Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-30

VI once III Ine IlSloIy VI 'iO
* United States has the congress
~ made deliberate attack upon
the integrity of the executive branch
of the government, as separated and
defined by the constitution. Many
presidents have used extraordinary
means to control the legislative branch
and have succeeded. Congress, in its
one attempt to destroy the prepond-
Grant power of the president, failed.
The war between President Andrew
Johnson and congress was bitter per-
sonal and partisan struggle in which
principle had small weight and con-
sistency none. Had only one senator
changed his vote from mot guilty
to Guilty" Andrew. Johnson would
have been deposed, Ben Wade would
have become president, and the whole
subsequent history of the nation would
have been changed
The basis of the quarrel between
johnson and congress was the instinct
of self-preservation in the Republican
party; the immediate cause was the
difference in the plans for the restora-
tion of the eleven seeding states to
the Union. Ben Wades ambition TO
be president and Thad Stevens desire
to punish the south, as we'll as An
drew Johnson's social standing, were
considerable factors in the problem. 1t
is fortunate for the nation that neither
side was able to claim complete VIC
tory, and thus neither could impose
upon the nation all of its desires. AS
1t is the legacy of that period is now
one of the chief political troubles OF
the nation, for as yet no man knows
just what the fourteenth amendment
actually does mean.
Mr. Lincoln held to the theory that
the states had no right to secede from
the Union. that they never had seeded
and that the war was, in fact, an in
surrection. Upon this doctrine he
based his scheme Of reconstruction,
which was to permit any state to re-
establish itself as a member of the
Union when 10 per cent of its voting
population should declare loyalty ana
elect representatives to congress. AS
early as 1862, when the issue of the war
was in doubt, and before any steps
were taken to free the slaves, Mr.. Lin
coin promulgated his Louisiana plan,
under which he recognized loyal state
government in Louisiana and under
which two representatives, Flanders
and Hahn, were elected TO congress.
They were received and seated in the
house in the thirty-seventh congress.
Thad Stevens led the opposition to
this scheme and the thirty eighth con-
gress declined to receive representa-
tives from Mr.. Lincoln's 10 per cent
states" But the issue was not pressed,
pending the result of the war. Ihe
thirty-eighth congress expired by Inn
itation on March 3, 1865. little more
than a month before Lee surrendered
and the war was over. Lincoln ala
not call a special session, and he was
proceeding with his plans for restor-
alton of the southern states upon the
basis of the Louisiana plan when he
was murdered.
Andrew Johnson became president
of the United States. Johnson had
been a Democrat all his life. He had
defied jackson once, and had often
manifested great independence, but ne
was nevertheless a party man. lie
had been placed on the ticket with Lin
coin as a war Democrat. He was also
a southern man. When it became ap-
parent that the Union would be VIC
torious johnson voiced some bitterly
vindictive threats against the leaders
of the Confederacy and was credited
with a desire TO hang rebels to every
tree. But later he manifested a nat
ural love for his native section, which
was. whether the result of his social
ambitions or of his Democratic par
tisanship, none the less grateful to
the defeated followers of the Lost
Cause.
Johnson, upon becoming president,
listened to the counsel of William II.
Seward, who remained at the head or
his cabinet, and adopted the Lincoln
nlan of reconstruction. State govern
ments were organized and representa-
tives and senators elected. The fran
chise was limited by executive decree,
and only loyal white men participated
in the new governments. johnson de-
clined to call congress together imi-
tating the example of Lincoln in 1863.
Before congress met for its regular
session in December Johnson had COM
pleted the reorganization of the south
ern states on the general lines of Lin
coins Louisiana plan."
Congress met and refused to receive
the representatives of the new state
governments. Thaddeus Stevens Of
fered a joint resolution providing for
the appointment of a joint committee
of the two houses of congress to con-
slider the question of reconstruction OF
the states lately in rebellion. That was
the beginning of the longest debate in
the annals of congress. The result was
that the Johnson plan of reconstruction
was ignored, the south was divided into
five military districts and placed under
control of federal troops and the night
mare of reconstruction" had begun
for the south.
Johnson fought as best he could, but