pportunity the adherence of the American
government to its traditional policy of discouraging European
intervention in the affairs of the New World.

XXXII

The Bogus Proclamation--The Wade-Davis Manifesto--Resignation
of Mr. Chase--Fessenden Succeeds Him--The Greeley Peace
Conference--Jaquess-Gilmore Mission--Letter of Raymond--Bad Outlook for
the Election--Mr. Lincoln on the Issues of the Campaign--President's
Secret Memorandum--Meeting of Democratic National Convention--McClellan
Nominated--His Letter of Acceptance--Lincoln Reelected--His Speech on
Night of Election--The Electoral Vote--Annual Message of December 6,
1864--Resignation of McClellan from the Army

The seizure of the New York "Journal of Commerce" and New York "World,"
in May, 1864, for publishing a forged proclamation calling for four
hundred thousand more troops, had caused great excitement among the
critics of Mr. Lincoln's administration. The terrible slaughter of
Grant's opening campaign against Richmond rendered the country painfully
sensitive to such news at the moment; and the forgery, which proved to
be the work of two young Bohemians of the press, accomplished its
purpose of raising the price of gold, and throwing the Stock Exchange
into a temporary fever. Telegraphic announcement of the imposture soon
quieted the flurry, and the quick detection of the guilty parties
reduced the incident to its true rank; but the fact that the fiery
Secretary of War had meanwhile issued orders for the suppression of both
newspapers and the arrest of their editors was neither forgiven nor
forgotten. The editors were never incarcerated, and the journals resumed
publication after an interval of only two days, but the incident was
vigorously employed during the entire summer as a means of attack upon
the administration.

Violent opposition to Mr. Lincoln came also from those members of both
Houses of Congress who disapproved his attitude on reconstruction.
Though that part of his message of December 8, 1863, relating to the
formation of loyal State governments in districts which had been in
rebellion at first received enthusiastic commendation from both
conservatives and radicals, it was soon evident that the millennium had
not yet arrived, and that in a Congress composed of men of such positive
convictions and vehement character, there were many who would not submit
permanently to the leadership of any man, least of all to that of one so
reasonable, s