Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-06-14

withstand. The party stood the test,
however, the excitement subsidized, and
business resumed its wonted course.
Fight Against Jobnson.
Then came the era of reconstruction
and the bitter war between Andrew
johnson, the new president, and the
Republican leaders in congress. Every
expression of southern satisfaction
with Johnson's policy added to the sus-
picion with which he was regarded by
the men who had been SO recently en-
gagged in putting down armed rebellion.
There were no important state cleo
lions in 1865, and in the few elections
that We're held the Republican party
was uniformly successful. The Re-
publican state conventions guardedly
approved the presidents course, but
insisted on the most substantial guar
antees of the rights of negroes in the
south before the seeding states should
be admitted to representation in con-
gress. The veto Of the civil rights bill
showed the presidents intention to ad-
NIT those states without such guaran-
tees. Even then the Republicans were
content with passing over the presi-
dents head the civil rights and freed
mans bureau bills and the fourteenth
amendment to the constitution. Con-
gress then adjourned and left the de-
cision between 1t and the president to
the votes of the people. This decision
was promptly given. Every Republic
an state convention declared that re-
construction must be effected by con-
gress and not by the executive. In no
state was the presidents policy APP
4 proved.
Grant For President.
The elections Of 1866 left every state
In the north with a Republican govern
or and a strong Republican majority in
the legislature. The party in congress
had an overwhelming majority in each
branch-42 to IL in the senate and 143
to 40 in the house. Johnson made no
effort to conciliate congress, but both
in public and private aired his griev-
ances against it with extreme viru-
lence. This and his use Of the civil
service to reward his friends and pun
ish his enemies led to demand for
his impeachment.
On Feb. "a, 1863. the house adopted
a resolution of impeachment by vote
i OF 1875 to AZ, and on the following day
a committee impeached the president
before the bar of the senate. The
articles Of impeachment numbered
eleven, most of them alleging viola
lions Of the tenure of Office act in the
presidents efforts to force Secretary
of War Stanton out of the cabinet
The trial lasted three weeks. the sen.
ate sitting Gs high court Of justice
with the chief justice in the chair. A
vote was taken on three of the articles
each vote lacking one of the two-thirds
necessary to convict.
/ The national convention at Chicago
May 20, 1868, fully approved the recon
struction policy Of congress. declared
that the public faith should be kept al
to the national debt and condemned the
acts of President johnson In detail
General U. S. Grant was unanimously
nominated for president on the frs
ballot. Schuyler Colfax of indiana
was nominated for vice president. TIT
Democrats nominated Horatio Sey
mour and Francis 2. Blair, Jr. Gran
and Colfax received 214 electoral vote
to SO for their opponents.
The Reconstruction Problem.
With Grants election practically al
traces of the party's heterogeneous ele
ments disappeared. A new generation
Of leaders and voters had arisen. whic
knew only the tenets of the new part
and was not embarrassed by forme
political affiliations. Among thes
new leaders were james A. Garfield
James G. Blaine Roscoe Conkling
Carl Schurz, George Il. Edmunds
George Frisbie Hoar, Henry L. Dawes
Frederick r. Frelingbuysen and Eth
, B. Wushburn.
, The reconstruction problem. thong
in somewhat different form, confron
ed the new leaders as it had the OLE
! The grant of suffrage to the black
had been completed, but federal sur
port of the state authorities SCENE
necessary. Opposition to this polio
brought about the organization of th
Liberal Republican party. A nationa
convention held at Cincinnati, May
1872. nominated Horace Greeley c
New York forfpresident and B. Graf
a Brown of Missouri for vice presldem
couple of months later the Demt
r cratic national convention at Bait
more Endorsed these nominations. Vi
on the record of his first term Graz
, was nominated unanimously by til
. regular Republican convention at Phi
adelphia and was reelected, his rul
E ming mate being Henry Wilson of Ma
T sachusetts, who died in Office.
e The Republican platform of 1872 d.
a manded the maintenance Of complet
a liberty and equality in the enjoymer
of civil and political rights throughor
!, the Union without regard to color, con
a mended the president and congress f
!. the suppression Of the, kuklux di
,xIx.vx, = H. Il,