Posted on 05/12/2020 6:23:00 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Bruce Catton, The Coming Fury
You will probably get the result at Chicago before this reaches you. We know nothing here except what appears by telegraph. It looks now as if Mr. Seward would fail. In that case Lincoln seems to be in the ascendant. I have no doubt it will either be Mr. Seward or a Western man. I have done everything I could to avoid being named at all, and have specifically directed the Maine delegation not to bring me forward in any event, or procure it to be done.
SOURCE: Francis Fessenden, Life and Public Services of William Pitt Fessenden, Volume 1, p. 113
BOSTON, May 17,1860.
MY DEAR HENRY, . . . On Friday I made my address to the Natural History Society on their thirtieth anniversary, and according to all accounts was more than usually successful. As I did not prepare in writing, I have, of course, nothing permanent to show for it. But I suppose the chief object was attained, and I am content.
I have been making some further experiments on photographing the electrical light, and on binocular vision, the details of which I will send you in my next, with the request, perhaps, that you would present them at the Oxford meeting. I have obtained a very beautiful photographic impression of the stratified discharge, thus showing the absence of actinic as well as luminous rays in the dark interspaces. . . .
Mr. Alger has lately shown me a letter of yours to Herbert Spencer in regard to the publication of the latter's works in this country. He and Mr. Silsbee, of Salem, are interesting themselves in getting subscribers, as I most certainly shall do. Some of Spencer's reviews, which I have read, struck me as very remarkable productions. After a time I am sure that his writings will be in great request with the more liberal thinkers here.
The Constitutional-Union party, at their late convention in Baltimore, nominated Bell, of Tennessee, for President, and Everett for Vice-President. Hillard was one of the chief speakers, and won a shower of bouquets from the ladies. As no opinions were expressed, or principles announced, in regard to any of the stirring questions of the day, of course all went smoothly and pleasantly.
I was saddened to hear yesterday that Theodore Parker has been rapidly going down, and that he is not expected to be able to leave Florence. Desor has been with him, and perhaps is still his companion. But probably you know more of his condition and purposes than we do. . . .
WILLIAM.
SOURCE: Emma Savage Rogers & William T. Sedgwick, Life and Letters of William Barton Rogers, Volume 2, p. 33-4
[May 17, 1860.]
I have to-day two letters from you and one from Frank — your letter, May 9 and Frank's May 12, and have telegraphed that I am here and will leave for Philadelphia to-night.
I found on arrival at Lawrence some earnest men, who are desirous to use active measures if they could have the means. Among them a Mr. Stewart, who tells me he formerly lived with Mr. Henry A. Page. S. has several colored people on his farm, one a good-looking young girl who, when her master tried to take improper liberties with her, knocked him down and ran off.
He, with others I saw, assured me that it was the wish of the majority of the people of Kansas to make it a “free state” for blacks as well as whites, and they would do so if the means could be procured to effect an organization.
If I had returned home my work would only have been half developed, and of course half done. I now feel confident that we can make the whole of Kansas a place of rest for the “panting fugitive,” and that done, Missouri, Arkansas, and the Indian Territory can be cleared of slaves.
Montgomery is a splendid man. I will tell you lots of stories about him when I get home.
SOURCE: Preston Stearns, The Life and Public Services of George Luther Stearns, p. 225-6
I have summarized it as follows:
| Plank Nbr. | Summary |
|---|---|
| 1 | Republican Party is Necessary & Permanentt |
| 2 | Support for Founding Fathers' Principles |
| 3 | Anti-Secession |
| 4 | Anti-Violence (as from John Brown) |
| 5 | Anti-Slavery (opposed to Democrat abuses of their political powers) |
| 6 | Anti-Corruption ("Drain the D.C. Swamp") |
| 7 | Anti-Slavery (in US territories) |
| 8 | Anti-Slavery (in US territories) |
| 9 | Anti-Slavery (opposed to international importations of slaves) |
| 10 | Anti-Slavery (in US territories) |
| 11 | Anti-Slavery (admit Kansas as free state) |
| 12 | Support Protective Tariffs |
| 13 | Support Western Settlers |
| 14 | Support Legal Immigrants |
| 15 | Support Transportation Infrastructure Spending |
| 16 | Support Trans-Continental Railroad |
Today we see Democrat-imposed quasi-slavery in many issues still opposed by Republicans, from long-term dependence on government "free money" to the ultimate denial of freedom, abortions.
In my daily link to the Facebook “American Civil War” group I recommended your analysis to the members. Hopefully a few will wander over for a look.
The core group of President Trump's electoral win 2016 was: Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Florida.
Virgina was not part of the win because blue-state culture has metastasized into that formerly reliable electorate.
If the President can duplicate the vote in these defiant conservative states - and somehow convince the voters in several other states to buy into core American values - he will win again.
If he were to lose these core states, his reelection chances would be bleak.
“A lot of people here, it seems, pretend to be Republicans, or conservatives, when what they actually are, are Southern Democrats.”
The core group of President Trump’s electoral win 2016 was: Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Florida.
Virgina was not part of the win because blue-state culture has metastasized into that formerly reliable electorate.
If the President can duplicate the vote in these defiant conservative states - and somehow convince the voters in several other states to buy into American values - he will win again.
If he were to lose these core states, his reelection chances would be bleak.
"Core group" is subjective. Texas, Florida and probably North Carolina, and Georgia are key states, but Arizona, Ohio, Indiana or Missouri carries more Electoral College weight than any of those other states.
The key for Trump, though, was carrying Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. I believe Dole, McCain, and Romney carried most of those Southern states and still lost the election.
If he were to lose these core states, his reelection chances would be bleak.
Sure, and if the Democrats lost Vermont, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Maryland, their chances would be bleak too. But it's not those states or the reliably Republican ones that decide the election. It may be flattering to think it's all about a battle of values, but voting is at once more complex and simpler than that.
“The key for Trump, though, was carrying Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.”
I acknowledged those dynamics in my previous post:
“If the President can duplicate the vote in these defiant conservative states - and somehow convince the voters in several other states to buy into American values - he will win again.”
I find the material interesting, but not at the slow speed it shows up on my machine.
I totally get that -- I live, so to speak, "back in the woods" and my alleged 10 Mbps internet connection seldom comes in even 1/5 of that.
So it takes a while to load, and then they're hard to read, sometimes have to crank up the "zoom" to over 150% to get a clear image.
On the other hand, it's pretty astonishing how often you'll find today's debates addressed & illuminated by reports & analysis from the time, and that's real history, not just long-after-the-fact navel gazing.
x: "The key for Trump, though, was carrying Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. I believe Dole, McCain, and Romney carried most of those Southern states and still lost the election."
Before 1860 Pennsylvania was pretty reliably Democrat, flipping only to help elect Whig Presidents Harrison & Tyler (both slaveholders).
From 1860 Pennsylvanians voted reliably Republican until FDR's reelection in 1936 -- yes, we voted for Hoover over FDR in 1932!
But in 1948 we flipped back to Dewey over Truman and since then have pretty reliably picked the winner -- Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush I & Clinton.
Then we went for loser Democrats Gore & Kerry before falling for winner Obama, twice, and then amazingly, Donald Trump!
Where we're going this year is anybody's guess -- my region of rural PA votes around R+60, while Philadelphia (where some of my daughters live) runs D+40, so who's going to vote and how much cheating will Democrats do?
Of course I'm not claiming that Pennsylvania is a bit more important than any other state, far from it, I'm only saying that since 1952 Pennsylvanians have voted for every winner except George W. Bush, don't ask me how that works, I have no clue.
David Herbert Donald, Lincoln
Doris Kearns Goodwin, Team of Rivals
Bruce Catton, The Coming Fury
The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Edited by Allan Nevins and Milton Halsey Thomas
10 Mbps? Way faster than mine. I use a wireless internet that i've had for nearly 20 years, and I think it can go as high as 300 Kbps, but is only guaranteed to do 120 Kbps.
It does what I need, and i've had it for a long time. I use an old machine too. I'm still running XP, but it's getting harder because they keep making it difficult to use an old machine on the internet.
On the other hand, it's pretty astonishing how often you'll find today's debates addressed & illuminated by reports & analysis from the time, and that's real history, not just long-after-the-fact navel gazing.
I enjoy reading them, but it's just too much trouble waiting for them to load.
Well played has become a cliche, but wow, was this convention well played by Lincoln and his team.
Well... it would be if I actually got the 10Mbps promised, but it's nowhere near that, likely in equal parts because of a slower transmission speed and my 10-year-old laptop's slow processing speed.
"I use a wireless internet that i've had for nearly 20 years..."
Hmmmmm… my TV is 20 years old, but the laptop, notebook & tablet are all much newer, and all fast enough (barely) to, for example, play YouTube videos.
They also require regular software upgrades and occasional calls to technicians in India or the Philippines.
Their hardware seems to work as good as ever.
"I enjoy reading them, but it's just too much trouble waiting for them to load."
You're missing out.
This thread, for example, includes not just Harper's Weekly, but also reports on the 1860 Republican convention from Donald, Catton & Goodwin, along with quotes from Lincoln himself and several other notables of the time.
Well worth the price of admission. ;-)
1860 Republican Party Platform
Plank Nbr. Summary 1 Republican Party is Necessary & Permanentt 2 Support for Founding Fathers' Principles 3 Anti-Secession 4 Anti-Violence (as from John Brown) 5 Anti-Slavery (opposed to Democrat abuses of their political powers) 6 Anti-Corruption ("Drain the D.C. Swamp") 7 Anti-Slavery (in US territories) 8 Anti-Slavery (in US territories) 9 Anti-Slavery (opposed to international importations of slaves) 10 Anti-Slavery (in US territories) 11 Anti-Slavery (admit Kansas as free state) 12 Support Protective Tariffs 13 Support Western Settlers 14 Support Legal Immigrants 15 Support Transportation Infrastructure Spending 16 Support Trans-Continental Railroad
Really, there is no substitute for the actual party platform. "Legal immigration" did not amount to much more than getting off the boat or swimming across the river.
Proceedings of the Republican National Convention held at Chicago, May 16, 17, and 18, 1860, pp. 79-83:
The PRESIDENT: The chair is informed that the Committee on Resolutions and Platform is ready to report. [Immense applause.]Judge JESSUP, of Pennsylvania: The Committee on Platform and Resolutions have directed me to say to the Convention, that these resolutions have been adopted with great unanimity, there being upon one or two of the resolutions some dissenting voices on the committee. The greater portion of the resolutions were adopted with entire unanimity in the committee.
THE PLATFORM.
Resolved, That we, the delegated representatives of the Republican electors of the United States, in Convention assembled, in discharge of the duty we owe to our constituents and our country, unite in the following declarations:
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 peaceful and constitutional triumph.
2. That the maintenance of the principles promulgated in the Declaration of Independence, and embodied in the Federal Constitution, 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. [Applause.]
3. That to the union of the States this nation owes its unprecedented increase in population, its surprising development of material resources, its rapid augmentation of wealth, its happiness at home and its honor abroad; and we hold in abhorrence all schemes for 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 ascendancy, 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 in its general and unvarying abuse of the power entrusted 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 cotemporaneous 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 territory 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 her people, and accepted 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 working men 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.
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 free 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 and 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 obligation of government to protect the lives and property 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.
Interesting to notice that both Democrats and Republicans rejected their leading "establishment" candidate, as too radical on slavery & so unacceptable to Southerners.
But Democrats required 2/3 to win and Douglas maxed out at 60% -- Charleston produced no nominee.
Republicans in Chicago also rejected their leading establishment candidate, Seward, as too radical on slavery, but Republicans only required 50% to win, and did not expect any Republican to appeal to Deep South voters -- they only hoped to win some Northern Democrat & Border State votes.
And for that, somehow, "rail-splitter" Lincoln fit the bill.
And, as Catton reports, there were the words of Kentucky's Cassius Clay:
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