The Crisis of Sucession: 1865
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  The Crisis of Sucession: 1865
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Spamage
spamage
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« Reply #50 on: September 13, 2012, 12:27:29 AM »
« edited: September 13, 2012, 06:11:14 PM by Governor Spamage »


The Election Results came in fast. At both campaign headquarters in Chicago and Washington D.C. the candidates waited as results came in. Slowly the election slanted more and more towards one party. By the early morning hours messengers from the final Eastern State voting, Kansas, reported results and the nation had a new President even before the West result's were in. Schuyler Colfax had won. Although it wasn't a handy margin it was enough. Stanton walked the several blocks to the Capital and delivered his congratulations in person. Together he and Colfax then held a private meeting in which they discussed the direction and future of the nation. Meanwhile the Lincolnians were outraged. The mere fact that a man who was almost identical to the nation's beloved slain leader had lost was outright shocking. Richardson himself went into a week or so of solitude. Using several excuses to avoid facing embarrassment on Capital Hill he moped around for the following month until recieving a very surprising offer from President Elect Colfax. He was offered the position of Secretary of the Treasury which he eagerly accepted. Much to the woe of his Lincolnian colleagues. March arrived rather quickly as the nation began looking ahead to a new future. Schuyler Colfax's future.


Eventual Electoral College results map

Schuyler Colfax (Rad-IN)/ Charles Sumner (Rad-NH) 54% 147 EV
William Richardson (Lin-IL)/ Samuel Pomeroy (Lin-KS) 44% 86 EV
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Gass3268
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« Reply #51 on: September 13, 2012, 02:16:27 AM »

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Cathcon
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« Reply #52 on: September 13, 2012, 04:30:53 PM »

Given its voting record during the Gilded Age and status as a near-Southern state for a while, I'd recommend switching IN to the Lincolnians. Other than that, great stuff (though I do wonder what allegiance the West, KS, NE, NV, and the West coast would have)
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Spamage
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« Reply #53 on: September 13, 2012, 06:09:48 PM »

Given its voting record during the Gilded Age and status as a near-Southern state for a while, I'd recommend switching IN to the Lincolnians. Other than that, great stuff (though I do wonder what allegiance the West, KS, NE, NV, and the West coast would have)

KS was Lincolnian due to heavy support of Pomeroy as the VP for Richardson, NV considered itself to have joined for Lincoln so it voted yet again for a person with a Lincoln Southern Ideology. The other border states are Lincolnian due to a large out migration (addressed n next update) and the others will be revealed in time.....
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Spamage
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« Reply #54 on: September 13, 2012, 06:25:34 PM »

The First Term of Schuyler Colfax Part 1


18th President of the United States

Cabinet-

Secretary of State: Salmon Portland Chase
Secretary of the Treasury: William Alexander Richardson
Secretary of War: William Tecumseh Sherman
Secretary of the Navy: David Farragut
Secretary of the of the Interior: William D. Kelley
Attourney General: James Gillespie Blaine


Colfax's Cabinet went along Partisan lines except for his fairly random appointment of William Richardson his former poltical rival. When asked about it Calfax responded: "The great President during the War appointed rivals to friendly positions and so shall I!" Congress approved all very swiftly with Richardson having the largest margin of approval even though Lincolnians fet betrayed.

Schuyler Colfax was inaugurated in early March and joined the already continually active 39th Congress. The Radicals now had control of Congress and the Presidency and Colfax immeadiately set to work. Radicals began what they called "justified punshment" towards the South. In mid May several bills passed into law giving African American's Voting Rights regardless of which state the lived in. However the major point came when President Colfax urged his party leaders to create an amendment which would prohibit unequal treatment period. This came after several state legislatures under military observance decreed they planned to do block and segregate the South. The new Amendment also dealt with overruling the Dredd Scott case as well as inserting a due process clause. It passed hastily and was to be raitifed in the begining of 1867 as the 14th Amendment.

President Colfax then became enamored with a new idea for the readmition of the Southern States. He met with party leaders and proposed a gerrymandering in which new states would be created. Many older members of the party disagreed with this plan citing the states had been as they were long before the war. Their urging however heeded no action from the younger congressional leaders except that of putting the issue up for debating.

The highly controversial piece of legislation creating new states called the Humane Reconstruction Act was viewed by the Lincolnians as anything but that. They began organizing against it and had a very real chance of blocking it in the Senate as they were joined by many Senior Radicals in any attempt to block it. It was this fact that mortified Colfax. He began polling every string he could to try and get support for the bill. However when news reached the South any sign of support was very faint. Many Union-sympathizers during the war felt betrayed as they, loyal Americans, were being punished for their fellow southerns acts. The African American community also had a similar feeling which when combined caused protests and riots in Southern Cities leaving more people dead in the wake of the War.

Blue: States with population increase
Red: States with population decrease

Meanwhile while the debating was still taking place on Capitol Hill a new piece of Legislation was enacted. The months following the end of the war were viewed as Hell by the Southerners so many former slave holding families migrated north to the borders states alongside their slaves. The Federal Government tried to end this and in the midst of Summer passed Legislation in which all Southern refugees, excluding former slaves, were to be funneled out west to serve as essential colonists in the untamed region of the plains. The Legislation created a "border patrol" which was rather spotty. Modern estimates reveal as much as 1/2 of Southern Emigrants managed to squeeze by the partol and settle in Kentucky, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Maryland, West Virginia, and Delaware making them much more Lincolnian.


A family of Southern Emigrants
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Spamage
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« Reply #55 on: September 13, 2012, 10:20:09 PM »

Wow I've had alot of time on my hands now seeing that my summer job is concluded so I'll be able to post Part 2 of Colfax's Term tonight!
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Spamage
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« Reply #56 on: September 13, 2012, 10:33:49 PM »
« Edited: September 13, 2012, 11:12:18 PM by Governor Spamage »

The first term of Schuyler Colfax Part 2



Ruins of Richmond
As the very loved/ very hated Humane Reconstruction Act was put up to a vote in the House it surprisingly passes, however the margin was razor thin (5 votes) therefore when the Senate ended arguments and voted it was defeated by a much larger margin. Colfax was furious and began reprimanding those who had voted against the bill. He didn't attack too hard however because he'd already seen a party become dissolved over huge differences. So a week after the bills failing he met with party leaders and resumed partisan politics against the minority Lincolnians.


Freedman voting in their first congressional election is Kentucky

As Summer waned the midterms soon approached. The nation viewed Colfax's job thus far with a neutral opinion as the consensus was he hadn't really done much. The Lincolnians capitalized on this and managed to make tremendous gains in the House and the Senate and managed to finally carry both. Colfax now had more problems to worry about.

U.S. Senate

President- Charles Sumner
President Pro Tempore George R. Riddle- Delaware
Majority Leader Garret Davis- Kentucky

Lincolnians: 28 (+6)

Radical Republicans: 20 (-6)
Unaffiliated Democrats: (-1)

U.S. House

Speaker: John A. Nicholson
Majority Leader: Anthony Thornton

Lincolnians: 94 (+39)

Radical Republicans: 86 (-9)
Unaffiliated Democrats: 0 (-30)

The gains were generally made in the Midwest from Southern Emigrant families and a lack of feeling towards the current Administration. Colfax now no longer held control over Washington but was instead bound by it.

As the 40th Session of Congress opened in March 1867 it marked the 1 year anniversary of Colfax's Presidency. Several advances had been made including improvements to the South, even though not everyone agreed on how many had been made, and a new Amendment to the Constitution. However that didn't stop heavy debating from happening throughout the Congress. In fact only 5 pieces of Legislation were signed by the President as he held stark views in opposition of the Lincolnians. He took an extended summer vacation in 1867 which had eventually to be cut short due to economic woes.

Following the War the Government began borrowing money, lots of money. The situation began to get so bad the Treasury Department tried to print its way out of the mess. This actually ended up doing more harm than good. Inflation rose and to counter it many civilians within major cities began protesting. Protests however soon turned violent and clashes between the Police and Rioters became more and more common. The turning point into bloodshed however began when a young boy named Theodore Roosevelt wandered into the streets outside his home while one of these clashes was going on. He ultimately as part of the crowd was soundly beaten to the pint of near death. He held on for just a few more hours on his deathbed before passing away late in the evening. The wealthy Roosevelt family was furious and blamed the Radicals for their problems. Theodore Roosevelt Sr. then made a major turning pint by changing his political affiliation to Lincolnians and announced that he would be seeking the Governorship in the election in 1868. He then began pushed the Lincolnians on Capital Hill to work against the President whose approval ratings had spiked down following the violent turn of events. A Bill was passed which would temporarily stop money making activities and the President had no choice to sign it due to the urging of William Richardson, his treasury Secretary.

The child of the Protest: Theodore Roosevelt

As 1867 closed the nation's future seemed vary uncertain. Riots and protest had faded a little in New York, Boston, and Chicago but were still present. It would be said that 1867 was "the year in which Colfax got gray"
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Spamage
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« Reply #57 on: September 16, 2012, 12:12:21 AM »

The First Term of Schuyler Colfax Part 3

Finally in the bitter cold of January the protests ended. Although they went home the demonstrators never forgot. Some blamed Congress, some Colfax, and some ultimately Richardson. Regardless they pledged they would return come Spring. A promise Colfax could only pray wouldn't come true.

Colfax announcing intention to seek a second term

Colfax felt as though he had sealed the last nail of his coffin of any chances for reelection but he still announced at an almost unusually early time that he would indeed run for his own full term. His remarks, although short, affected many of his allies and enemies alike. The Lincolnians began working on potential candidates. Senators, Representatives, and Governors alike were all given equal scrutiny. However the preferred region was to be the Midwest as it contained the "swing states". Richard Yates, a Senator/Governor from Illinois decided against running as many viewed him as too moderate. 2 candidates however eventually announced: Illinois Senator Lyman Trumbull and Mexican War veteran/ Former Minnesota Senator James Shields. The campaign had officially began.

The last months of the First term of Colfax were fraught with uncertainty. Although the Panic of 1867 was over economic concerns remained and the President privately revealed that he believed either he or Congress would take the blame and gain the majority of all three major areas of government. One party, he stated, would control Washington.

The most controversial piece of Legislation passed was done so in at one of the most controversial times as well. The Aid of the Districts Act gave quite a bit of Union Government money to help rebuild Southern cities. Lincolnians supported the Act while Radicals were appalled. Eventually however they became helpless as their President realizing the popularity of the bill signed it into law in order to gain support. This political move wouldn't be forgotten.

As the Lincolnians held their convention first there was much less tension than the previous attempt. There was no feeling of desperation now that the war was long over, instead it was replaced with one of rebuilding united as a nation. In the early days of the convention Trumbull dropped his campaign on the first day as he had been the one the Radicals were heaping attacks on. Therefore James Shields had high popularity and name recognition as the decoy candidacy ended and the true Lincolnian one began. For his Vice President Shields named in fact the "moderate Lyman Trumbull" in an effort to attract further members into the party. As the Convention closed the Lincolnians appeared much better organized than they had in the previous election.


The surprise candidate: James Shields

The Radicals nominated Colfax almost universally except for 40 or so delegates abstaining. This was just a week or so following the Aid of the Districts Act which the party still hated. Colfax heard news on this and reportedly told an advisor that he did partially regret signing the bill but it was too late now "so they should stop their moaning and start their campaigning".

The election was near and the nation acted as it was so.....
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Cathcon
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« Reply #58 on: September 16, 2012, 06:39:01 AM »

I guess I'm rooting for Trumbull. Cool stuff on the Roosevelts.
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Spamage
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« Reply #59 on: September 22, 2012, 04:07:10 PM »

James Shields and President Colfax generally were more polite to each other and the parties were much more peaceful than the last campaign. Several Lincoln-Douglas Debates were held and the President was viewed to have won. Shields/Trumbull eventually just failed to excite the nation and Colfax won reelection by a closer amount than his 1st election.



President Schuyler Colfax/ Vice President Charles Sumner 51%
James Shields/ Lyman Trumbull 48%
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