Page:Cambridge Modern History Volume 7.djvu/660

628 Rupture between President and Congress. [1866 threats of partisans, who desired mainly some form of punishment for the Southern whites. From the party point of view, Johnson's action was full of danger to the Unionists, since with the abolition of slavery the constitutional three-fifths representation of the negroes became full representation, adding several members to the Southern States in the House of Re- presentatives. Should these, as was almost inevitable, join forces with the Northern Democrats the Unionist party might well be outnumbered, both in Congress and in the electoral colleges. Such a prospect called into activity every instinct of political self-preservation on the part of Unionist leaders. Some steps, all agreed, must certainly be taken to prevent such a calamity as the overthrow of the Unionist party. When Congress assembled in December, 1865, the progress of re- construction came to a sudden halt. Disregarding Johnson's message inviting recognition of the new State governments, the majority showed its temper by promptly excluding all senators and representatives from the South, and by appointing a joint committee to investigate the condi- tion of the insurrectionary States ; while leaders like Sumner, Trumbull, Stevens, and Shellenbarger began an open attack upon the President's plan as inadequate and unconstitutional. It appeared, from the start, that only the small Democratic minority, with a very few Unionists, supported Johnson ; and, within a short time, the hot-headed President and the determined Republican leaders came to an open rupture. Intent on furnishing some defence for the negroes against the black codes, Congress passed a law extending the functions of the Freedmen's Bureau. This Johnson promptly vetoed, taking occasion a few days later to denounce the leading Congressmen by name as traitors. His violence damaged his cause to such an extent that, when after an interval he vetoed a Civil Rights bill, also intended to destroy the effect of the Vagrancy laws, a two-thirds majority in each House immediately passed the bill over his veto. The breach was now irreparable. By June, 1866, the issue was clear. The Joint Committee on Reconstruction had finished its work and had come before the country with a constitutional amendment and a report. The report expounded the theory of forfeited rights above referred to. It declared that Congress alone had the power to reconstruct the " rebel communities " ; that the Johnson governments were illegal; and that the South was in anarchy, controlled by " unrepentant and unpardoned rebels, glorying in the crime that they had committed." Nevertheless these illegal State governments were held competent to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment; and another amendment was now submitted to them, which aimed at remedying the situation by disfranchising ex-Confederate officials, forbidding payment of Confederate debt, prohibiting any denial of equal rights to negroes, and providing for the reduction of the representation in Congress of any State excluding the negroes from