Omaha daily bee., 1921-06-19
Some Statesmen Fought
Against Expansion Of
Settlements in West
East and South Wanted Nebraska Territorial Area
as Dumping Ground for Indians-Rush to California
Helped Bring Realization of Possibilities of
.-., the Great Plains Region.

Ito the demands of the slavocracy
This precipitated, il it did not cause
secession and the civil war--througf
the election of Lincoln. who had
most skillfuliy taken advantage oi
the opportunity his chief rival had
given him to incite sectional divi'
SION.
In 1862, the more radical leaders
Of the republican party sought ia
strengthen its hold on congress ano
to insure the election OF the rcpub-
lican candidate for president in 1864
il perchauce 1t should be thrown into
the house, by the creation Of western
territories into Substantially Colo
rado, Nebraska and Nevada. But
while this project was delayed by the
opposition of democrats and many
powerful Republican leaders, Presi-
dent Lincoln had recognized certain
Of the rebellious states, notably,
Arkansas, Louisiana and North Car
olina, for reunion. ...,.
Now came the clash between the
president and the most intensely
practical republican partissns,
Thaddeus Stevens, Wade, Chandler
and others. Charles Sumner was not.
like the rest of the radicals, craving
power for the party's sake. He was
obsessed by the issue OF suffrage
for the negroes upon equal terms
with the whites. The suffrage ques-
ton was the issue between the two
most influential men in public life
Lincoln and Sumner--says Rhodes,
the historian.
But Sumner and Stevens went 50
far in ifnpracticable harshncss
against the rebels as to demand con-
fscation of their individual proper
ty. Sumner insisted on the extreme
Estate suicide" doctrine, but Lin
coins larger vision saw that It was
vain and proftless to cavil over
sophisms like this, though he finally
decided that it would be dangerous
to admit that the seeding states
had succeeded in getting out.
Lincoln and Sumner.
The new constitution Of Louisiana
had been accepted by Lincoln, but
because it only empowered the legis-
lature to confer suffrage on negroes,
along limited lines laid down by Lin
coin, Sumner defeated its recogni-
ton and incidentally kept Arkansas
out also.
The radicals then passed the Davis
reconstruction bill which absolutely
prohibited slavery in the recon-
structed states, which Lincoln and
his cabinet held congress had no
constitutional power to do, that
power belonging to the states alone.
So Lincoln "pocketed" the recon
struction bill. It was passed July 2,
and congress adjourned two days
later.
On July s, Lincoln defended his
veto in a proclamation, and then
came the defiant Wade-Davis mani
festo which confirmed the breach.
On April II, three days before his
assassination. Lincoln very power
fully defended his action. in the
Louisiana case. So he died defiantly
facing his 50 far successful radical
foes. That last speech is stamped
with greatness.
Nebraska's New Precedent.
The Nebraska question had
destroyed Douglas, the great creator
OF the territory, and its reaction TN
horsed the greater Lincoln, who had
signed the enabling act, and pressed
the territory's admission to state
hood. The reckless radicalism,
particularly touching negro suffrage,
which crushed Lincoln's reconstruc-
ton policy, overrode Johnson's veto
OF the audacious imposition of an
amendment Of the constitution Of
Nebraska after it had been adopted
by the people, denying them an op-
portunity to vote upon the change.
In an opinion as chief justice of
the supreme court OF Nebraska,
Oliver P. Mason declared that "the
very best constitutional lawyers Of
the land" who were members of the
congress which imposed the condi-
ton knew that it was without force
or effect, and until the case of our
state arose, no single instance ever
occurred of congress admitting a
state without the popular approval
of the constitution.