ir political supremacy, and which would also have the effect
of bringing about the political emancipation of the whites of the middle
and lower classes,--a desperate struggle for political supremacy between
the antagonistic elements of the whites was inevitable and unavoidable.
But the uncertainty growing out of the possibility of the rejection by
the country of the Congressional Plan of Reconstruction was what held
matters in temporary abeyance. President Johnson was confident,--or
pretended to be,--that as soon as the people of the North had an
opportunity to pass judgment upon the issues involved, the result would
be the acceptance of his plan and the rejection of the one proposed by
Congress.

While the Republicans were successful in 1868 in not only electing the
President and Vice-President and a safe majority in both branches of
Congress, yet the closeness of the result had the effect of preventing
the abandonment of the hope on the part of the supporters of the Johnson
administration that the administration Plan of Reconstruction would
ultimately be adopted and accepted as the basis of Reconstruction. Hence
bitter and continued opposition to the Congressional Plan of
Reconstruction was declared by the ruling class of the South to be the
policy of that section. While the Republicans were again successful in
the Congressional elections of 1870 yet the advocates of the Johnson
plan did not abandon hope of the ultimate success and acceptance by the
country of that plan until after the Presidential and Congressional
elections of 1872. In the meantime a serious split had taken place in
the Republican party which resulted in the nomination of two sets of
candidates for President and Vice-President. The Independent or Liberal
Republicans nominated Horace Greeley of New York, for President, and B.
Gratz Brown, of Missouri, for Vice-President. The regular Republicans
renominated President Grant to succeed himself, and for Vice-President,
Senator Henry Wilson, of Massachusetts, was selected.

The Democratic National Convention endorsed the ticket that had been
nominated by the Liberal Republicans. The Republicans carried the
election by an immense majority. With two or three exceptions the
electoral vote of every state in the Union was carried for Grant and
Wilson. The Republicans also had a very large majority in both branches
of Congress.

Since the result of the election was so decisive, and since every branch
of the