postmaster-general.
Hutchins reported this to Greeley, who immediately turned the
_Tribune_ into a Lincoln organ. In the following April Greeley
recalled Lincoln's statement to Hutchins, who at once left for the
capital. He reached Washington the morning after the President's
assassination.]

CHAPTER X

A COMPLETE CHANGE OF POLICY

1865

For the moment the surrender of Lee and the collapse of the
Confederacy left the Democrats without an issue. The war had not been
a failure, peace had come without the intervention of a convention of
the States, the South was "subjugated," the abolition of slavery
accomplished, arbitrary arrests were forgotten, the professed fear of
national bankruptcy had disappeared, and Seymour's prophetic gift was
in eclipse. Nothing had happened which he predicted--everything had
transpired which he opposed. Meanwhile, under the administration of
Andrew Johnson, the country was gradually recovering from the awful
shock of Abraham Lincoln's assassination.

Substantially following Lincoln's policy, the President had issued, on
May 29, 1865, a proclamation of amnesty pardoning such as had
participated in rebellion,[1028] with restoration of all rights of
property except as to slaves, on condition that each take an oath to
support the Constitution and to obey the laws respecting emancipation.
He also prescribed a mode for the reconstruction of States lately in
rebellion. This included the appointment of provisional governors
authorised to devise the proper machinery for choosing legislatures,
which should determine the qualification of electors and
office-holders. In this preliminary scheme Johnson limited the voters
to white men. Personally he declared himself in favour of a qualified
suffrage for negroes, but he thought this a matter to be determined by
the States themselves.

[Footnote 1028: Except certain specified classes, the most important of
which were civil or diplomatic officers of the Confederacy, military
officers above the rank of colonel, governors of States, former
members of Congress who had left their seats to aid the rebellion, and
all who owned property to exceed $20,000 in value. But these excepted
persons might make special application to the President for pardon and
to them clemency would be "liberally extended."]

A policy that excluded the negro from all participation in public
affairs did not commend itself to the leaders of the Radicals. It was
believed tha