CHAPTER XXIV
AFTER THE WAR
Attempt of press to control politics—Failure of Raymond—Widespread indiflference to corruption—Samuel Bowles—Platform of new reform movement—Carl Schurz—Liberty party—Greeley's candidacy—His defeat—Blaine on Greeley—Joseph Medill—Correspondence with Greeley, Webb and Seward—Chicago Tribune.
The story of journalism now enters directly into the field of political reform. The question is no longer one of the newspaper in its proper field, representing the people, but of its controlling the machinery of politics. Greeley, Raymond and Weed came to grief, as we have seen, in their attempts to control.
Raymond, acting as spokesman for President Lincoln, had been largely instrumental in bringing about the nomination of Andrew Johnson for Vice-President. Shortly after Johnson took office, Weed breakfasted with him, and from now on Raymond and Weed were his advisors and spokesmen; on the floor of Congress Raymond championed his cause, to his own humiliation and defeat. As he aligned himself with the President in his reckless disregard of the wishes of Congress, Raymond was watched with amazement by his own party. With the assistance of Raymond, Seward and Weed, Johnson attempted to organize a National party, at the convention held in Philadelphia in August, 1866. Raymond, in his loyalty to the President, went so far as to declare that the southern states, no matter how great their disloyalty, could not be
325
