PRESS & TRIBUNE DOCUMENTS FOR 1860. NO. 8. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN CONVENTION, HELD AT CHICAGO, MAY 16TH, 17TH & 18TH 1860. FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, OF ILLINOIS. FOR VICE-PRESIDENT, HANNIBAL HAMLIN, OF MAINE. CHICAGO, MAY 21, 1860. PRESS & TRIBUNE OFFICE, 51 CLARK STREET.
Chicago: Press & Tribune Office, 1860. Caption title, as issued. 44pp. Stitched. Widely scattered light foxing. Near Fine. At head of title: "PRICE, 5 Cents per Single Copy; $3.00 per Hundred; $25.00 Per Thousand."
The "stenographic report" [Monaghan] of the country's most significant political convention, with a record of all activities including speeches, platform, and the balloting for President and Vice President. Unlike modern conventions, the winner of this one was far from clear. Several formidable candidates-- including Seward, Chase, Bates, and Fremont--- stood in Lincoln's way. Although he had planned his strategy with great intelligence, Lincoln was a true 'Dark Horse.'
"Instead of attending in person, Lincoln was represented by his friend and campaign manager, Illinois judge David Davis, whose initiative and deal-making skills, despite his candidate's disapproval of such behind-the-scenes maneuvering, is widely credited with his eventual nomination. Davis did, however, follow Lincoln's instruction in forming their general strategy as he maneuvered throughout the building nicknamed The Wigwam.
"To make up for his meagre resume compared to Seward and Chase, his team thought it prudent to not go on the attack against the frontrunners and instead become 'everybody’s second choice.' through the convention's ranked voting system. His campaign also used the convention to start forging Lincoln's image as the Rail-Splitter, a reference to his working-class background and a potential golden opportunity to appeal to the common laborers in the industrial Northern states who stood to benefit the most from the Republicans' Free Soil ideology. They also made direct appeals to delegates from the critical swing states of Pennsylvania and Indiana. When voting began on the 18th, Davis and his allies felt confident in their chances to pull ahead. The first ballot placed Seward, predictably, with the highest vote total of 173.5, but not enough to win a majority, while Lincoln followed with a total of 102. The second round bumped Lincoln's total number of votes to 181. The momentum on Lincoln's side continued to surge into the third round, where Lincoln received a total of 231.5 votes, still not enough to be nominated, until David Cartter, leader of the Ohio delegation, announced his decision to switch support from Chase to Lincoln, making him the 1860 Republican nominee for President" [American Battlefield Trust, 'Inside the Wigwam'.]
Ante-Fire Imprints 504. Monaghan 76. Sabin 65894. Item #41812
Price: $3,500.00