din, and the shouting was repeated with such tremendous fury that some discharges of the cannon were absolutely not heard by those on the stage. Puffs of smoke, drifting by the open doors, and the smell

of gunpowder told what was going on.

"The moment that half a dozen men who were on their chairs making motions at the President, could be heard, they changed the votes of their states to Mr. Lincoln. This was a mere formality, and was a cheap way for men to distinguish themselves. The proper and orderly proceeding would have been to announce the vote, and then for a motion to have come from New York to make the nomination unanimous. New York was prepared to make this motion, but not out of order. Missouri, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Virginia, Califor nia, Texas, District of Columbia, Kansas, Nebraska, and Oregon insisted upon casting their unanimous votes for old Abe Lincoln before the vote was read.

"While the votes were being given the applause continued, and a photograph of Abe Lincoln, which hung in one of the side rooms,

HANNIBAL HAMLIN.

was brought in and held up before the surging and screaming masses. The places of the various delegations were indicated by staffs, to which were attached the names of the states, printed in large black letters on pasteboard. As the Lincoln enthusiasm increased delegates tore these standards of the states from their places and swung them above their heads. A rush was made to get the New York standard and swing it with the rest, but the New Yorkers would not allow it to be moved, and were wrathy at the suggestion."

After all changes had been made, the Chairman announced the corrected votes to be: Whole number of votes cast, 466; necessary to a choice, 234; for Abraham Lincoln, 364.

On this announcement, Mr. Evarts, in behalf of New York, and in a graceful speech, moved to make the nomination unanimous. This was supported by a number of states, among them Michigan. Mr. Seward was very popular in Michigan, where he had become known partly through his connection with the great railroad conspiracy cases, and partly through the political addresses that he had made here. There was no delegation in the Convention that was more disappointed than that from Michigan. But its members accepted the situation, and Austin Blair fairly represented them when in supporting the nomination, he said: "Michigan from first to last has cast her vote for the great statesman from New York. She has nothing to take back. She has not sent me forward to worship the rising sun, but she has put me forward to say that at your behests here today she lays down her first best-loved candidate to take up yours, with some beating of heart, with some quivering of veins, but she does not fear that the fame of Seward will suffer, for she knows that his fame is a portion of the American Union; it will be written and read and beloved long after the temporary excitement of this day has passed away, and when Presidents themselves are forgotten in the oblivion which comes over all temporal things. We stand by him still. We have followed him with an eye single and with unwavering faith in times past. We marshal now behind him in the grand column which shall go out to battle for Lincoln. Mark you, what has obtained today will obtain in November next. Lincoln will be elected by the people. We say of our candidate, God bless his magnanimous soul. I promise you that in the State of Michigan, which I have the honor to represent, where the Republican party from the days of its organization to this hour, never suffered a single defeat, we will give you for the gallant son of Illinois, and glorious standard-bearer of the West, a round twenty-five thousand majority.”

The nomination for Vice-President took but two ballots, and was carried on with but little excitement. There were nine candidates voted for on the first ballot, of whom four received less than 10 votes each. The others were Cassius M. Clay, of Kentucky, 1012; N. P. Banks, of Massachusetts, 38; A. H. Reeder, of Pennsylvania, 51;

John Hickman, of Pennsylvania, 58, and Hannibal Hamlin, of Maine, 194. The second ballot gave Hamlin 357, Clay 86, and Hickman 13.

Mr. Hamlin's nomination gave great satisfaction, and undoubtedly added strength to the ticket. He was a man of sound judgment, of unquestioned integrity, and of strong common sense. He had been in public life long enough to be well-known to the public. Originally a moderate Democrat, he had come over to the Republican party on account of the drifting of the Democracy toward the Southern ideas on the slavery question. He was in the Maine Legislature five years, served two terms in the Lower House of Congress, was once elected Governor of his State, and at the time of the Chicago Convention, was serving his third term in the United States Senate.

The nomination for Vice-President was followed by the adoption of a resolution offered by Mr. Giddings, of Ohio: "That we deeply sympathize with those men who have been driven, some from their native states, and others from the states of their adoption, and are now exiled from their homes on account of their opinions; and we hold the Democratic party responsible for this gross violation of that clause of the Constitution, which declares that the citizens of each State shall be entitled to all the privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states."

The further proceedings consisted in the appointment of a National Committee, of which Austin Blair was the Michigan member, and of a small amount of other routine business. The Convention adjourned quietly, but as the members journeyed homeward they could see in bon-fires, processions and public meetings a reflection of the enthusiasm that had inspired their meeting.

VIII.

THE LINCOLN AND HAMLIN CAMPAIGN.

The Regular Democratic and Seceders' Conventions-Nominations of Douglas, Breckinridge and Bell-Certainty of a Division of the Democratic Vote-Combinations of Democrats and Constitutional Union Men-Seward and His Friends Disappointed, But He Does Good Work in the Campaign-Conservative Appeals to Business Men-Seward's Reply-A Torch Light and Parade CampaignOrigin of the Wide Awakes-Douglas on the Stump-Fusion in New York State-The Republicans Win and Have Both Houses of Congress.

The promise of success which the outcome of the Chicago Convention gave was rendered almost a certainty by the action of the Conventions of the two Democratic factions which separated from each other at Charleston. The regular Convention met in Baltimore, June 18, and continued in session six days. It nominated Stephen A. Douglas for President, by 181 votes, to 7% for John C. Breckinridge, and 5% for James Guthrie. Benjamin Fitzpatrick was nominated for Vice-President, receiving every vote in the Convention but one, but two days later he declined, and Herschel V. Johnson, of Georgia, was substituted in his place by the National Committee. The Seceders' Convention met at Richmond on the 11th of June and adjourned to Baltimore, where John C. Breckinridge, of Kentucky, was nominated for President and Joseph Lane, of Oregon, for VicePresident, both by unanimous vote.

Both Conventions declared in favor of a railroad to the Pacific and the acquisition of Cuba, and both declared, "That the enactments of State Legislatures to defeat the faithful enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law are hostile in character, subversive of the Constitution and revolutionary in their effect." On the subject of slavery in the territories, the Douglas convention resolved: "That it is in accordance with the true interpretation of the Cincinnati platform that,

during the existence of the territorial governments the measure of restriction, whatever it may be, imposed by the Federal Constitution

the power of the Territorial Legislature over the subject of the domestic relations as the same has been, or shall hereafter be, finally determined by the Supreme Court of the United States, should be respected by all good citizens and enforced with promptness and fidelity by every branch of the general government."

The Breckinridge Convention resolved: "That the government of a Territory, organized by an Act of Congress, is provisional and temporary, and during its existence all citizens of the United States have an equal right to settle with their property in the Territory, without their rights, either of person or property, being destroyed or impaired by Congressional or Territorial legislation."

The Constitutional Union Convention nominated for President, John Bell, of Tennessee, and for Vice-President, Edward Everett, of Massachusetts, and adopted a platform consisting of a single plank, as follows: "That it is both the part of patriotism and of duty to recognize no political principles other than the Constitution of the Country, the Union of the States, and the Enforcement of the Laws; and that as representatives of the Constitutional Union men of the country, in National Convention assembled, we hereby pledge ourselves to maintain, protect and defend, separately and unitedly, these great principles of public liberty and National safety against all enemies at home and abroad; believing that thereby peace may once more be restored to the country; the rights of the people and of the states re-established, and the Government again placed in that condition of justice, fraternity and equality, which under the example and Constitution of our fathers, has solemnly bound every citizen of the United States to maintain a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity."

It was not expected that this party would cut much of a figure in the campaign, and it did not carry many electoral votes for its own ticket, but it did give opportunity for combinations, in which it was adroitly used by the Breckinridge Democrats to take electoral votes away from Douglas. From the alacrity with which some of its leaders, including Bell himself, went into the secession movement, there is reason to suppose that it was organized for precisely that purpose.