cago to the Atlantic coast. One of these, which was designated "fast" and made the record time for its generation, left this city every morning at 6:10, reached Pittsburg the next day at 2:30 a. m., and New York at 5:10 p. m. The time at New York being one hour in advance of that at Chicago, the journey occupied just thirty-four hours, as compared with the time of eighteen hours by the fastest trains of the present day.

The thirty-four hour train was considered a wonder, however, and was advertised especially in the guide. The line claimed to have a "capacity equal to that of any railway in the country, operating three through trains daily from Philadelphia to Pittsburg." The Pennsylvania road also called attention to the fact that "smoking cars are attached to each train, and Woodruff's sleeping cars to express and fast trains."

A traveler from New York bound for Chicago by the Lake Shore route might leave the former city by the Hudson River Railroad upon which he would travel until he reached Albany; there change cars and proceed by the New York Central to Buffalo; change again and go on by the Buffalo & Erie as far as Erie, Penn sylvania; change once more and go on by the Cleveland & Toledo as far as Toledo, Ohio; and making a final change at the latter point proceed by the Michigan Southern & Northern Indiana to Chicago.

ROUTES EAST AND WEST

What is now the Chicago & Alton Railway was known in 1861 as the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis, and its time table showed two trains each way daily between St. Louis and Chicago, the running time between these two cities being fourteen hours. The time by the fast trains of the present day is eight hours.

Towards the north the Chicago & Milwaukee Railroad made the distance between the two cities named in its title in four hours, as compared with two hours at the present day. Extending westward was the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad running as far as Freeport (it was never built to Galena); the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy had a line from Chicago to Quincy; and the Chicago & Rock Island, as it was then called, ran to Rock Island with two trains daily. Chicago was the terminus of thirteen railways, and was thus described in the guide: "Chicago, Illinois, the great commercial entrepot of the lakes and the Upper Mississippi, is located on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan on both sides of the Chicago river. It is the largest of the lake cities, its trade by railroad, lake and canal is immense, and as a grain and lumber market it surpasses any other in the world." The population of the city at that time was about 125,000.

CHAPTER XXVI

REPUBLICAN CONVENTION OF 1860

EVENTS PRECEDING THE NOMINATION- "RAIL SPLITTER" CANDIDATE THE WIGWAM

DESCRIBED-INTERIOR

ARRANGEMENTS-ACCOUNT OF THE

PROCEEDINGS-PROMI

NENT MEN IN ATTENDANCE-PLATFORM ADOPTED-WILLIAM H. SEWARD'S NAME PROPOSED-NORMAN B. JUDD PROPOSES THE "RAIL SPLITTER AND GIANT KILLER" OF ILLINOIS-NO LANGUAGE CAN DESCRIBE THE UPROAR-STENTORIAN SHOUTERS FOR LINCOLN-CHORUS OF STEAM WHISTLES AND FIRING OF CANNON-BALLOTING FOR CANDIDATES-LINCOLN CHOSEN ON THIRD BALLOT ANOTHER SCENE OF WILD APPLAUSE EXTENDING OVER THE CITY "NEVER ANOTHER SUCH SCENE IN AMERICA," SAID HORACE GREELEY-SPEECH OF WILLIAM M. EVARTS RATIFICATION MEETING IN THE WIGWAM-ILLUMINATIONS AND PROCESSIONS-WIDE AWAKE CLUBS FORMED THE NEWS RECEIVED BY LINCOLN--THE ELECTION IN NOVEMBER LINCOLN'S VISIT TO CHICAGO AFTER ELECTION-MEETS HANNIBAL HAMLIN AT THE TREMONT HOUSE-LINCOLN'S DEPARTURE FOR WASHINGTON.

EVENTS PRECEDING THE NOMINATION

a

URING the spring of 1860, the counties of Illinois held their conventions, and, except those in the northern part of the state, where Seward was strong, unanimously recommended Lincoln as the candidate at Chicago. The State Convention met at Decatur, May 9th and 10th, few days previous to the assembling of the National Convention in Chicago. While the delegates were in session Mr. Lincoln came in as a spectator, and was invited to a seat on the platform. Soon afterward Richard J. Oglesby announced that an old Democrat of Macon county desired to make a contribution to the convention. Thereupon a couple of weather-worn fence-rails were borne into the hall, decorated with flags, and bearing the inscription, "Abraham Lincoln, the Rail Candidate for President in 1860." The two rails were described as "from a lot of three thousand made in 1830 by Thomas Hanks and Abe Lincoln, whose father was the first pioneer of Macon County."

A storm of applause greeted the appearance of the fence rails thus decorated and inscribed. For fifteen minutes, cheer upon cheer went up from the assembled delegates. Lincoln was called upon and said, "I suppose I am expected to reply to that. I cannot say whether I made those rails or not, but I am quite sure I have made a great many just as good." He followed this with some reminiscences of the pioneer days. George Schneider, of the Staats Zeitung in Chicago, was one of the delegates and an ardent supporter of Seward as a presidential candidate, but after witnessing this demonstration he remarked to his neighbor, "Seward

has lost the Illinois delegation." Soon afterward John M. Palmer moved a resolution that "Abraham Lincoln is the choice of the Republican party of Illinois for the Presidency, and the delegates from this state are instructed to use all honorable means to secure his nomination by the Chicago Convention, and to vote as a unit for him." The resolution was enthusiastically adopted.

"Lincoln did not believe in 'stage tricks,' says Noah Brooks, "and he was not greatly pleased with the rail incident, although he was gratified by the enthusiam of his friends when they saw this evidence of his humble and youthful toil. But for all that, from that day forward Lincoln was hailed as 'the RailSplitter of Illinois.'"

THE CONVENTION AT THE "WIGWAM"

When Norman B. Judd, chairman of the State Republican Committee, secured the Convention for Chicago, he contributed effectively by this manoeuvre to Lincoln's nomination. Following this the action of the State Convention held at Decatur, May 10th, 1860, instructing the delegates to the National Convention "to use all honorable means to secure his [Lincoln's] nomination" strengthened his prospects greatly. State pride was thoroughly aroused, and as the time for the Convention approached it was seen that the party in Illinois had organized for victory. "Lincoln banners," says Miss Tarbell, "floated across every street, and buildings and omnibuses were decorated with Lincoln emblems. When the Illinois delegation saw that New York and Pennsylvania had brought in so many outsiders to create enthusiasm for their respective candidates, they began to call in supporters from the neighboring localities. Leonard Swett says that they succeeded in getting together fully ten thousand men from Illinois and Indiana, ready to march, shout or fight for Lincoln, as the case required." 1

In making plans for the Convention it was at first thought that Metropolitan Hall would be the place in which it would be held. It was decided later to erect a building for the especial use of the Convention. The building thus erected was called the "Wigwam," and by that name it has become famous. It was built on the lot situated on the southeast corner of Lake and Market streets, where the old Sauganash hotel had formerly stood, which had been destroyed by fire nine years before. The Wigwam cost five thousand dollars to construct, the funds being raised by a general subscription. The builder employed to do the work was Peter Page, well known as the builder of the County Court House which was destroyed in the Great Fire. The land was owned by the Garrett Biblical Institute of Evanston, having been bequeathed to that institution by the will of Mrs. Eliza Garrett, who died in 1855. Mrs. Garrett was the widow of Augustus Garrett, who had been mayor of the city in 1845. The lease of the land had been secured at a comparatively nominal rental by the projectors of the Wigwam, the property being regarded by the trustees of the Institute as "unproductive," 2 and like much other Chicago property was awaiting the future growth of the city to add to its value. The Wigwam was sold in March, 1861, to the Garrett Biblical Institute, which as stated already owned the site, for nine hundred and fifty dollars.

1 Tarbell, II, 138.

2 Willard: "A Classic Town," p. 37.

It was

demolished soon afterwards, and a block of stores built on the land. This block was consumed in the fire of 1871. It may be stated here that the land still remains in the possession of the Institute, and upon it stands a large business block.

On this lot was erected the immense structure known as the Wigwam built by the Chicago Republican Club.3 It was about one hundred and eighty feet long by one hundred feet wide. While the exterior was plain the interior was admirably adapted to its purpose, well ventilated, well lighted and well arranged for speaking. One-third of the space was assigned for the use of the delegates, a great floor one hundred and forty feet long and thirty-five feet wide, with two committee-rooms, one at either end. Within this space the delegations were provided with settees and the location of each delegation was designated by placards with the names of the states represented. The speaker's chair was at the front of the platform, and toward it all the seats looked; extending around three sides of the hall were spacious galleries appropriated to the use of ladies and their escorts, and these were well filled with occupants. On the front of the galleries were painted the coats of arms of all the states. The roof was arched and well supported by posts and braces, as were also the galleries, and around all these were twined evergreens and flowers. The whole space over the platform was festooned with evergreens and drapery showing the National colors, the red, white and blue. The vast structure had been decorated "through the energetic efforts of the committee, assisted by the Republican women of the city, who, scarcely less interested than their husbands and brothers, strove in every way to contribute to the success of the convention," says Miss Tarbell. "They wreathed the pillars and galleries with masses of green, hung banners and flags, brought in busts of American notables, ordered great allegorical paintings of Justice, Liberty, and the like, to suspend on the walls; borrowed the whole series of Healy portraits of American statesmenin short, made the Wigwam at least gay and festive in aspect. . . The chair placed on the platform for the use of the chairman of the convention was donated by Michigan, as the first chair made in that state. It was an arm-chair of the most primitive description, the seat dug out of an immense log and mounted on large rockers. Another chair, one made for the occasion, attracted a great deal of attention. It was constructed of thirty-four kinds of wood, each piece from a different State or Territory, Kansas being appropriately represented by the 'weeping willow,' a symbol of her grief at being still excluded from the sisterhood of states. The gavel used by the chairman was more interesting even than the chair, having been made from a fragment of Commodore Perry's brave Lawrence." 4

Robert R. Hitt, who as we have seen was one of the pioneers in short hand reporting, had accompanied Mr. Horace White in attendance upon the great debates between Lincoln and Douglas, reported the proceedings of the convention for the Press and Tribune; while George P. Upton performed the same service for the Chicago Journal. Mr. Upton soon afterward became a member of the editorial staff of the Tribune at about the time that the latter newspaper resumed its former name.5

3 Tarbell, II, 142.

4 Tarbell's "Life of Lincoln," Vol. II, p. 143.

5 The Tribune and the Democratic Press were merged July 1st, 1858, and continued under the name of the Press and Tribune. On the 25th of October, 1860, the paper resumed its former name of Tribune, and has so remained to the present time.