Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-30
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.
XVu-The Four Cornered Fight of 1860.
BY Frederic J. Haskin.

he would. About fifty delegates bolted
the anti-Douglas platform prevailed, thu
convention came to a deadlock on candi
dates, with Douglas possessing a cleal
majority, but not the necessary two
thirds, and then it adjourned to Baltimor,
to finish its work. Here, when the south
ern delegations found the Douglas people
in the saddle They promptly withdrew
taking with them the permanent chair
man, Caleb Cushing of Massachusetts. TIL,
regular convention nominated Douglas
the boiling convention chose Breckinridg,
as it's standard bearer and the bolter
from the Charleston convention, in ses
sion at Richmond. ratified the choice O
Breckenridge
There was large party in the country
made up of old-line wings who were con
sentative. They were neither secession
lists nor rabid anti-slavery men, but they
were for the preservation of the Union
They adopted a short platform. simpl,
announcing their faith in the Constitution
and their fealty to the Union. They nOmi
mated Bell and Everett, and their appea
was for peace.
X
The republicans met in Chicago, anG
there in the first "wigwam." surrounded
by ten Thousand
RenuhlicanS Meet spectators, adopted
in Chicago. nominated thei,
ticket. The leading candidates before the
convention were William II. Seward OF
New York, with the field against him
Abraham Lincoln. strong in the west. but
little known elsewhere. and Edward
Bates, an old line whig of Missouri, VINO
was put forward by Horace Greeley ano
others as an answer to the charge tha'
the republican party was geographical Oh
sectional.
Stewards Identification with know-nOth-
ingism and his famous "irrepressible con-
fict' speech hurt him in many sections
William Cullen Bryant pronounced MN a
good man in bad company, doubtless nav
ing in mind the story that Thurlow Weed
had proposed to give charters to certain
New York street railways If they in turn
would give half a million dollars to the
republican campaign fund If Seward
were nominated.
if it would be impossible to defeat Sew
ard, whose candidacy was in the hands
of the master politician Thurlow Weed.
Even so hostile an observer as Greeley
telegraphed his paper that 1t looked as
though Seward had the bulge on the sit
uation, and Murat Halstead advised his
papers to the same effect. But during the
night David Davis, who was managing
Lincoln's fight, against explicit and UNI
derscored instructions from mis- chlef not
10 enter upon any u11i, wv 49, E''eo
Smith that he should have cabinet po-
sition if Indianas vote were swung to
Lincoln, and made the same sort of a
deal with Cameron Of Pennsylvania.
Another incident believed to lave had
a bearing on the result. was the organi-
cation Of big claque In the galleries in
favor of Lincoln. Determined that the
voice of Illinois should be heard literally
in the convention. a citizen of Chicago
famous for a voice that was able to make
itself heard above the roaring of the
miehtiest tempest. was employed to lead
the Lincoln cheering. He was assisted by
a democrat DR.. Ames of the same city.
Meanwhile the Seward enthusiasm bril-
gade" was off parading the city with a
string of brass bands. and by the time
they returned to the "wigwam'' the gal
leries were filled with Lincoln supporters
and the fire doors closed.