I know that. The original republicans had balls. The current slate of GOP officeholders is filled with eunuchs, for the most part.
The original Republicans were not all John Brown abolitionists. They were the moderates that were willing to let slavery stand in the slave states, but ran on denying slavery growth in the territories.
Lincoln was always seeking the middle ground, only issuing his Emancipation Proclamation after a US victory, making room for Democrat generals. As a moderate, he was elected because of Democrat overreach that forced northern citizens to help slave catchers.
If you can’t get a majority of one of two political parties, you can’t have a majority in the country.