Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 12.djvu/314

298 the duty of this committee to visit the lately seceded States and take testimony for the guidance of Congress in coming to a correct conclusion. It was divided into sub-committees. There being but three Democrats on the committee, most of the sub-committees visiting more than one-half of the States had no Democrat on them to cross-question witnesses or call for witnesses to present the side of the people to be investigated. It may be stated generally here that the Democrats in Congress and in the North were opposed to the extreme and radical measures of reconstruction, and joined with the president to hinder and alleviate all harsh legislation against the South. They were the only ones in those days who said a kind word for the South, or tried to befriend her, although they had been good Union men and had done their full duty to the North in the war against the South.

The people to be investigated and inquired into were of the whole South. They had not a single representative in Congress to speak for them, and the Democrats who did speak were classed as copperheads, sympathizing with the South in her war against the Union. A more one-sided, partisan, unfair, ungenerous investigation was never set on foot against a helpless people. A fair sample of the work of this committee is given when they investigated Alabama. "As to the condition of Alabama, only five persons who claimed to be citizens were examined. They were all Republican politicians. The testimony of each was bitterly partisan. Under the government of the State as it then existed, no one of these witnesses could hope for official preferment. In his testimony each was striving for the overthrow of his State government and the setting up of some such institutions as followed under congressional reconstruction. When this reconstruction finally had taken place, the first of these five became governor of his State; the second became a senator, and the third secured a life position in one of the departments in Washington. The fourth became a