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13. No Stone Unturned
- Southern Illinois University Press
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221 13. No Stone Unturned z As 1860 began, the field of candidates for the Republican presidential nomination included William H. Seward of New York; Salmon P. Chase of Ohio; Edward Bates of Missouri; U.S. Senator Simon Cameron, a powerful Pennsylvanian; and elderly conservative Justice John McLean of Ohio. Frontrunner Seward was the most prominent with the best credentials, but he was perceived, perhaps unfairly, as more radical on antislavery. Chase was the most radical on that crucial issue. Bates offered the most competition for Lincoln and his moderate image because of Bates’s own moderation, but his reluctance to actively pursue the nomination ultimately proved to be his undoing.1 Although the field did not yet really include Lincoln, in January his candidacy began to gain momentum. On the fourteenth, the Illinois State Journal finally endorsed Lincoln. The next day, Lincoln released his autobiography , in effect, when he advised a Chicago supporter to contact Jesse Fell for any information he wanted. On January 20, Fell sent the autobiography to prominent Pennsylvania newspaper editor Joseph J. Lewis for publication, which occurred in the Chester County Times on February 11, 1860. Lewis was the brother of the editor of Fell’s Pantagraph, Edward J. Lewis. This piece provided the basis for other biographical sketches in 1860.2 Lincoln was busy in Springfield in the federal court and the Illinois Supreme Court, court sessions that brought many of the Lincoln cadre to Springfield. During the last week of January, a secret meeting in Secretary of State Ozias M. Hatch’s office included Leonard Swett, Jesse DuBois, 222 Nomination, Election, and the Presidency Lawrence Weldon, William Butler, John W. Bunn, Ward Hill Lamon, Norman Judd, and Fell. Quincy’s Jackson Grimshaw started the meeting out as an effort to promote Cameron for president and Lincoln for vice president. Lincoln made it clear he was not interested in the second spot so with some prodding from the others, particularly Swett, he openly agreed to be considered a contender for the presidency, still quietly, so as not to excite any opposition from the other contenders.3 On January 27, 1860, Lincoln gave his lecture, not a political speech, to the Young Men’s Literary Association of Pontiac at the Presbyterian Church.4 By telegram, Lincoln abruptly accepted a long-standing invitation and took a train to get there in time for the lecture the same day. In spite of the short notice, a crowded hall awaited him. One attendee observed, “I think the people generally were disappointed in his lecture as it was on no particular subject and was not well-connected,” expressing his wish that Lincoln had spoken about politics.5 Attorney Jason Strevell, a locally prominent Republican, introduced him; later that night, the two sat up until midnight discussing politics as Lincoln awaited the train for his return to Bloomington. As the evening wore on, they began comparing their relative heights; Strevell proposed they measure, and Lincoln agreed. His height in stocking feet—six-foot-four—was measured on a door jamb.6 Strevell was a Livingston County delegate to the Republican State Convention in Decatur in May, as was Lincoln’s old friend Richard Price Morgan, now living in Dwight.7 Another important piece fell into place on February 8 when the central committee chose Decatur as the site for the state convention in late May. Just as the location of the national convention in Chicago was considered vital to Lincoln’s success, so was the location of the state convention. Northern Illinois was Seward country, southern Illinois was Bates territory, and central Illinois was strongly for Lincoln. Lincoln later described this to Cincinnati’s Richard N. Corwine but stated, “I feel disqualified to speak of myself in this manner.”8 The date was later advanced to May 9 because of the advancement of the date of the national convention. The Chicago Press and Tribune questioned the choice of convention site to no avail, although on February 16, the newspaper endorsed Lincoln. Lincoln’s success at the Republican National Convention in May would depend on unit control of the Illinois delegation, which first had to happen at the state convention.9 [3.81.165.210] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 16:43 GMT) 223 No Stone Unturned Chicago Mayor John Wentworth and Judd became embroiled in a festering dispute for control of the Republican Party in Cook County. The bitter feud exploded in late 1859 when Judd sued Wentworth for libel...