Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-07-15
Lincoln Re-nominated.

From Hay and Nicolay's "Life of
Lincoln,' in the July Century:
The politicians who opposed Mr..
Lincoln, whether from pure motives
or motives not SO pure, met with one
common fate: they were almost uni
versally beaten in their own districts
by men who, whatever their other in
centives, were sufficiently adroit to
perceive the sign in which they should
conquer. 1t gave man this year
quite unfair advantage in his district
to be known as the friend of the pres
ident, when his opponent was not
equally outspoken and many of the
most radical politicians, seeing in
which direction their advantage lay,
suddenly turned upon their opponents
and vanquished them in the presi-
dents name. General Lane, for eX-
ample, who had been engaged in
bitter controversy with Pomeroy in
regard to local interests in Kansas,
saw his opportunity in the anti-Lin-
coin circular of his colleague and
although before this it would have
been hard to say which of the two
had been most free in his criticisms
of the president, General Lee in
stantly trimmed his sails to catch the
favoring breeze and elected himself
and full list of delegates to the Bal
timore convention, whom he called,
in his characteristic language, call
Other members of congress, equally
radical and more sincere and honest,
made haste to range themselves on
the side of the president against those
with whom they had been more init
mately associated. William d. Kel-
ley of Philadelphia publicly proclaim
ed him s'the wisest radical of us all -
Mr.. Ashley of Ohio, to whom one of
his abolitionist constituents had OBJ
jected that he wanted no more of a
president who had not crushed re-
bellion in four years, replied that
this was unreasonable, as the Lord
had not crushed the devil in much
longer time.
AS the day for the meeting at Bal
timore drew near and its unanimous
verdict became more and more evil
dent, the president was besieged from
every quarter of the Union with So
licitations to make known his wishes
in regard to the work of the conven-
ton. To all such inquiries he return
ed an energetic refusal to give any
word of counsel or to express any
personal desire. During a few days
preceding the convention a great
many delegates took the road to
Washington, either to get some init
nation of the presidents wishes or
to impress their own faces and names
on his expectant mind. They were
all welcomed with genial and cordial
courtesy, but received not the slight
est intimation of what would be agree
able to him. The most powerful pol
iticians from New York and Pennsyl-
vania were listened to with no more
confidential consideration than the
shy and awkward representatives of
the rebellious states, who had elected
themselves in suffers tents and in
the shadow of department. headquar-
zazazhz4a.lo Cto'No, of PoO
pie in the hall ?" he said one day to
his secretary. cit is delegation
from South Carolina. They are
swindle." ''Let them in," said Lin
coin, ''they will not swindle me-
When at last the convention came
together, on the 18th Of June, 1864, it
had less to do than any other conven-
ton in our political history. The
delegates were bound by perempto-
~ mandate.