ThoughtheVindictiveskeptastealthysilenceduringJuly，theyweresharpeningtheirclawsandpreparingforatigerspringwheneverthepsychologicalmomentshouldarrive。ThosetwowhohadhadchargeoftheReconstructionBillpreparedapaper，insomewaysthemostsingularpaperofthewarperiod，whichhasestablisheditselfinourhistoryastheWade-DavisManifesto。ThiswastobethedeadlyshotthatshouldunmasktheVindictivebatteries，bringtheirwaruponthePresidentoutoftheshadowsintotheopen。
Greeley’sfiascoandGreeley’smortificationbothplayedintotheirhands。ThefiascocontributedtodepressstillmorethedespairingNorth。Bythistime，therewasgeneralappreciationoftheimmensityofGrant’sfailure，notonlyatColdHarbor，butinthesubsequentslaughterofthefutileassaultuponPetersburg。WehavethewordofamemberoftheCommitteethatthedespairoverGranttranslateditselfintoblameoftheAdministration。[1]TheDraftProclamation；theswiftlytravelingreportthatthegovernmenthadwilfullybroughtthepeacenegotiationstoastand-still；thecontinuedcrythatthewarwashopeless；alltheseproduced，aboutthefirstofAugust，anemotionalcrisis——justthesortofoccasionforwhichLincoln’senemieswerewaiting。
Then，too，therewasGreeley’smortification。TheAdministrationpapersmadehimatargetforsarcasm。TheTimessetthepacewithscornfuldemandsfor“Nomorebackdoordiplomacy。“[2]Greeleyansweredinarage。HepermittedhimselftoimplythatthePresidentoriginatedtheNiagaranegotiationandthatGreeley“reluctantly“becameapartytoit。That“reluctantly“wasthetruth，inasense，buthowfalselytrue!
WadeandDavishadhimwheretheywantedhim。OnthefifthofAugust，TheTribuneprintedtheirmanifesto。Itwasanappealto“thesupportersoftheAdministration……tochecktheencroachmentoftheExecutiveontheauthorityofCongress，andtorequireittoconfineitselftoitspropersphere。“ItinsinuatedthebasestmotivesforthePresident’sinterestinreconstruction，andforrejectingtheirownbill。“ThePresidentbypreventingthisbillfrombecomingalaw，holdstheelectoralvotesoftheRebelStatesatthedictationofhispersonalambition……IfelectorsforPresidentbeallowedtobechosenineitherofthoseStates，asinisterlightwillbecastonthemotiveswhichinducedthePresidentto’holdfornaught’thewillofCongressratherthanhisgovernmentinLouisianaandArkansas。“
Afteralongdiscussionofhiswholecoursewithregardtoreconstruction，havingheapedabuseuponhimwithshockingliberality，theManifestoconcluded：
“SucharethefruitsofthisrashandfatalactofthePresident——ablowatthefriendsoftheAdministration，attherightsofhumanity，andattheprinciplesofRepublicangovernmentThePresidenthasgreatlypresumedontheforbearancewhichthesupportersofhisAdministrationhavesolongpractisedinviewofthearduousconflictinwhichweareengaged，andtherecklessferocityofourpoliticalopponents。
Buthemustunderstandthatoursupportisofa’cause’andnotofaman；thattheauthorityofCongressisparamountandmustberespected；thatthewholebodyoftheUnionmeninCongresswillnotsubmittobeimpeachedbyhimofrashandunconstitutionallegislation；andifhewishesoursupporthemustconfinehim-selftohisexecutiveduties——toobeyandexecute，notmakethelaws——tosuppressbyarms，armedrebellion，andleavepoliticalreorganizationtoCongress。Ifthesupportersofthegovernmentfailtoinsistonthistheybecomeresponsiblefortheusurpationstheyfailtorebukeandarejustlyliabletotheindignationofthepeoplewhoserightsandsecurity，committedtotheirkeeping，theysacrifice。Letthemconsidertheremedyoftheseusurpations，and，havingfoundit，fearlesslyexecuteit“
Totheseincrediblecharges，Lincolnmadenoreply。Heknew，whatsomestatesmenneverappeartoknow，thetimeswhenoneshouldriskalluponthatFrenchproverb，“whoexcuses，accuses。“However，hemadehisfutileattempttobringGreeleytoreason，toinducehimtotellthetruthaboutNiagarawithoutconfessingtothecountrythefullmeasureofthedespairthathadinspiredhiscourse。WhenGreeleyrefusedtodoso，Lincolnturnedtoothermatters，topreparationforthedraft，andgrimlyleftthepoliticianstodotheirworst。Theywentaboutitwithzest。Theirreliancewaschieflytheirpowertoinfectthetypeofpartymanwhoiseasilysweptfromhismooringsbythecrythatthepartyisindanger，thatsacrificesmustbemadetopreservethepartyunity，thatotherwisethepartywillgotopieces。BythemiddleofAugust，sixweeksafterLincoln’sdefianceofthemonthefourthofJuly，theywereinhighfeather，convincedthatmostthingswerecomingtheirway。AmericanpoliticianshavenotalwaysshownanabilitytoreadclearlytheAmericanpeople。
WhetherthepoliticianswereinerroronAugust14，1864，andagainonAugusttwenty-third，twodatesthatwereturningpoints，isamatterofdebatetothisday。AstoAugustfourteenth，theyhavethis，atleast，intheirdefense。ThecountryhadnopoliticalobservermorekeenthantheScotchfreelancewhoeditedTheNewYorkHerald。ItwasBennett’seditorialviewthatLincolnwoulddowelltomakeavirtueofnecessityandwithdrawhiscandidacybecause“thedissatisfactionwhichhadlongbeenfeltbythegreatbodyofAmericancitizenshasspreadeventohisownsupporters。“[3]
ConfidentthatagreatreactionagainstLincolnwassweepingthecountry，thattheManifestohadbeenlaunchedintheverynickoftime，ameetingofconspiratorswasheldinNewYork，atthehouseofDavidDudleyField，Augustfourteenth。ThoughWadewasnowathishomeinOhio，Daviswaspresent。SowasGreeley。ItwasdecidedtoaskLincolntowithdraw。Fourdaysafterward，a“call“wasdrawnupandsentoutconfidentiallynearandfartobesignedbyprominentpoliticians。The“call“
wascraftilyworded。ItsummonedanewUnionConventiontomeetinCincinnati，Septembertwenty-eighth，forthepurposeeitherofrousingthepartytowhole-heartedsupportofLincoln，orofunitingallfactionsonsomenewcandidate。
Greeleywhocouldnotattendthecommitteewhichdrewupthe“call“wrotethat“Lincolnisalreadybeaten。“[4]
Meanwhile，theinfectionofdismayhadspreadfastamongtheLincolnmanagers。Evenbeforethemeetingoftheconspiratorsonthefourteenth，WeedtoldthePresidentthathecouldnotbereelected。[5]
Oneofhisbravestsupporters，Washburne，cametothedismalconclusionthat“wereanelectiontobeheldnowinIllinois，weshouldbebeaten。“Cameron，whohadreturnedfromRussiaandwasworkinghardforLincolninPennsylvania，wasequallydiscouraging。SowasGovernorMortoninIndiana。Fromallhis“stanchestfriends，“wrotehischiefmanagertoLincoln，“therewasbutonereport。Thetideissettingstronglyagainstus。“[6]
Lincoln’smanagersbelievedthatthegreathostoffreevoterswhoarethebalanceofpowerinAmericanpolitics，weregoinginadrovetowardthecampoftheDemocrats。Itwasthebusinessofthemanagerstodeterminewhichone，orwhichones，amongthevoicesofdiscontent，representedtrulythiscontrollingbodyofvoters。Theythoughttheyknew。Twocries，atleast，thatrangloudoutoftheBabelofthehour，shouldbeheeded。OneoftheseharkedbacktoNiagara。Intheanxiousearsofthemanagersitdinnedthischarge：“theAdministrationpreventednegotiationsforpeacebytyingtogethertwodemands，theUnionmustberestoredandslaverymustbeabolished；ifLincolnhadleftoutslavery，hecouldhavehadpeaceinarestoredUnion。“Itwasridiculous，aseveryonewhohadnotgoneoffhisheadknew。Butsomanyhadgoneofftheirheads。AndsomeofLincoln’sfriendsweremeetingthiscryinawaythatwasraisingupotherenemiesofadifferentsort。EvensofaithfulafriendasRaymond，editorofTheTimesandChairmanoftheRepublicanNationalExecutiveCommittee，laboredhardinprinttoprovethatbecauseLincolnsaidhe“wouldconsidertermsthatembracedtheintegrityoftheUnionandtheabandonmentofslavery，hedidnotsaythathewouldnotreceivethemunlesstheyembracedboththeseconditions。“[7]WhatwouldSumnerandalltheAbolitionistssaytothat？Aspartystrategy，inthemomentwhentheoldVindictiveCoalitionseemedonthehighroadtocompleterevival，wasthatexactlythetunetosing？ThentootherewastheothercrythatalsomadeafearfulringingintheearsofthemuchalarmedExecutiveCommittee。Therewaswildtalkintheairofanarmistice。ThehystericGreeleyhadputitintoapersonallettertoLincoln。“Iknowthatnine-tenthsofthewholeAmericanpeople，NorthandSouth，areanxiousforpeace-peaceonanyterms-andareutterlysickofhumanslaughteranddevastation。Iknowthat，tothegeneraleye，itnowseemsthattheRebelsareanxioustonegotiateandthatwerepulsetheiradvances……Ibegyou，Iimploreyoutoinaugurateorinviteproposalsforpeaceforthwith。Andin-casepeacecannotnowbemade，consenttoanarmisticeforoneyear，eachpartytoretainallitnowholds，buttheRebelportstobeopened。Meantime，letanationalconventionbeheldandtherewillsurelybenowaratallevents。“[8]
ThisarmisticemovementwasindustriouslyadvertisedintheDemocraticpapers。ItwashelpedalongbytheWashingtoncorrespondentofTheHeraldwhosowedbroadcastthemostimprobablestorieswithregardtoit。Today，SecretaryFessendenwasaconverttotheidea；anotherday，SenatorWilsonhadtakenitup；again，thePresident，himself，wasforanarmistice。[9]
AgreatmanythingscameswiftlytoaheadwithinafewdaysbeforeorafterthetwentiethofAugust。Everydayortwo，rumortookanewturn；orsomestartlingnewalignmentwasglimpsed；andeveryonereactedtothenewsafterhiskind。
Andalwaysthefeverishquestion，whatisthestrengthofthefactionthatapprovesthis？Or，howfarwillthisgotowardcreatinganewelementinthepoliticalkaleidoscope？AboutthetwentiethofAugust，JaquessandGilmorethrewasplashingstoneintothesetroubledwaters。TheypublishedinTheAtlanticafullaccountoftheirinterviewwithDavis，who，intheclearest，mostunfalteringwayhadtoldthemthattheSouthernerswerefightingforindependenceandfornothingelse；thatnocompromiseoverslavery；nothingbuttherecognitionoftheConfederacyasaseparatenationwouldinducethemtoputuptheirbrightswords。AsLincolnsubsequently，inhisperfectclarityofspeech，representedDavis：“HewouldacceptnothingshortofseveranceoftheUnion-preciselywhatwewillnotandcannotgive……
Hedoesnotattempttodeceiveus。Heaffordsusnoexcusetodeceiveourselves。HecannotvoluntarilyreaccepttheUnion；
wecannotvoluntarilyyieldit“[10]
WhetherwithouttheintrusionofJaquessandGilmore，theExecutiveCommitteewouldhavecometotheconclusiontheynowreached，isamerespeculation。Theythoughttheywereatthepointofdesperation。Theythoughttheysawawayout，awaythatremindsoneofJaquessandGilmore。Onthetwenty-second，RaymondsentthatlettertoLincolnabout“thetidesettingstronglyagainstus。“HealsoproposedtheCommittee’swayofescape：nothingbuttoofferpeacetoDavis“onthesoleconditionofacknowledgingthesupremacyoftheConstitution——allotherquestionstobesettledinaconventionofthepeopleofalltheStates。“[11]Heassumedtheofferwouldberejected。Thustheclamorfornegotiationwouldbemetandbroughttonaught。Havingsentoffhisletter，RaymondgothiscommitteetogetherandstartedforWashingtonforacouncilofdesperation。
Andthisbringsustothetwenty-thirdofAugust。Onthatday，ponderingRaymond’sletter，LincolntookthoughtwithhimselfwhatheshouldsaytotheExecutiveCommittee。Amereopportunistwouldhavemetthesituationwithsomeinsincereproposal，bytheformulationoftermsthatwouldhavecertainlybeenrejected。WehaveseenhowLincolnreasonedinsuchaconnectionwhenhedrewupthememorandumforJaquessandGilmore。Hispresentprobleminvolvednothingofthissort。
Whathewasthinkingoutwashowbesttoinducethecommitteetoaccepthisownattitude；tobecomeforthemomentbelieversindestiny；tonailtheircolors；turntheirbacksashewasdoingonthesedevicesofdiplomacy；andastotherest-permittoheaven。
Whateverhismanagersmightthink，theseriousmatterinLincoln’smind，thattwenty-thirdofAugust，wasthedraft。
Andbackofthedraft，atremendousmatterwhichprobablynoneofthematthetimeappreciated。Assumingthattheywererightintheirpoliticalforecast，assumingthathewasnottobereelected，whatdiditsignify？Forhim，therewasbutoneanswer：thathehadonlyfivemonthsinwhichtoendthewar。
Andwiththetiderunningstrongagainsthim，whatcouldhedo？
Butonething：usethewarpowerswhiletheyremainedinhishandsineveryconceivablewaythatmightforceaconclusiononthefieldofbattle。Herecordedhisdetermination。ACabinetmeetingwasheldonthetwenty-third。LincolnhandedhisMinistersafoldedpaperandaskedthemtowritetheirinitialsontheback。Atthetimehegavethemnointimationwhatthepapercontained。Itwasthefollowingmemorandum：“Thismorning，asforsomedayspast，itseemsexceedinglyprobablethatthisAdministrationwillnotbereelected。ThenitwillbemydutytosocooperatewiththePresidentelectastosavetheUnionbetweentheelectionandtheinauguration，ashewillhavesecuredhiselectiononsuchgroundthathecannotpossiblysaveitafterward。“[12]