IV.

Republican Convention of 1860-Its Meeting at Chicago-The Platform-Its Position relative to Protection to American Industry-Declarations regarding Slavery in the Territories-The Kansas-Nebraska Bill-Naturalization of Foreigners-River and Harbor ImprovementsBalloting and its Results-Abraham Lincoln chosen Candidate for the Presidency-Hannibal Hamlin for Vice-President-Biographical Sketches of the Candidates.

HE Republican Convention met at Chicago on May 16. The free States were well represented and some of the slave States. Their platform was ready in two days, and was immediately and unanimously adopted. It was as follows:

"1. That the history of the nation during the last four years has fully established the propriety and necessity of the organization and perpetuation of the Republican party; and that the causes which called it into

existence are permanent in their nature and now more than ever before demand its peaceable and constitutional triumph.

"2. That the maintenance of the principle promulgated in the Declaration of Independence and embodied in the Federal Constitution, That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,' is essential to the preservation of our republican institutions; and that the Federal Constitution, the Rights of the States, and the Union of the States must and shall be preserved.

"3. That to the union of the States this nation owes its unprecedented increase in population, its surprising development of material resources, its rapid

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augmentation of wealth, its happiness at home and its honor abroad; and we hold in abhorrence all schemes for its disunion, come from whatever source they may. And we congratulate the country that no Republican member of Congress has uttered or countenanced the threats of disunion so often made by Democratic

members without rebuke and with applause from their political associates. And we denounce those threats of disunion, in case of a popular overthrow of their ascendency, as denying the vital principles of a free government and as an avowal of contemplated 'treason which it is the imperative duty of an indignant people sternly to rebuke and forever silence.

4. That the maintenance inviolate of the rights of the States, and especially the right of each State to order and control its own domestic institutions, according to its own judgment exclusively, is essential to that balance of power on which the perfection and endurance of our political fabric depends; and we denounce the lawless invasion by armed force of the soil of any State or Territory, no matter under what pretext, as among the gravest of crimes.

"5. That the present Democratic administration has far exceeded our worst apprehensions in its measureless subserviency to the exactions of a sectional interest, as especially evinced in its desperate exertions to force the infamous Lecompton Constitution upon the protesting people of Kansas; in construing the personal relation between master and servant to involve an unqualified property in persons; in its attempted enforcement everywhere on land and sea, through the intervention of Congress and of the Federal courts, of the extreme pretensions of a purely local interest, and its general and unvarying abuse of the power intrusted to it by a confiding people.

"6. That the people justly view with alarm the reckless extravagance which pervades every department of the Federal government; that a return to rigid economy and accountability is indispensable to arrest the systematic plunder of the public treasury by favored partisans; while the recent startling developments of frauds and corruptions at the Federal metropolis show that an entire change of administration is imperatively demanded.

7. That the new dogma that the Constitution of its own force carries slavery into any or all of the Territories of the United States is a dangerous political heresy, at variance with the explicit provisions of that instrument itself, with contemporaneous exposition, and with legislative and judicial precedent; is revolutionary in its tendency and subversive of the peace and harmony of the country.

"8. That the normal condition of all the Territories of the United States is that of freedom. That, as our republican fathers, when they had abolished slavery in all our national territory, ordained that no person should be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law,' it becomes our duty by legislation, whenever such legislation is necessary, to maintain this provision of the Constitution against all attempts to violate it; and we deny the authority of Congress, of a Territorial Legislature, or of any individuals, to give legal existence to slavery in any Territory of the United States.

"9. That we brand the recent re-opening of the African slave trade under

the cover of our national flag, aided by perversions of judicial power, as a crime against humanity and a burning shame to our country and age; and we call upon Congress to take prompt and efficient measures for the total and final suppression of that execrable traffic.

"10. That in the recent vetoes by their Federal governors of the acts of the Legislatures of Kansas and Nebraska prohibiting slavery in those Territories we find a practical illustration of the boasted Democratic principle of non-intervention and popular sovereignty embodied in the Kansas-Nebraska bill, and a demonstration of the deception and fraud involved therein.

"11. That Kansas should of right be immediately admitted as a State under the constitution recently formed and adopted by the House of Representatives. "12. That while providing revenue for the support of the general government by duties upon imports, sound policy requires such an adjustment of these imposts as to encourage the development of the industrial interests of the whole country and we commend that policy of national exchanges which secures to the workingmen liberal wages; to agriculture, remunerating prices; to mechanics. and manufacturers, an adequate reward for their skill, labor and enterprise ; and to the nation, commercial prosperity and independence.

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13. That we protest against any sale or alienation to others of the public lands held by actual settlers, and against any view of the homestead policy which regards the settlers as paupers or suppliants for public bounty;. and we demand the passage by Congress of the complete and satisfactory homestead measure which has already passed the House.

14. That the Republican party is opposed to any change in our naturalization laws or any State legislation by which the rights of citizenship hitherto accorded to immigrants from foreign lands shall be abridged or impaired; and in favor of giving a full and efficient protection to the rights of all classes of citizens, whether native or naturalized, both at home or abroad.

"15. That appropriations by Congress for river and harbor improvements. of a national character required for the accommodation and security of an existing commerce are authorized by the Constitution and justified by the obligations. of government to protect the lives and properties of its citizens.

"16. That a railroad to the Pacific Ocean is imperatively demanded by the interests of the whole country; that the Federal government ought to render immediate and efficient aid in its construction; and that as preliminary thereto a daily overland mail should be promptly established.

"17. Finally, having thus set forth our distinctive principles and views, we invite the co-operation of all citizens, however differing on other questions, who substantially agree with us in their affirmance and support."

The Convention having decided to nominate a candidate for President by a majority vote the ballot was proceeded with. The principal candidates were William H. Seward of New York and Abraham Lincoln of Illinois. On the first ballot Seward got 173 votes and Lincoln 102. On the second ballot the respective votes were 184 and 181. On the third Lincoln reached 231 against Seward's 180. Lincoln only needing two and a half votes, Ohio, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri and others wholly or partly changed their votes until Lincoln had 354 out of 466 votes. On motion of Wm. M. Evarts of New York, the nomination was made unanimous. Hannibal Hamlin of Maine was nominated for Vice-President. On motion of Giddings of Ohio it was

"Resolved, 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 the gross violations of that clause of the Constitution which declares that citizens of each State shall be entitled to all the privileges and immunities of citizens of the several States."

The president, George Ashmun of Massachusetts, closed the Convention with an encouraging and enthusing speech which was followed by nine rousing cheers for the Republican ticket. The campaign began immediately and was vigorously pushed. The candidates elicited enthusiasm throughout the entire North, and though their biographies have been many times written, a brief summary of them is necessary for the completeness of this narrative.

Abraham Lincoln ! A name that will be cherished and revered as long as the English language is spoken. A great humanitarian and patriot who was a rough diamond, but all the more valuable because he was a rough diamond. "Take him for all in all, we shall ne'er look upon his like again." The world produces but one such type. He can be compared with no model. If he had never done anything else than have given utterance to the Christ-like words "With malice toward none, with charity for all," he would be remembered. In consequence of the national prominence his debates on popular suffrage and States rights with Stephen A. Douglas on the hustings in Illinois and elsewhere had brought him, Lincoln was the inevitable or natural choice of the second National Republican Convention, held at Chicago, June 16, 1860, as its candidate for President, as he repre