Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-11-24
THE CLAXSMAX:
An Historical Romance Of the
Ku Klux Klan.
BY THOMAS DIXON, JR.
Author and Published by Doubleday. Page Co.

between the President ana the Com'
moner.
The first bill sent to the White
House to Africanise the conquered
provinces" the president vetoed in 9
message of such logic, dignity, and
power, the old leader found to his
amazement 1t was impossible to rally
the two-thirds majority to pass II over
his head.
At first, all had gone as planned
Lynch and Howle brought to him a re-
port on Southern Atrocities" secured
through the councils OF the secret oath
bound Union League, which had de.
stroyed the impression OF General
Grants words and prepared his fol-
lowers for blind submission to his COM
mittee.
Yet the rally Of a group Of men In
defence of the constitution had given
the president unexpected strength.
Stoneman saw that he must hold his
hand on the throat Of the south and
fight another campaign. Howle and
Lynch furnished the publication COM
mittee Of the Union League the mat
ter and they printed four million
five hundred thousand pamphlets on
Southern Atrocities"
The northern states were hostile to
negro suffrage the first step OF his
revolutionary programme, and not
dozen men in congress had yet dared
20 favor 1t. Ohio, Michigan, New York
and Kansas had rejected 1t by over
whelming majorities. But he could ap-
peal to their passions and prejudtces
against the "Barbarism" of the south.
1t would work like magic. When he
had the south where he wanted 1t, he
would turn and ram negro suffrage
"a
Of the reluctant north.
His energies were now bent to pre-
vent any effective legislation in con-
gress until his strength should be om-
nipotent.
A cloud disturbed the sky for mo-
ment In the senate. John Sherman, Of
Ohio, began to loom on the horizon as
a constructive statesman, and without
consulting him was quietly forcing
over Sumter's classic oratory Recon-
struction Bill restoring the southern
states to the Union on the basis OF
Lincoln's plan, with no provision for
interference with the suffrage. 1t had
gone to it's last reading, and the final
vote was pending.
The house was in session at a. m,
waiting in feverish anxiety the out
come Of this struggle in the senate.
Old Stoneman was in his seat, fast
asleep from the exhaustion Of an un-
broken session of forty hours. His
meals he had sent to his desk from
the Capitol restaurant. He was seven
ty-four years old and not In good
health. yet his energy was tireless, his
resources inexhaustible, and his au-
dacity matchless.
Sunset Cox, a wag of the house, an
OPPONENT but personal friend Of the old
Commoner, passing his seat and seeing
the head sunk on his breast in sleep,
laughed softly and said:
Mr.. Speaker"
The presiding officer recognised the
young Democrat with nod Of answer
ing humor and responded:
1.-The gentleman from New York"
"I move you. sir" said Cox, that. In
view of the advanced age and eminent
services of the distinguished gentleman
from Pennsylvania, the sergeant-at-
arms be instructed to furnish him with
enough poker chips to last till morn
ing!"
The scattered members who were
awake roared with laughter, the speak
er pounded furiously with his gavel,
the sleepy little pages jumped up,
rubbing their eyes and ran here and
there answering imaginary calls, and
noise and confusion.
The old man raised his massive head
and looked to the door leading toward
the senate just as Sumner rushed
through. He had slept for moment,
but his keen intellect had taken up the
fight at precisely the point at which
he left it.
Sumner approached his desk rapidly,
leaned over, and reported his defeat
md Sherman's triumph.
For Gods sake throttle this meas
ure in the house or we are ruined! ne
exclaimed.
Don't be alarmed" replied the cynic.
I'll be here with stronger weapons
than articulated wind"
You have not moment to lose.
The bill is on its way to the speakers
desk, and Sherman's men are going to
force it's passage tonight"
The senator returned to the other end
of the Capitol wrapped in the mantle
of his outraged dignity, and In thirty
minutes the bill was defeated, and the
house adjourned.
As the old Commoner hobbled
through the door his crooked cane
humping the marble floor. Sumner
seized and pressed his hand:
How did you do it?"
Stoneman's huge jaws snapped to-
gether and his lower lip protruded:
II sent for Cox and summoned the
leader of the Democrats. I told them
II they would join with me and defeat
this bill, I'd give them a better one the
next session. And I will-negro suf-
frage! The gudgeons swallowed 1t
wholei"
Sumner lifted his eyebrows and
wrapped his cloak a little closer.
The great commoner laughed, as he
departed:
but he'll forget it before we're done
this fight"
On the steps a beggar asked him for
nights lodging, and he tossed him
gold eagle.
The north, which had rejected suf-
frage for itself with scorn, answered
Stoneman's fierce appeal to their pas
Sions against the south, and sent him
a delegation of radicals eager to do his
will.
So fierce had waxed the combat be-
tween the president and congress that
the very existence Of Stanton'S prison.
ers languishing in jail was forgotten.
and the secretary of war himself became
a football to be kicked back and forth
in this conflict of giants. The fact
that Andrew Johnson was from Ten
nessee. and had been an old line Dem
ocrat before his election as Unionist
with Lincoln, was now a fatal weak
ness in his position. Under Stoneman's
assaults he became at once an eXecu-
tive without a party, and every WORD
of amnesty and pardon he proclaimed
for the south in accordance with Lin
coins plan was denounced as the act
of a renegade counting the favor oil
traitors and rebels.
Stanton remained in his cabinet
AGAINST his wishes to insult and defy
him, and Stoneman, quick to see the
way by which the president Of the Ma
tion could be degraded and made ridi-
culous, introduced a bill depriving him
of the power to remove his own cabi-
net officers. The act was not only
meant to degrade the president: 1t was
trap set for his ruin. The penalties
were so fixed that its violation would
give specific ground for his trial I'M
parchment, and removal from office.
Again Stoneman passed his first act
to reduce the conquered provinces" OF
the south to negro rule.
President Johnson vetoed 1t with g
message of such logic in defence Of
the constitutional rights of the states
that it failed by one vote to find the
two thirds majority needed to become