　sick　colleague；　broke　his　word　to　vote　ayefor　which　Wade　offensively　thanked　God。　The　moderates　had　now　fallen　away　from　the　President；　and　at　least　for　this　session　of　Congress；　his　policies　were　wrecked。　On　the　16th　of　July；　the　supplementary　Freedmen's　Bureau　Act　was　passed　over　the　veto；　and　on　the　24th　of　July　Tennessee　was　readmitted　to　representation　by　a　law　the　preamble　of　which　asserted　unmistakably　that　Congress　had　assumed　control　of　reconstruction。

Meanwhile　the　Joint　Committee　on　Reconstruction　had　made　a　report　asserting　that　the　Southerners　had　forfeited　all　constitutional　rights；　that　their　state　governments　were　not　in　constitutional　form；　and　that　restoration　could　be　accomplished　only　when　Congress　and　the　President　acted　together　in　fixing　the　terms　of　readmission。　The　uncompromising　hostility　of　the　South；　the　Committee　asserted；　made　necessary　adequate　safeguards　which　should　include　the　disfranchisement　of　the　white　leaders；　either　Negro　suffrage　or　a　reduction　of　white　representation；　and　repudiation　of　the　Confederate　war　debt　with　recognition　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　whol