Political Recollections | Page 2

Soil Position--Know-Nothingism--The Situation--First Steps in the Formation of the Republican Party--Movements of the Know-Nothings --Mistake of the Free Soilers--Anti-slavery Progress--Election of Banks as Speaker--Call for a Republican National Convention at Pittsburg--Organization of the Party--The Philadelphia Convention and its Platform--Nomination of Fremont--Know-Nothing and Whig Nominations--Democratic Nomination and Platform--The Grand Issue of the Campaign--The Democratic Canvass--The splendid Fight for Fremont--Triumph of Buchanan--Its Causes and Results--The Teaching of Events.
CHAPTER VIII.
PROGRESS OF REPUBLICANISM. The Dred Scott Decision--Struggle for Freedom in Kansas--Instructive Debates in Congress--Republican Gains in the Thirty-fifth Congress --The English Bill--Its Defeat and the Effect--Defection of Douglas --Its Advantages and its Perils--Strange Course of the New York Tribune and other Papers--Republican Retreat in Indiana--Illinois Republicans stand firm, and hold the Party to its Position--Gains in the Thirty-sixth Congress--Southern Barbarism and Extravagance --John Brown's Raid--Cuba and the Slave-trade--Oregon and Kansas-- Aids to Anti-slavery Progress--The Speakership and Helper's Book-- Southern Insolence and Extravagance--Degradation of Douglas--Slave- code for the Territories--Outrages in the South--Campaign of 1860 --Charleston Convention and Division of the Democrats--Madness of the Factions--Bell and Everett--Republican Convention and its Platform--Lincoln and Seward--Canvass of Douglas--Campaign for Lincoln--Conduct of Seward--Republican Concessions and slave-holding Madness.
CHAPTER IX.
THE NEW ADMINISTRATION AND THE WAR. Visit to Mr. Lincoln--Closing Months of Mr. Buchanan's Administration --Efforts to avoid War--Character of Buchanan--Lincoln's Inauguration --His War Policy--The Grand Army of Office-seekers--The July Session of Congress--The Atmosphere of Washington--Battle of Bull Run-- Apologetic Resolve of Congress--First Confiscation Act--Gen. Fremont's Proclamation and its Effect--Its Revocation--Regular Session of Congress--Secretary Cameron--Committee on the Conduct of the War--Its Conference with the President and his Cabinet-- Secretary Stanton and General McClellan--Order to march upon Manassas.
CHAPTER X.
THE NEW ADMINISTRATION AND THE WAR (CONTINUED). The Wooden Guns--Conference with Secretary Stanton--His Relations to Lincoln--Strife between Radicalism and Conservatism--Passage of the Homestead Law--Visit to the President--The Confiscation Act and Rebel Land owners--Greeley's "Prayer of Twenty Millions," and Lincoln's Reply--Effort to disband the Republican Party--The Battle of Fredericksburg and General Burnside--The Proclamation of Emancipation--Visit to Mr. Lincoln--General Fremont--Report of the War Committee--Visit to Philadelphia and New York--Gerrit Smith-- The Morgan Raid.
CHAPTER XI.
INCIDENTS AND END OF THE WAR. Campaigning in Ohio--Attempted Repeal of the Fugitive Slave Law-- Organized Movement in Favor of Chase for the Presidency--Confiscation of Rebel Lands--Fort Pillow, and the Treatment of Union Soldiers at Richmond--Mr. Lincoln's Letter to Hodges--Southern Homestead Bill, and Controversy with Mr. Mallory--Nomination of Andrew Johnson --Enforcement of Party Discipline--Mr. Lincoln's Change of Opinion as to Confiscation of Rebel Lands--Opposition to him in Congress-- General Fremont and Montgomery Blair--Visit to City Point--Adoption of the XIII Constitutional Amendment--Trip to Richmond, and Incidents --Assassination of the President--Inauguration of Johnson and Announcement of his Policy--Feeling toward Mr. Lincoln--Capitulation of Gen. Johnston.
CHAPTER XII.
RECONSTRUCTION AND SUFFRAGE--THE LAND QUESTION. Visit of Indianans to the President--Gov. Morton and Reconstruction --Report of Committee on the Conduct of the War--Discussion of Negro Suffrage and Incidents--Personal Matters--Suffrage in the District of Columbia--The Fourteenth Constitutional Amendment-- Breach between the President and Congress--Blaine and Conkling-- Land Bounties and the Homestead Law.
CHAPTER XIII.
MINERAL LANDS AND THE RIGHT OF PRE-EMPTION. The Lead and Copper Lands of the Northwest--The gold-bearing Regions of the Pacific, and their Disposition--A legislative Reminiscence --Mining Act of 1866, and how it was passed--Its deplorable Failure, and its Lesson--Report of the Land Commission--The Right of Pre- emption, and the "Dred Scott Decision" of the Settlers.
CHAPTER XIV.
RECONSTRUCTION AND IMPEACHMENT. Gov. Morton and his Scheme of Gerrymandering--The XIV Amendment-- Hasty Reconstruction and the Territorial Plan--The Military Bill-- Impeachment--An amusing Incident--Vote against Impeachment--The Vote reversed--The popular Feeling against the President--The Trial --Republican Intolerance--Injustice to Senators and to Chief Justice Chase--Nomination of Gen. Grant--Re-nomination for Congress--Personal --Squabble of Place-hunters--XVI Amendment.
CHAPTER XV.
GRANT AND GREELEY. The new Cabinet--Seeds of Party Disaffection--Trip to California-- Party Degeneracy--The liberal Republican Movement--Re-nomination of Grant--The Cincinnati Convention--Perplexities of the Situation --The Canvass for Greeley--Its Bitterness--Its peculiar Features-- The Defeat--The Vindication of Liberals--Visit to Chase and Sumner --Death of Greeley.
CHAPTER XVI.
CONCLUDING NOTES. Party Changes caused by the Slavery Issue--Notable Men in Congress during the War--Sketches of prominent Men in the Senate and House --Scenes and Incidents--Butler and Bingham--Cox and Butler--Judge Kelley and Van Wyck--Lovejoy and Wickliffe--Washburn and Donnelly --Oakes Ames--Abolitionism in Washington early in the War--Life at the Capital--The new Dispensation and its Problems.
INDEX
POLITICAL RECOLLECTIONS.
CHAPTER I.
THE HARRISON CAMPAIGN--THE BEGINNING OF ANTI-SLAVERY POLITICS. The "hard-cider" frolic of 1840--The issues--Swartwout and political corruption--The demand for a change--Character of Gen. Harrison-- Personal defamation--Mass-meetings and songs--Crushing defeat of the Democrats--First appearance of the slavery issue in politics-- Pro-slavery attitude of Harrison and Van Buren--Events favoring the growth of anti-slavery opinion--Clay and Mendenhall--Texas annexation and John Tyler.
Through the influence of early associations, I began my political life as a Whig, casting my first presidential ballot for General Harrison, in 1840. I knew next to nothing of our party politics; but in the matter of attending mass-meetings, singing Whig songs and drinking hard cider, I played a considerable part in