The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-09-11

The long and bitter quarrel between President Johnson and Congress result ed in the adoption of a policy Of Ke- construction of the Southern states which had In 1t more of Thaddeus Stevens than of Abraham Lincoln. II resulted also in the enfranchisement of the negroes. But. so far as the campaign of 1868 was concerned. its most important result was the adher- ence of General Ulysses s. Grant 10
 the republican party and his triumphant election to the presidency. General Grant was the greatest of all war heroes. yet 1t was with the utmost dit- ficulty that he was persuaded to be- come a candidate.
 In the first place Grant was Democrat, so far as he had any poif- tics at all. His last vote before the war was for a radical pro-slavery Democrat. and he was not even sup porter of Douglas In the quadrangular fight of 1880. He never cast a Re- publican vote until after he had served eight years as a Republican President. The Democrats claimed him. They had even talked of nominating him in 1864. During the Johnson administra-
 ton there was an earnest effort to get the Democratic party on its feet and to nominate Grant for President. If 1t had not been for the quarrel between Congress and the President. which re- suited fin violent break between
 Grant and Johnson. the probabilities are that Grant would have been nomi- mated and elected by the Democrats in 1888.
 But Johnson had provoked Grant to anger and had attempted to supersede
 him in command of the army by call Ing General Thomas to that position.
 Grant naturally found sympathizers
 among the Republicans leaders in Con-
 gress nearly all of whom hated John- son with their whole souls. So when the Republicans began to plead with | Grant to be their candidate. he lis tened. For a time he held back. honestly doubting the wisdom of the step. Finally his consent was obtain ed his candidacy announced and the
 whole thing was over. So far as the head of the ticket was concerned. the Republican national convention which met in Chicago on May 20 was merely a ratification meeting.
 While some of the southern states were permitted to take part In the election, no attention was paid to them
 as 1t was known that they would be excluded If their votes affected the re-
 suit The race in the North became
 a contest in loyalty. The Republicans
 waved the "bloody shirt" kept on fighting the war, told the "boys" to | "vote as they shot" and called all the Democrats "Copperheads." The Demo- crats on the other hand, made violent protestations of intense loyalty. assum- | ing the "higher patriotism" of firm reliance upon the liberties guaranteed by the Constitution. For the most part | the Democrats were supporters Of
 President Johnsons administration.
 The Republican convention met in
 Chicago on the same day, of course 1t
 was accident-that the National Sol diers' and Sailors convention met
 The soldiers and sailors got under way
 little quicker than the Republicans and recommended the nomination of Grant The convention. next day, ac- i cepted the recommendation with a | whoop.
 In some respects, however. 1t was the
 ''maddest" bunch of Republicans that ever assembled in a national conven-
 ton. The impeachment trial of Presl-
 dent Johnson had been dragging itself
 out, and every Republican in the coun- | try was absolutely confident that the
 verdict of the Senate would be gull ty" Only four days before the Chicago convention met the Senate. voted and