The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-02-08
ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM
LINCOLN"

The February number OF Inc udt0ey
contains an interesting paper with the
above caption from the pen of Hon.
Gideon Welles, who was Secretary of the
Navy under President Lincoln, giving
an account of the struggle in Congress
relative to the slavery question in 1861,
and the events subsequent to that period
foreshadowing the reconstruction OF the
seeding States. The views of Mr.. Lin
coin are clearly and succinctly stated on
both questions, and doubtless the nara
tive is faithful and accurate. Inciden-
tally, the character and political career
of Thaddeus Stevens are touched upon in
this article. These topics before South
ern audience are intensely interesting,
and the light thrown upon them by so
competent writer as Mr.. Welles, who
was an active participant in the stirring
events of that stormy period, reveals
much that is striking and piquant to an
ex Confederate, who was deprived the
privilege and denied the pleasure of Pc
rusing the newspapers of that time, owing
to an inconvenient blockade and other
insurmountable barriers to frequent COM
munication with our Northern brethren.
The administration of Mr.. Lincoln was
without any definite policy when Con-
gress convened in December, 1861, and
conflicting views in regard to the slavery
question in all its aspects prevailed. The
Democrats insisted that fugitive slaves
should be returned to their masters, as in
time of peace, and portion of the Re-
publicans coincided with this view
Others insisted that only the slaves of
loyal owners were to be returned, and
still others contended that there was to
be no rendition of servants, even in loyal
or border States, where the owners had
forfeited protection by resisting laws and
setting at defiance the authorities. The
treatment of captured rebels and the
confscation of their property were agita-
ted questions, and the status of seeding
States when the rebellion should be sup
pressed were also beginning to be contro.
verted points. These questions were to
be dealt with in such a manner as not to
ALLEVIATE friends or give unnecessary Of
fence, while maintaining the authority Of
the government and the preservation Of
the Union. Congress came together fred
with indignation and revenge, and great
ly exasperated towards the rebels for
maintaining an armed defiance against
the government, and large portion Of
the members were dissatisfied with the
administration of Mr.. Lincoln for delays
and procrastinations in prosecuting the
war. Democrats complained that the
President transcribed his fightful au
thority, while the extreme Republicans
asserted that he was not sufficiently ag-
gressive. Senator Sumner, after months
were devoted to crude and impracticable
schemes, submitted his project for over
throwing the governments of seeding
States and reducing them to territorial
condition, and including with this sub
version the abolition of slavery. 1t was
the enunciation of policy that was in
conflict with the Constitution, and would
change the character of the government,
but which he intended to force upon the
administration.
President Lincoln was excessively an
noyed at the extreme, unconstitutional
and revolutionary theories of the Massa-
chusetts Senator, and felt that it was pre-
cipitating issues on delicate and impor-
tant subjects at critical period-issues
involving the structure of the govern
ment and the stability of its system. He
could not afford to have a controversy
with Sumner, however, and so managed
as to check violent and aggressive de-
mands by interposing delay and non-
action. In the meantime, the subjects of
slavery, reconstruction and confscation
were being vehemently discussed in Con-
gress. On the subject of confscation,
the Republicans entertained widely diff
terent opinions. Thad. Stevens, who was
born revolutionist, went for the imme-
diate and unsparing coniscation of prop
erty by act of Congress without awaiting
judicial proceedings. He and his follow
ers wanted the rebels treated as foreign
ers; the States in insurrection to be re-
duced to the condition of provinces; the
people to be subjugated and their proper
ty taken to defray the expenses of the
war. Mr.. Sumner was in favor of ex-
treme measures, and urged that Congress
should embrace "the opportunity which
God in his bene6cence had offered" to
extingulsh by arbitrary enactment the
institution of slavery, and destroy ali
claim to reserved sovereignty in the
States. Milder men were opposed to
any illegal and unjusti6able enactment,
and it came to be understood that the
President would place his veto upon any
extreme and unconstitutional measures.
This information, with the certainty that
hi. veto would be sustained, checked the
extremists for the time being, who were
disposed to assume that Congress might
exercise not only legislative, but judicial
and executive powers. The measure pro-
posed to con6scate property and condemn
rebels without trial and conviction, but
Mr.. Lincoln explicitly made known that
"r gular trials in duly constituted courts"
were to be observed, and the rights of the
executive and judicial departments sepa-