Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-30
Some Things You Want to Know
The American COngress-The War Congress.

ruled by sheer force Of intellect. He was
a master Of v~itriolic sarcasm. and he con-
victed every man who opposed him Of
treason. Only Lincoln and. at a later date.
Grant. were too mighty to stand without
falling before his vindictive distrust. As
the chief foe Of slavery he naturally at
tracted the strength Of the abolition senti-
ment which, when the war had actually
begun. expanded enormously throughout
the north. stevens was the logical leader
Of the house.
The Thirty-eighth congress met first in
December, 1853. Lincoln had not called a
special session, even in that mighty crisis
Of the history Of the nation, Congress was
not always in sympathy with Lincoln. and
the house Of representative chosen at the
elections in 1862 contained a respectable
element opposed to the administration. and
a small section opposed even to the war.
The war democrats were always under
suspicion. But Mr.. Lincoln always ac-
corded them full faith and credit. for he
knew that the union could not be saved.
unless the north was united. His policy
was severely condemned by some Of those
republicans in congress who believed that
a democrat was a rebel. wherever he might
~ ASAAAAT VI "AaAbNNA It AlkuN say OF
do to the contrary. The disloyalty Of the
"copperheads' lent color to this view. The
position Of the war democrat was most
uncomfortable. especially if he was q
member OF congress And it is interesting
to note that Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jer-
sey, Illinois, Michigan and other states OF
the north sent many more democrats 20
congress in the election Of 1862 than they
did in the election Of 1905
Speaker Grow was retired to private life
in that election, and he was succeeded as
speaker Of the house by Schuyler Colfax
Of Indiana, who was completely under the
domination Of Stevens. During the sessions
Of the Thirty-eighth congress opposition to
Lincolnin views concerning the treatment
Of the south became more pronounced. and
Stevens opposed the denomination Of Lin
coin for the presidency. But the congress
sional party could not stand against the
Influence in the north Of the great vic
tories being gained by the federal army.
Victory united the north as it had not been
united before. But Lincoln feared he would
be defeated, and an appeal was made to
the war democrats by nominating for vice
president Andrew Johnson Of Tennessee.
Stevens, at the convention. complained that
he didn't see why the party had to go
down into those damned rebel provinces
for n candidate.
The Thirty-ninth congress was elected
in November, 1864, at the same time Lin
coin and Johnson were elected. But it did
not meet until the regular session. begin
ming in December, 1865. Then the war was
over, Lincoln had been as~sasslnated. and
there was a democratic president in the
White House. The congress. under the
leadership Of Stevens in the house and
Benjamin F. Wade OF Ohio in the senate.
already had manifested strong opposition
to Mr.. Lincoln's policy in bringing about
the restoration OF the southern states.
With a liberal policy shorn of the great
prestige of Lincoln's name, and weighted
with the personal and partisan unpopularfty
of Johnson, IL was inevitable that the radi-
cal policy would be adopted. Even had Lin.
coin lived IL is to be doubted whether he
would have been able to oppose the radical
sentiment which pervaded the Thirty-ninth
congress. On,
Johnson could neither persuade nor in
timidate the congress and the battle was
on. The struggle to maintain the union
had been victorious, now came the strug-
gle to maintain the supremacy of the re-
publcan party. However much one NAV
feel constrained to condemn the bitterness
Of Thaddeus Stevens, he can but admit
that in those days Of strife il was DIFF
ficult for the men who had fought for the
union TO witness with %equanimity the
return Of the southern states into the
union on a basis Of equality, bringing a
certain democratic section into congress
which would, with the northern demo-
Gratis, drive the republicans from power.
Aside from the measures growing out
of the war, the chief accomplishment of
the war congresses was the enactment. in
the Thlrty-seventh congress-, Of the home
stead law, by which the public domain was
opened up to settlement. in small tracts.
by actual farmers 1t is perhaps one of
the greatest benefits of the rule OF the
republican party in the nation.
The last OF the war congresses. elected
during the war, but which did not meet
until after it was over, took up the task
OF restoring the Union. The results Of its
labors still, control the political d~estinies
OF the country.
ny PREDERIC J. aAsKrUs.
Tomorrow-THE AMERICAN CONGRESS,