The administration was defeated in New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.
The voters of the North not only condemned the administration for
declaring the slaves free, but they assaulted the war policy of their
Government with savage fury. They condemned the wholesale arrest of
thousands of citizens for their political opinions and arraigned the
Government for its incompetence in conducting the military operations of
an army of more than twice the numbers of the triumphant South.
The Emancipation Proclamation and the victories of Davis' army had not
only divided and demoralized the North, they had solidified Southern
opinion.
Even Alexander H. Stephens, the Vice-President of the Confederacy, who
had been a thorn in the flesh of Davis from the beginning in his
advocacy of foolish and impossible measures of compromise now took his
position for war to the death. In a fiery speech in North Carolina
following Lincoln's proclamation Stephens said:
"As for any reconstruction of the Union--such a thing is
impossible--such an idea must not be tolerated for an instant.
Reconstruction would not end the war, but would produce a more horrible
war than that in which we are now engaged. The only terms on which we
can obtain permanent peace is final and complete separation from the
North.
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