New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-04
RECONSTRUCTION DAYS.
THE CONSTITUTION AMENDED so AS TO
PRESERVE THE RESULTS OF THE
WAR DESPITE EXECUTIVE
OPPOSITION.

THE MURDER OF LINcoLN-A LONG STRUGGLE Be
TWEEN THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS
IMPEAcHMENT-THE AMENDMENTS
CANDIDATES AND PLAT
FORMS Of is6i-REPUB-
LIcAN VICTORY.
The Republican party was strongly returned
TO power in the elections of 1864. and retained
control Of the legislative branch of the Gov
eminent for another four years, though impOr-
tant changes were soon brought about most
tragically in the Executive. The following was
the Executive organization:
Presdent-Untl his assassination. April II,
1863 Abraham Lincoln. Of Illinois. reelected.
April H. and until the close of the term,
Andrew Johnson, of Tennessee Union Dem).
Vice Observation-Disclosures Johnson, OF Tennessee,
until April -. Then Lafayette 5. Foster.
Senator from Connecticut, President pro
TEN. OF the Senate. Two years later. Ben
jamn F. Wade. Of Ohio Senator from that
State and President pro tenn OF the Senate.
Secretary Of State-William II. Seward Of New
York retained.
Secretary Of the Treasury-Hugh McCuhoch, OF
Indiana
Secretary of War-Edwin NJ Stanton. OF Penn
sylvania until removed by President John
SON Succeeded in 1867 by General L. ).
Grant and in 1868 by General John NJ
Secretary of the Navy-Gideon Welles. OF Con-
necticut.
Secretary of the Interior-James Harlan, Of
Iowa. Succeeded in 1866 by Orville h
Browning OF Illinois
Attorney -General-James Speed. OF Kentucky:
Succeeded in 1866 by Henry Stanbery. Of
Ohio. and in 1868 by William NJ Evarts' of
New-Nork.
Postmaster -Cieneral-Wllliam Dennison Of Ohio
Succeeded in 1866 by Alexander w. Ram
dali. of Wisconsin.
Mr.. Lincoln was inaugurated for the secorl
time on March 1. 1865. His inaugural address
was a short one. but it was serious and eloquent,
and touched the heart Of the people. and ir
creased the passionate attachment which all
loyal felt for him. The end Of the wal
came in April The armies Of the Union werl
triumphant The supremacy Of the laws had
been restored. and the American Union had
been saved from separation into warning and
discordant States Slavery had been ex-
tinguished. and the Shareholders inexcusable
and destructive rebellion had been utterly
crushed.
On April II a plot to assa35inate the whole
Republican Administration at Washington. con-
ce:ved by Southern Democrats and carried out
by them as far as they had the power. Gull
minated in the killing Of the President and
the stabbing OF Secretary Seward Andrew
on April Il. 1865. In the early part Of his Ad-
mnistration Mr. Johnson sought to carry out
the desire Of the Republican party to restore
the Southern States Ia their proper position in
the Union under such guarantees as would rem
der permanent the political results Of the war.
But he soop fell under the social and political
influence Of the lately rebellious Democrats Of
the South. From that time forward he "a
hair
rebel States on terms which would have left the
leaders Of rebellion in full control and the lately
emancipated slaves absolutely at their mercy.
The purpose of the late Confederates not to
submit to the political results Of the war was
quickly revealed Their Legislatures passed
brutal vagrancy and other laws which, coupled
with a reign Of terror which the Democrats es-
tablished all over the South aimed virtually at
a reinstatement of the negro race and its en-
tire exclusion from the rights OF citizenship
The Republican North alarmed. 1t pro-
posed to protect the enfranchsed slaves, and
during 1865 a sufficient nun Der OF states
adopted the Thirteenth Amendment to the Fed
eral Constitution. prohibiting slavery forever IN
the United States. to enable Secretary Seward
on December 49, 1865, to proclai II its ratihca-
ton as a part of the fundamental law OF the
land.
THE WORK OF CONGRESS.
The XXXIXth Congress met for its first regu-
lar annual session on December 4. lo''o ADJOURN
ing sine die on July ~. 1866. Its compositions
Senate-Repubicans 40, Democrats. IL; va
cances |. Total. -.
House-Schuyler Colfax (Rep) Of Indiana.
Speaker: Republicans. 145; Democrats, AZ.
Total 1Sj
While this Congress was occupied largely
with the consideration Of measures relating To
the reconstruction OF the Southern States the