Lincoln, the unknown

110•LINCOLN THE UNKNOWNit had arrived, and he made the most of it. He didn't go to bedat all, that fateful Thursday night while the Republican nominatingconvention was having a recess in Chicago; but fromsundown until long after dawn, he hurried from delegation todelegation, reasoning, arguing, pleading. His paper, the "NewYork Tribune," was read all over the North; and it influencedpublic opinion as no other paper had ever done. He was afamous man, voices were hushed whenever he appeared, and thedelegates listened to him with respect.He hurled all kinds of arguments against Seward. He pointedout that Seward had repeatedly denounced the Masonic order;that in 1830 he had been elected to the State Senate on theanti-Mason ticket, and, as a consequence had aroused bitter,widespread, and undying resentment.Later, when he was Governor of New York, Seward hadfavored the destruction of the common-school fund and theestablishment of separate schools for foreigners and Catholics,and thus had stirred up another hornet's nest of fiery hatred.Greeley pointed out that the men who had made up the oncepowerful Know Nothing party were violently opposed to Sewardand would vote for a hound dog in preference to him.And that wasn't all. Greeley pointed out that this "arch agitator"had been too radical, that his "bloody program" and talkof a higher law than the Constitution had frightened the borderStates, and that they would turn against him."I will bring you the men who are candidates for governorin these States," Greeley promised, "and they will confirm whatI say."He did, and the excitement was intense.With clenched fists and blazing eyes, the gubernatorial candidatesin Pennsylvania and Indiana declared that Seward'snomination meant inevitable defeat in their States, inevitabledisaster.And the Republicans felt that, to win, they must carry thoseStates.So, suddenly, the flood-tide that had been running towardSeward began to recede. And Lincoln's friends rushed about fromdelegation to delegation, trying to persuade those who were opposedto Seward to concentrate on Lincoln. Douglas was sureand no man into be nominated by the Democrats, they said,the country was better equipped to fight Douglas than Lincoln.To him, it was an old job; he was used to it. Besides, Lincoln