No conservative likes that. I certainly think Lincoln would be appaled if he could see it. But without secession all that was likely to happen under his administration was Congess keeping slavery out of the territories and a moderate rise in constitutionally mandated tariffs. Hardly a rampant federal government. I do not think it's correct to assume that we wouldn't have an even more intrusive federal leviathan had Lincoln surrendered to secession.
“...a moderate rise in constitutionally mandated tariffs.”
Moderate? Economy-crashing, you mean. It was the tariffs that set the South on the road to secession.