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whenever in any state one-tenth of the voters of 1860 should take the oath and organize a State government, republican in form under the meaning of the Constitution, he would recognize it, that is, consider it "reconstructed and entitled to representation in Congress." Of course it lay in the power of Congress to seat such representatives or not.

Arkansas was reorganized under the Federal authority in 1863 on substantially the same lines as the Proclamation offered, and in 1864 Lincoln recognized the new Governments of Louisiana and Tennessee. When the electoral votes were sent in from Louisiana and Tennessee Congress refused to admit them, though representatives from Louisiana had been admitted in the House during the last month of the preceding Congress.

Lincoln vetoed the plan of reconstruction which Congress passed, which demanded that not one-tenth of the voters of 1860 should constitute electoral voters, but a majority of the male population, and that they should prohibit slavery forever in their constituencies. Lincoln vetoed this Bill, and he was accused of not wishing to settle this question in the summer of 1864 so as to guard against defeat at the polls by putting himself in a position to have the votes of these Southern States counted if they became necessary. The opposition faction in Congress published an attack on him in the Tribune of 5th August, in which they accused him openly of such designs.

Lincoln had delegates elected from Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas and West Virginia, and the battle for their admission to the Union League Convention

in Baltimore was led by Lincoln's followers. The test struggle came over the admission of the delegates from Tennessee. They were finally admitted, and Louisiana and Arkansas were then also seated as a matter of course. Lincoln received the nomination without the aid of their votes, but they were there in readiness to retrieve any lost position.

Lincoln's speech of acceptance to the Committee announcing his nomination is noteworthy, because of a telling phrase which was taken up by the people and repeated from one end of the country to the other. "I do not allow myself to suppose that either the Convention or the League have concluded to decide that I am either the greatest or best man in America, but rather they have concluded that it is not best to swap horses while crossing the river, and have further concluded that I am not so poor a horse that they might not make a botch of it in trying to swap.'

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Though that it were best not to swap horses while crossing a stream became a by-word, nevertheless a strict vigilance was maintained lest the people change their mind and become reckless. The country was well organized in Lincoln's behalf, and well-known politicians were recalled from the field to take the platform for him. Newspapers were won over to plead his cause. James Gordon Bennett, of the New York Herald, who had favoured the nomination of M'Clellan by the Democrats, received a letter in Lincoln's own hand, offering him the post of Minister to Paris. Bennett declined, but soon came forth with the suggestion in his paper that an entirely new nomination was needed. "Lincoln has proved a failure," he said.

"Frémont has proved a failure. Let us have a new candidate." As was expected, the new candidate could not be found, and the Herald announced itself openly in favour of Lincoln.

By September, Frémont and the radical Republicans saw that their cause was hopeless, and they withdrew from the canvass. When the time fore lections approached the whole War Department was made use of to ensure success. Officers and privates were given furloughs to go home for the voting, and where the State laws permitted it, soldiers voted in the fields. In New York the State Legislature passed a law permitting the soldiers to vote in the ranks, and to send their ballots to their friends in New York for polling. For this it was necessary to know just where all the New York companies were located. This Secretary Stanton at first refused to allow, but a word from Lincoln settled that difficulty quickly.

With such elaborate preparations the election came off on 8th November. Lincoln carried states enough to give him 212 electoral votes out of 233, and a popular majority of 500,000. New Jersey, Delaware and Kentucky voted for M'Clellan.

With Frémont out of the race, and only M'Clellan, a pro-slavery Democrat, as an opponent, the reelection of Lincoln was a great relief to the more radical elements. His election meant a proposal in Congress for the constitutional amendment abolishing slavery. Enough Republican and Unionist members were elected to the House of Representatives to ensure the requisite majority for this. "I give you joy of the election," wrote Emerson to a friend. "Seldom in

history was so much staked on a popular vote, I suppose never in history."

Lincoln himself received the news quietly, sitting in Stanton's office, studying the telegraphic returns. When there was a lull in the reports he read aloud the writings of a contemporary humorist, " Petroleum V. Nasby." The country had approved his task, and with his re-election it was soon to be finished.

Satisfied, he read quietly on.

T

CHAPTER XIII

THE END

HE problems before him were changing. The war was soon to end with victory assured for

the North, and more and more he had to consider how to change the sword back again into the ploughshare. The fate of the war he left entirely in the hands of General Grant, not because the latter had been made almost his equal in command, but because he at last had found the general who was equal to the situation. He aided and supported Grant in every request, even at the most critical point in his own political career, as in the call for troops in July, and seldom did he suggest anything. Only once in September, when General Early came so near Washington that the capital was in danger, did he send the following tentative telegram:

"WASHINGTON, 29th Sept. 1864.

'I hope it will have no constraint on you, nor do harm in any way, for me to say I am a little afraid lest Lee sends reinforcements to Early, and thus enables him to turn upon Sheridan."

In general his telegrams to him were of encouragement and approval. When it became evident that the Wilderness Campaign meant "going through on this line" much longer than the summer, he sent Grant the following characteristic telegram:—

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