Political Recollections | Page 2

Indiana--Result of the Canvass--Ruin of the
Whigs--Disheartening Facts--The other Side of the Picture.
CHAPTER VII.
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY (CONTINUED). A Notable Fugitive
Slave Case--Inauguration of Pierce--Repeal of the Missouri
Compromise--Its Effects upon the Parties--The Free 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