the sequel of appomattox-第44章

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ion　of　Grant　was　a　foregone　conclusion。　There　was　certainly　a　potential　majority　against　Grant；　but　the　opposition　had　failed　to　organize；　while　the　Republican　machine　was　in　good　working　order；　the　Negroes　were　voting；　and　the　Enforcement　Acts　proved　a　great　aid　to　the　Republicans　in　the　Southern　States。

One　good　result　of　the　growing　liberal　sentiment　was　the　passage　of　an　Amnesty　Act　by　Congress　on　May　22；　1872。　By　statute　and　by　the　Fourteenth　Amendment；　Congress　had　refused　to　recognize　the　complete　validity　of　President　Johnson's　pardons　and　amnesty　proclamations；　and　all　Confederate　leaders　who　wished　to　regain　political　rights　had　therefore　to　appeal　to　Congress。　During　the　Forty…first　Congress　（1869…71）　more　than　three　thousand　Southerners　were　amnestied　in　order　that　they　might　hold　office。　These；　however；　were　for　the　most　part　scalawags；　the　most　respectable　whites　would　not　seek　an　amnesty　which　they　could　secure　only　by　self…stultification。*　It　was　the　pressure　of　public　opinion　against　white　disfranchisement　and　the　necessity　for　meeting　the　Liberal　Republican　arguments　which　caused　the　passage　of　the　Act　of　1872。　By　this　act　about　150；000　whites　were　reenfranchised；　leaving　out　only　about　five　hundred　of　the　most　prominent　of　the　old　regime；　most　of　whom　were　never　restored　to　citizenship。　Both　Robert　E。　Lee　and　Jefferson　Davis　died　disfranchised。

*　The　machinery　of　government　and　politics　was　all　in　radical　handsthe　carpetbaggers　and　scalawags；　who　were　numerous　enough　to　fill　practically　all　the　offices。　These　men　were　often　able　leaders　and　skillful　managers；　and　they　did　not　intend　to　surrender　control；　and　the　black　race　was　obedient　and　furnished　the　votes。　In　1868；　with　Virginia；　Mississippi；　Georgia；　and　Texas　unrepresented；　the　first　radical　contingent　in　Congress　from　the　South　numbered　41；　of　whom　10　out　of　12　senators　and　26　out　of　32　representatives　were　carpetbaggers。　There　were　two　lone　conservative　Congressmen。　A　few　months　later；　in　1869；　there　were　64　radical　representatives　from　the　South；　20　senators　and　44　members　of　the　House　of　Representatives。　In　1877　this　number　had　dwindled　to　two　senators　and　four　representatives。　The　difference　between　these　figures　measures　in　some　degree　the　extent　of　the　undoing　of　reconstruction　within　the　period　of　Grant's　Administration。

How　the　Southern　whites　escaped　from　Negro　domination　has　often　been　told　and　may　here　be　sketched　only　in　outline。　The　first　States　regained　from　radicalism　were　those　in　which　the　Negro　population　was　small　and　the　black　vote　large　enough　to　irritate　but　not　to　dominate。　Although　Northern　sentiment；　excited　by　the　stories　of　〃Southern　outrage；〃　was　then　unfavorable；　the　conservatives　of　the　South；　by　organizing　a　〃white　man's　party〃　and　by　the　use　of　Ku　Klux　methods；　made　a　fight　for　social　safety　which　they　won　nearly　everywhere；　and；　in　addition；　they　gained　political　control　of　several　StatesTennessee　in　1869；　Virginia　in　1869…1870；　and　North　Carolina　and　Georgia　in　1870。　They　almost　won　Louisiana　in　1868　and　Alabama　in　1870；　but　the　alarmed　radicals　came　to　the　rescue　of　the　situation　with　the　Fifteenth　Amendment　and　the　Enforcement　Laws　of　1870…1871。　With　more　troops　and　a　larger　number　of　deputy　marshals；　it　seemed　that　the　radicals　might　securely　hold　the　remaining　states。　Arrests　of　conservatives　were　numerous；　plundering　was　at　its　height；　the　Federal　Government　was　interested　and　was　friendly　to　the　new　Southern　rulers；　and　the　carpetbaggers　and　scalawags　feasted；　troubled　only　by　the　disposition　of　their　Negro　supporters　to　demand　a　share　of　the　spoils。　Although　the　whites　made　little　gain　from　1870　to　1874；　the　states　already　rescued　became　more　firmly　conservative；　white　counties　here　and　there　in　the　black　states　voted　out　the　radicals；　a　few　more　representatives　of　the　whites　got　into　Congress；　and　the　Border　States　ranged　themselves　more　solidly　with　the　conservatives。

But　while　the　Southern　whites　were　becoming　desperate　under　oppression；　public　opinion　in　the　North　was　at　last　beginning　to　affect　politics。　The　elections　of　1874　resulted　in　a　Democratic　landslide　of　which　the　Administration　was　obliged　to　take　notice。　Grant　now　grew　more　responsive　to　criticism。　In　1875　he　replied　to　a　request　for　troops　to　hold　down　Mississippi：　〃The　whole　public　are　tired　out　with　these　annual　autumnal　outbreaks　in　the　South　and　the　great　majority　are　ready　now　to　condemn　any　interference　on　the　part　of　the　Government。〃　As　soon　as　conditions　in　the　South　were　better　understood　in　the　North；　ready　sympathy　and　political　aid　were　offered　by　many　who　had　hitherto　acted　with　the　radicals。　The　Ku　Klux　report　as　well　as　the　newspaper　writings　and　the　books　of　J。　S。　Pike　and　Charles　Nordhoff；　both　former　opponents　of　slavery；　opened　the　eyes　of　many　to　the　evil　results　of　Negro　suffrage。　Some　who　had　been　considered　friends　of　the　Negro；　now　believing　that　he　had　proven　to　be　a　political　failure；　coldly　abandoned　him　and　turned　their　altruistic　interests　to　other　objects　more　likely　to　succeed。　Many　real　friends　of　the　Negro　were　alarmed　at　the　evils　of　the　reconstruction　and　were　anxious　to　see　the　corrupt　political　leaders　deprived　of　further　influence　over　the　race。　To　others　the　constantly　recurring　Southern　problem　was　growing　stale；　and　they　desired　to　hear　less　of　it。　Within　the　Republican　party　in　each　Southern　State；　there　were　serious　divisions　over　the　spoils。　First　it　was　carpetbagger　and　Negro　against　the　scalawag；　later；　when　the　black　leaders　insisted　that　those　who　furnished　the　votes　must　have　the　larger　share　of　the　rewards；　the　fight　became　triangular。　As　a　result；　by　1874　the　Republican　party　in　the　South　was　split　into　factions　and　was　deserted　by　a　large　proportion　of　its　white　membership。

The　conservative　whites；　fiercely　resentful　after　their　experiences　under　the　enforcement　laws　and　hopeful　of　Northern　sympathy；　now　planned　a　supreme　effort　to　regain　their　former　power。　Race　lines　were　more　strictly　drawn；　ostracism　of　all　that　was　radical　became　the　rule；　the　Republican　party　in　the　South；　it　was　apparent；　was　doomed　to　be　only　a　Negro　party　weighed　down　by　the　scandal　of　bad　government；　the　state　treasuries　were　bankrupt；　and　there　was　little　further　opportunity　for　plunder。　These　considerations　had　much　to　do　with　the　return　of　scalawags　to　the　〃white　man's　party〃　and　the　retirement　of　carpetbaggers　from　Southern　politics。　There　was　no　longer　anything　in　it；　they　said；　let　the　Negro　have　it！

It　was　under　these　conditions　that　the　〃white　man's　party〃　carried　the　elections　in　Alabama；　Arkansas；　and　Texas　in　1874；　and　Mississippi　in　1875。　Asserting　that　it　was　a　contest　between　civilization　and　barbarism；　and　that　the　whites　under　the　radical　regime　had　no　opportunity　to　carry　an　election　legally；　the　conservatives　openly　made　use　of　every　method　of　influencing　the　result　that　could　possibly　come　within　the　radical　law　and　they　even　employed　many　effective　methods　that　lay　outside　the　law。　Negroes　were　threatened　with　discharge　from　employment　and　whites　with　tar　and　feathers　if　they　voted　the　radical　ticket；　there　were　nightriding　parties；　armed　and　drilled　〃white　leagues；〃　and　mysterious　firing　of　guns　and　cannon　at　night；　much　plain　talk　assailed　the　ears　of　the　radical　leaders；　and　several　bloody　outbreaks　occurred；　principally　in　Louisiana　and　Mississippi。　Louisiana　had　been　carried　by　the　Democrats　in　the　fall　of　1872；　but　the　radical　returning　board　had　reversed　the　election。　In　1874　the　whites　rose　in　rebellion　and　turned　out　Kellogg；　the　usurping　Governor；　but　President　Grant　intervened　to　restore　him　to　office。　The　〃Mississippi〃　or　〃shot…gun　plan〃*　was　very　generally　employed；　except　where　the　contest　was　likely　to　go　in　favor　of　the　whites　without　the　use　of　undue　pressure。　The　white　leaders　exercised　a　moderating　influence；　but　the　average　white　man　had　determined　to　do　away　with　Negro　government　even　though　the　alternative　might　be　a　return　of　military　rule。　Congress　investigated　the　elections　in　each　State　which　overthrew　the　reconstructionists；　but　nothing　came　of　the　inquiry　and　the　population　rapidly　settled　down　into　good　order。　After　1875　only　three　States　were　left　under　radi