that no politician would have been so foolish as to offer a constitution, or other form of reorganization, without some provision of this sort.  This practical necessity sorely troubled many, who still hoped that some happy turn of events would occur, whereby they would be able to get back into the Union with the pleasant and valuable group of their slaves still about them, as in the good times of yore.  Moreover, in other matters there were clashings between the real military commanders and the quasi-military civilian officials; and it was unfortunately the case that, in spite of Mr. Lincoln’s appeal to loyal men to “eschew cliquism” and “work together,” there were abundant rivalries and jealousies and personal schemings.  All these vexations were dragged before the President to harass him with their pettiness amid his more conspicuous duties; they gave him infinite trouble, and devoured his time and strength.  Likewise they were obstacles to the advancement of the business itself, and, coming in addition to the delays inevitable upon elections and deliberations, they ultimately kept all efforts towards reconstruction dallying along until a late period in the war.  Thus it was February 22, 1864, when the state election was held in Louisiana; and it was September 5 in the same year when the new Constitution, with an emancipation clause, was adopted.  It was not until January, 1865, that, in Tennessee, a convention made a constitution, for purposes of reconstruction, and therein abolished slavery.

Pending these doings and before practical reconstruction had made noticeable progress, Mr. Lincoln sent in, on December 8, 1863, his third annual message to Congress.  To this message was appended something which no one had anticipated,—­a proclamation of amnesty.  In this the President recited his pardoning power and a recent act of Congress specially confirmatory thereof, stated the wish of certain repentant rebels to resume allegiance and to restore loyal state governments, and then offered, to all who would take a prescribed oath, full pardon together with “restoration of all rights and property, except as to slaves, and ... where rights of third parties shall have intervened.”  The oath was simply to “support, protect, and defend” the Constitution and the Union, and to abide by and support all legislation and all proclamations concerning slavery made during the existing rebellion.  There were, of course, sundry exceptions of persons from this amnesty; but the list of those excepted was a moderate and reasonable one.  He also proclaimed that whenever in any seceded State “a number of persons not less than one tenth in number of the votes cast in such State at the presidential election of the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty, each having taken the oath aforesaid and not having since violated it, and being a qualified voter by the election law of the State existing immediately before the so-called act of secession, and excluding