This tempest over the method of
reconstruction had, therefore, little bearing on the presidential
campaign, and appealed more to individual critics of the President than
to the mass of the people.
Mr. Chase entered in his diary: "The President pocketed the great
bill.... He did not venture to veto, and so put it in his pocket. It was
a condemnation of his amnesty proclamation and of his general policy of
reconstruction, rejecting the idea of possible reconstruction with
slavery, which neither the President nor his chief advisers have, in my
opinion, abandoned." Mr. Chase was no longer one of the chief advisers.
After his withdrawal from his hopeless contest for the presidency, his
sentiments toward Mr. Lincoln took on a tinge of bitterness which
increased until their friendly association in the public service became
no longer possible; and on June 30 he sent the President his
resignation, which was accepted. There is reason to believe that he did
not expect such a prompt severing of their official relations, since
more than once, in the months of friction which preceded this
culmination, he had used a threat to resign as means to carry some point
in controversy.
Mr. Lincoln, on accepting his resignation, sent the name of David Tod of
Ohio to the Senate as his successor; but, receiving a telegram from Mr.
Pages:
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573