The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-10-05
Frederic E}e.kin's Letter
XII. The cr4at-ssymeur Race Of 1868

washington, D. c.. octI4.-The |
long and bitter quarrel between
President johnson and cfgress re-
suited in the adoption a policy
Of reconstruction in u southern
states which had in n more OF
Thaddeus stevens thu Of Abra-
ham Lincoln. 1t resflted also IN
the enfranchisement OF the Nc
groes. But 30 far tine campeien
Of 1868 was concehed, its most
important result rs the adher.
ence Of General Ulysses s. Grant
to the Republican party ana his
triumphal electio9fto the prenden-
cy. General Graf WAS the great
est Of all war 5roes, yet 1t was
with the utmost difnculty that ne
=. persuaded ? become a eand'-
in the first blace. Grant was .
Dsrnocrat 80 Tar as he had any
p6litics at'all. His hast vote before
the war wst for q radical pro-
slavery Democrat. and he was not
even q supporter OF Douglas In the
ouadranguif fight Of 1860. He
meyer cast / Republican vote until
after he htd served eight years a.
a Republican president. The DEM
ocrsts clamed him. They had even
talked Of nominating him in 1864.
During tie johnson administration
there was an earnest effort to get
the Democratic party on its feet
and to- nominate Grant for presi-
dent. III it had not been for the
ouarrif between congress and the
president, which resulted in q Mo-
lent break between Grant and
Johnson, the probabilities are that
Grsnt would have been nominated
anl' elected by the Democrats In
1858.
But johnson had provoked Grant
ID anger and had attempted to
supersede him in command OF the
army by calling General Thomas to
that position. Grant naturally
found sympathizers among the Re-
publican leaders in congress, near
" all of whom hated johnson 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 doubling the wisdom Of
the step. Finally his consent was
obtained, 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 ratifica-
ton meeting
South Did Not Count.
While some Of, the southern
states were permitted to take part
in the election, no attention was
paid to them, as it was known that
they would be excluded il their
votes affected tho result. The race
in the north became q contest OF
loyalty. The Republicans waved
the bloody shirt" kept on fighting
the war, and told. the boys" to
vote as they shot," and called all
the Democrats 'copperheads." The
Democrats, on ahe other hand, made
violent proteshtions Of intense 10y
atty. assuming the higher patriot
ism" Of a Arm reliance upon the
liberties guaranteed by the consti'
tuition. For the most part the
Democrats were supporters Of
President Johnson's administra
ton.
The Republican convention me-
in Chicago on the same day-o
course it vas an accident-that thu
National Soldiers and Sailors con
vention met. The soldiers ant
sailors got under way littl'
quicker than the Republicans AMI
recommended the nomination o
Grant. The convention next da,
accepted the recommendation viii
q whoUp.
In some respects, however, 1
was the 'maddast" bunch of Re
publicans that ever assembled in ,
natioipl convention. The impeach
ment trial of President johnson
had been dragging itself out, an,
every Republican in the countr
was absolutely confident that tn
verdict Of the senate would b
guilty" Only four days befor
the Chicago convention met th
senate voted and johnson was &C
quilted. The vote was "a guilt
and 10 not guilty, but that lacke
|oye vote Of being the requisite two
thirds. Seven Republicans ha
joined the IL Democrats then l
the senate in voting for acquitta
In the convention these senator
we're called the "seven traitors.
Whatever may be the final verde
iof history in the case of Andre'
johnson Is q statesman, it is a
| ready unanimously agreed that hi
acquittal in the impeachment prt
ceedings was right.
| Wade,s Shattered Hopes.
There was old Len Wade, pres
dent pro tempore Of the senate.
johnson had been convicted
would have succeeded to Il