My current understanding is that Lincoln only won the presidency because the banksters funded him to the tune of $Millions, while Douglas had $5000. Banksters have been running the country ever since (for the most part).
Have you ever heard of "brownshirts"? I'm sure you've heard of ANTIFA.
Lincoln had deep connections with the Railroad corporations. (Which he rewarded greatly in 1862 with the Railroad act.)
Lincoln used these connections to bring in by rail car thousands of "bully boys" to intimidate, bribe and harass the delegates to the Chicago convention in 1860.
At the time, William Seward (highly respected governor of New York) was expected to get the nomination hands down. He was by far the favorite pick of the delegates.
When Lincolns hired goons showed up, they threatened, they bribed, they shouted down, they physically blocked, and anything else of which they could think to make certain that Seward did not win the nomination on the first ballot.
Lincoln's men offered powerful government jobs or other government controlled goodies to delegates that would support him.
Washington DC was corrupt before Lincoln arrived, but he ramped up the corruption to another level.