Editing Wade–Davis Bill (section)

==Lincoln's veto==
One of Lincoln's objections was to the idea that seceded states needed to "re-join" the Union (an idea that permeated the whole bill). From Lincoln's point of view, states were not constitutionally allowed to secede in the first place, so the ordinances of secession were null and void from the moment they passed. Thus the war was being fought to "compel the obedience of rebellious individuals,” not of rebellious states per se. The language of the bill undermined this argument, as the possibility of Confederate states being “readmitted” implied those states in rebellion were not part of the Union anymore.<ref>{{cite book|first1= John George |last1= Nicolay |first2= John |last2=Hay |title=Abraham Lincoln: A History |chapter= The Wade-Davis Manifesto |date= 1889 |publisher= The Century Co.|pages= 414–21 |chapter-url=http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/sgml/moa-idx?notisid=ABP2287-0038-89&type=boolean&slice=1&&&q1=Nicolay&rgn1=Author&op2=And&rgn2=Author&op3=And&rgn3=Author&year1=1815&year2=1926&searchSummary=70%20matching%20%20journal%20articles&size=50&layer=third&coll=serial1}}</ref> Moreover, the bill compelled those states to draft new Constitutions banning slavery, which was arguably unconstitutional at the time (as Congress had no power to deal with slavery within individual states).{{sfn|Nevins|pages=84–88}}

On a more pragmatic level, Lincoln also feared the bill would sabotage his own reconstruction activities in states like [[Louisiana]], [[Arkansas]], and [[Tennessee]], all of which had passed ordinances of secession but were under Federal occupation and controlled by pro-Union governments.  He believed that Wade–Davis would jeopardize state-level emancipation movements in loyal border states like [[Missouri]] and, especially, [[Maryland]].  The bill threatened to destroy the delicate political coalitions which Lincoln had begun to construct between Northern and Southern moderates. More broadly, it underscored how differently Lincoln and Radical Republicans viewed Confederates: Lincoln believed they could be coaxed back into peaceful coexistence, while Radical Republicans believed the Confederates were traitors and therefore could not be trusted. Lincoln ended up killing the bill with a [[pocket veto]], and it was not resurrected.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hesseltine |first=William B. |title= Lincoln's Plan of Reconstruction |date=1960}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Hyman |first= Harold M. |title=A More Perfect Union: The Impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction on the Constitution |date= 1973 |pages=277–278}}</ref>