Chapter 388: Justice Is Impartial
After several months of negotiations in Ottawa, in September 1865 the preliminary results of the multi-party talks were finally reached.
Under the intervention of Britain, France, Austria, and Spain, the U.S. federal government recognized the independence of the Confederate States of America and the Native American tribes. The United States was officially divided.
In the disputed states of Maryland and West Virginia, areas that supported the Union government were integrated into the Union, while the areas supporting the Confederate government joined the Confederacy.
It should not be surprising if the territories of the Union and Confederate governments overlap in some places. The people were allowed to freely choose which government to join, with the smallest unit being the town.
There is no doubt that this was the handiwork of the British, who are professionals at this. They have now buried the contradictions between the North and South, and one can imagine the future of the Americas will be quite lively.
The Confederate States of America included: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kentucky, as well as parts of Maryland and West Virginia.
The states of Arizona and New Mexico were also incorporated into the Confederate government. (Roughly equivalent to todays Arizona and New Mexico.)
The Native American chiefdom found itself in a rather unfortunate position, sandwiched between the Union and Confederacy, with only a modest territory consisting mainly of Native American settlements. (Roughly equivalent to todays Oklahoma.)
After the division of the United States, the overall national strength still favored the Union government, which had a population of 17.645 million, inheriting nearly two-thirds of the countrys industrial capacity and 63.2% of its territory.
The Confederate government followed closely behind with a population of 11.984 million, inheriting approximately one-third of the countrys industrial capacity and 34.1% of its territory.
The Native American chiefdom was negligible in comparison, with an unrecorded population that likely did not exceed one million and a territory of less than 200,000 square kilometers, with almost no industrial capacity.
(Authors Note: The United States in 1865 did not include Alaska and Hawaii, and most of the overseas islands of future years were also not included.)
Of course, this was just the preliminary agreement reached, and the specific details still needed to be worked out further, especially the issue of border demarcation, which would take time to finalize.
However, this did not prevent the signing of the treaty. Under the urging of Britain, France, Austria, and Spain, the Lincoln administration reluctantly signed the ceasefire treaty on September 30, 1865.
The signing of the treaty also marked the end of the Lincoln administrations term. Without needing further prompting, Lincoln submitted his resignation to Congress the next day.
This went very smoothly, without a single hitch. Lincoln had already taken on the biggest blame, so naturally someone would come to take over. They just had to wait for the election to end, and the Lincoln administration could then leave.
With the end of the Civil War, the Federal government returned to Washington. Regardless of the circumstances, this remained the capital of the Union.
Even though it had been reduced to ruins, they had to return. This was what was politically correct as it was a symbol of the legitimacy of the federal government.
Stepping back into the White House, Lincoln seemed to have aged 20 years. Everywhere were the remnants of shattered walls and ruins, and the former political center had turned into a pile of rubble.
Alas!
A sigh escaped, conveying the helplessness of life.
The responsibility for the Civil War did not lie with Lincoln. It began with the Northern capitalists taking the lead in the government, marking the countdown to war.
Unfortunately, Lincoln had the misfortune of being in office at this critical time and ended up shouldering the blame.
In history, the Northern government won the war, and Lincoln, who was assassinated shortly after the wars end, garnered sympathy from the public, thus becoming one of Americas greatest presidents.
Naturally, the blame fell on the previous president. With the situation changing now, while the former president couldnt escape scrutiny, the current president faced even greater blame.
Political opponents would not miss this opportunity to rise to power by stepping on the defeated; this was as normal as could be.
Certain individuals who were unhappy with the Lincoln administration were preparing to sue them for violating the Constitution, inciting the Civil War, and causing the deaths of over a million people.
The Civil War had been devastating. The losses for the Northern government included: 572,000 soldiers killed or critically wounded, 267,000 soldiers disabled due to injuries, 23,000 soldiers dead from diseases, and 12,000 soldiers who died in various incidents, such as assassination, drowning, or execution for violating military discipline.
These are merely military losses and do not include civilian casualties. Although it hasnt reached the point where every household is in mourning and everyone is weeping, its not far from that.
While the losses for the Northern government may appear similar to those of the Russians in the recent Near East War, the Russian government officially claimed victory and occupied Constantinople and Bulgaria.
Despite Constantinople now being in ruins and the Bulgarians still aspiring for independence, this did not diminish the political success of the Russian government.
The same cannot be said for the federal government as they had failed strategically. There was no way for them to shift the blame.
Why are you so reluctant?
At some point, Secretary of State Seward appeared behind Lincoln.
Shaking his head, Lincoln said, Its not that. When I first came to be in this position, I knew it was a mess. I just thought I could handle it and reunite this country.
However, I overestimated myself and underestimated the enemy. Now, I have to leave in disgrace, and perhaps Ill be the first president to end up in prison.
Seward comforted him, That might have been a possibility before, but from the moment you submitted your resignation, that possibility ceased to exist.
At worst, the next president will issue a pardon. The Republicans wont let us go to jail, thats the nature of the game.
The President of the United States has the power to grant pardons. Apart from impeachment, the president can pardon anyone without requiring approval from any agency, including former presidents.
According to the rules of the game of politics, a president can resign early in exchange for the next president granting them a pardon.
A pardon means all previous charges are wiped clean. By resigning early, the subject of impeachment naturally becomes moot.
Before signing the ceasefire treaty, Lincoln needed to shoulder the blame, so Congress naturally wouldnt impeach him. Once the ceasefire treaty was signed and he resigned, with approval from the Republican-dominated Congress, impeachment was no longer an issue.
Due to the secession of the Southern states, the Democratic Party was severely weakened and had no chance to compete with the Republican Party in the short term.
The next president will most likely still be from the Republican Party. No party wants their president to be convicted and imprisoned and make history, so the Republicans will naturally work to protect Lincoln.
Even if the Democratic Party were to win the election, they would also pardon him for political considerations.
This is the nature of American politics; even into the 21st century, no American president has been imprisoned for crimes.
Under normal circumstances, even prosecution would not occur. Presidents like President Harding (Poker Cabinet), the corrupt President Grant, and President Nixon (Watergate Incident) all got out scot-free in the end.
Now, some are clamoring for prosecution, but its mainly for electoral propaganda. The radicals are merely being used. Politicians wont break the rules of the game.
Even with Lincolns resignation, it doesnt mean the Lincoln administration can leave immediately. They still have to wait until the transfer of power is completed.
This is because his term has ended. Otherwise, if a president resigns, the vice president takes over. With an ally still in power, the pardon would have already been issued.
Franz had no interest in the internal power struggles within the United States. He was still immersed in the joy of the countrys division, unable to extricate himself.
Once divided, the possibility of a second division arises. From the moment the Federal government recognized Southern independence, it meant that Lincolns patchwork had become ineffective.
The Constitution is the Constitution precisely because of its authority. If it can be easily amended, can it still be called a Constitution?
Although Lincoln enacted laws prohibiting federal secession, these laws were not recognized by state governments. Many federal states refused to acknowledge this law.
After experiencing one civil war, if certain federal states were to push for independence again, would the Federal government be able to organize a military force to suppress it?
After all, if the Southern government hadnt struck first, its doubtful whether the Federal government could have even organized an army.
During this era, the states in the United States had too much power, each possessing the ability to disregard the Federal government. For example, they could prohibit federal troops from entering their territories.
Without cooperation from the states, the Federal government found it difficult to even mobilize domestic troops, let alone organize a military.
Now, due to the Civil War, the prestige of the Federal government has greatly diminished, further reducing its influence over the states. This means that for a considerable period into the future, the United States will no longer pose a threat.
If the Federal government can be seen as a loose alliance, then the Confederate government takes it a step further. The rights of each joining state in the Confederacy exceed even those of the vassal states under the new Holy Roman Empire.
The Confederate government can be understood in this way: each state is an independent mini-kingdom, and together they form an alliance, which is the current Confederate government.
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