"We fought no war of conquest," quietly urged the President, "but one of self-preservation as an indissoluble Union. No state ever got out of it, by the grace of God and the power of our arms. Now that we have won, and established for all time its unity, shall we stultify ourselves by declaring we were wrong? These states must be immediately restored to their lights, or we shall betray the blood we have shed. There are no 'conquered provinces' for us to spoil. A nation cannot make conquest of its own territory."
"But we are acting outside the Constitution," interrupted Stoneman.
"Congress has no existence outside the Constitution," was the quick answer.
The old Commoner scowled, and his beetling brows hid for a moment his eyes. His keen intellect was catching its first glimpse of the intellectual grandeur of the man with whom he was grappling. The facility with which he could see all sides of a question, and the vivid imagination which lit his mental processes, were a revelation. We always underestimate the men we despise.
"Why not out with it?" cried Stoneman, suddenly changing his tack. "You are determined to oppose Negro suffrage?"
"I have suggested to Governor Hahn of Louisiana to consider the policy of admitting the more intelligent and those who served in the war. It is only a suggestion. The state alone has the power to confer the ballot."
"But the truth is this little 'suggestion' of yours is only a bone thrown to radical dogs to satisfy our howlings for
