abraham lincoln and the union-第5节

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state　convention　merged　into　one；　and　Seward　pronounced　a　baptismal　oration　upon　the　Republican　party　of　New　York。

In　the　House　of　Representatives　which　met　in　December；　1855；　the　anti…Nebraska　men　were　divided　among　themselves；　and　the　Know…Nothings　held　the　balance　of　power。　　No　　candidate　for　the　speakership；　however；　was　able　to　command　a　majority；　and　finally；　after　it　had　been　agreed　that　a　plurality　would　be　sufficient；　the　contest　closed；　on　the　one　hundred　and　thirty…third　ballot；　with　the　election　of　a　Republican；　N。　P。　Banks。　　Meanwhile　in　the　South；　the　Whigs　were　rapidly　leaving　the　party；　pausing　a　moment　with　the　Know…Nothings；　only　to　find　that　their　inevitable　resting…place；　under　stress　of　sectional　feeling；　was　with　the　Democrats。

On　Washington's　birthday；　1856；　the　Know…Nothing　national　convention　met　at　Philadelphia。　　It　promptly　split　upon　the　subject　of　slavery；　and　a　portion　of　its　membership　sent　word　offering　support　to　another　convention　which　was　sitting　at　Pittsburgh；　and　which　had　been　called　to　form　a　national　organization　for　the　Republican　party。　　A　third　assembly　held　on　this　same　day　was　composed　of　the　newspaper　editors　of　Illinois；　and　may　be　looked　upon　as　the　organization　of　the　Republican　party　in　that　state。　At　the　dinner　following　this　informal　convention；　Lincoln；　who　was　one　of　the　speakers；　was　toasted　as　〃the　next　United　States　Senator。〃

Some　four　months　afterward；　in　Philadelphia；　the　Republicans　held　their　first　national　convention。　　Only　a　few　years　previous　its　members　had　called　themselves　by　various　namesDemocrats；　Free…Soilers；　Know…Nothings；　Whigs。　　The　old　hostilities　of　these　different　groups　had　not　yet　died　out。　　Consequently；　though　Seward　was　far　and　away　the　most　eminent　member　of　the　new　party；　he　was　not　nominated　for　President。　　That　dangerous　honor　was　bestowed　upon　a　dashing　soldier　and　explorer　of　the　Rocky　Mountains　and　the　Far　West；　John　C。　Fremont。*

*For　an　account　of　Fremont；　see　Stewart　Edward　White；　〃The　Forty…Niners〃　（in　〃The　Chronicles　of　America〃）；　Chapter　II。


The　key　to　the　political　situation　in　the　North；　during　that　momentous　year；　was　to　be　found　in　the　great　number　of　able　Whigs　who；　seeing　that　their　own　party　was　lost　but　refusing　to　be　sidetracked　by　the　make…believe　issue　of　the　Know…Nothings；　were　now　hesitating　what　to　do。　　Though　the　ordinary　politicians　among　the　Republicans　doubtless　wished　to　conciliate　these　unattached　Whigs；　the　astuteness　of　the　leaders　was　too　great　to　allow　them　to　succumb　to　that　temptation。　　They　seem　to　have　feared　the　possible　effect　of　immediately　incorporating　in　their　ranks；　while　their　new　organization　was　still　so　plastic；　the　bulk　of　those　conservative　classes　which　were；　after　all；　the　backbone　of　this　irreducible　Whig　minimum。

The　Republican　campaign　was　conducted　with　a　degree　of　passion　that　had　scarcely　been　equaled　in　America　before　that　day。　　To　the　well…ordered　spirit　of　the　conservative　classes　the　tone　which　the　Republicans　assumed　appeared　shocking。　　Boldly　sectional　in　their　language；　sweeping　in　their　denunciation　of　slavery；　the　leaders　of　the　campaign　made　bitter　and　effective　use　of　a　number　of　recent　events。　　〃Uncle　Tom's　Cabin〃；　published　in　1852；　and　already　immensely　popular；　was　used　as　a　political　tract　to　arouse；　by　its　gruesome　picture　of　slavery；　a　hatred　of　slaveholders。　　Returned　settlers　from　Kansas　went　about　the　North　telling　horrible　stories　of　guerrilla　warfare；　so　colored　as　to　throw　the　odium　all　on　one　side。　　The　scandal　of　the　moment　was　the　attack　made　by　Preston　Brooks　on　Sumner；　after　the　latter's　furious　diatribe　in　the　Senate；　which　was　published　as　〃The　Crime　Against　Kansas〃。　　With　double　skill　the　Republicans　made　equal　capital　out　of　the　intellectual　violence　of　the　speech　and　the　physical　violence　of　the　retort。　　In　addition　to　this；　there　was　ready　to　their　hands　the　evidence　of　Southern　and　Democratic　sympathy　with　a　filibustering　attempt　to　conquer　the　republic　of　Nicaragua；　where　William　Walker；　an　American　adventurer；　had　recently　made　himself　dictator。　　Walker　had　succeeded　in　having　his　minister　acknowledged　by　the　Democratic　Administration；　and　in　obtaining　the　endorsement　of　a　great　Democratic　meeting　which　was　held　in　New　York。　　It　looked；　therefore；　as　if　the　party　of　political　evasion　had　an　anchor　to　windward；　and　that；　in　the　event　of　their　losing　in　Kansas；　they　intended　to　placate　their　Southern　wing　by　the　annexation　of　Nicaragua。

Here；　indeed；　was　a　stronger　political　tempest　than　Douglas；　weatherwise　though　he　was；　had　foreseen。　　How　was　political　evasion　to　brave　it？　　With　a　courage　quite　equal　to　the　boldness　of　the　Republicans；　the　Democrats　took　another　tack　and　steered　for　less　troubled　waters。　　Their　convention　at　Cincinnati　was　temperate　and　discreet　in　all　its　expressions；　and　for　President　it　nominated　a　Northerner；　James　Buchanan　of　Pennsylvania；　a　man　who　was　wholly　dissociated　in　the　public　mind　from　the　struggle　over　Kansas。

The　Democratic　party　leaders　knew　that　they　already　had　two　strong　groups　of　supporters。　　Whatever　they　did；　the　South　would　have　to　go　along　with　them；　in　its　reaction　against　the　furious　sectionalism　of　the　Republicans。　　Besides　the　Southern　support；　the　Democrats　counted　upon　the　aid　of　the　professional　politiciansthose　men　who　considered　politics　rather　as　a　fascinating　game　than　as　serious　and　difficult　work　based　upon　principle。　　Upon　these　the　Democrats　could　confidently　rely；　for　they　already　had；　in　Douglas　in　the　North　and　Toombs　in　the　South；　two　master　politicians　who　knew　this　type　and　its　impulses　intimately；　because　they　themselves　belonged　to　it。　　But　the　Democrats　needed　the　support　of　a　third　group。　　If　they　could　only　win　over　the　Northern　remnant　of　the　Whigs　that　was　still　unattached；　their　position　would　be　secure。　　In　their　efforts　to　obtain　this　additional　and　very　necessary　reinforcement；　they　decided　to　appear　as　temperate　and　restrained　as　possiblea　well　bred　party　which　all　mild　and　conservative　men　could　trust。

This　attitude　they　formulated　in　connection　with　Kansas；　which　at　that　time　had　two　governments：　one；　a　territorial　government；　set　up　by　emigrants　from　the　South；　the　other；　a　state　government；　under　the　constitution　drawn　up　at　Topeka　by　emigrants　from　the　North。　　One　authorized　slavery；　the　other　prohibited　slavery；　and　both　had　appealed　to　Washington　for　recognition。　　It　was　with　this　quite　definite　issue　that　Congress　was　chiefly　concerned　in　the　spring　of　1856。　　During　the　summer　Toombs　introduced　a　bill　securing　to　the　settlers　of　Kansas　complete　freedom　of　action　and　providing　for　an　election　of　delegates　to　a　convention　to　draw　up　a　state　constitution　which　would　determine　whether　slavery　or　freedom　was　to　prevailin　other　words；　whether　Kansas　was　to　be　annexed　to　the　South　or　to　the　North。　　This　bill　was　merely　the　full　expression　of　what　Douglas　had　aimed　at　in　1854　and　of　what　was　nicknamed　〃popular　sovereignty〃the　right　of　the　locality　to　choose　for　itself　between　slave　and　free　labor。

Two　years　before；　such　a　measure　would　have　seemed　radical。　　But　in　politics　time　is　wonderfully　elastic。　　Those　two　years　had　been　packed　with　turmoil。　　Kansas　had　been　the　scene　of　a　bloody　conflict。　　Regardless　of　which　side　had　a　majority　on　the　ground；　extremists　on　each　side　had　demanded　recognition　for　the　government　set　up　by　their　own　party。　　By　contrast；　Toombs's　offer　to　let　the　majority　rule　appeared　temperate。

The　Republicans　saw　instantly　that　they　must　discredit　the　proposal　or　the　ground　would　be　cut　from　under　them。　　Though　the　bill　passed　the　Senate；　they　were　able　to　set　it　aside　in　the　House　in　favor　of　a　bill　admitting　Kansas　as　a　free　state　with　the　Topeka　constitution。　　The　Democrats　thereupon　accused　the　Republicans　of　not　wanting　peace　and　of　wishing　to　keep　up　the　war…cry　〃Bleeding　Kansas〃　until　election　time。

That；　throughout　the　country；　the　two　parties　continued　on　the　lines　of　policy　they　had　chosen　may　be　seen　from　an　illustration。　A　House　committee　which　had　gone　to　Kansas　to　investigate　submitted　two　reports；　one　of　which；　submitted　by　a　Democratic　member；　told　the　true　story　of　the　murders　committed　by　John　Brown　at　Pottawatomie。　　And　yet；　while　the　Republicans　spread　everywhere　their　shocking　tales　of　murders　of　free…state　settlers；　the　Democrats　made　practically　no　use　of　this　equally　shocking　tale　of　the　murder　of　slaveholders。　　Apparently　they　were　resolved　to　appear　temperate　and　conservative　to　the　bitter　end。

And　they　had　their　reward。　　Or；　perhaps　the　fury　of　the　Republicans　had　its　just　deserts。　　From　either　point　of　view；　the　result　was　a　choice　of　evils　on　the　part　of　the　reluctant　Whigs；　and　that　choice　was　expressed　in　the　following　words　by　as　typical　a　New　Englander　as　Rufus　Choate：　〃The　first　duty　of　Whigs；〃　wrote　Choate　to　the　Maine　State　central　committee；　〃is　to　unite　with　some　organization　of　our　countrymen　to　defeat　and　dissolve　the　new　geographical　party　calling　itself　Republican。。。。　　The　question　for　each　and　every　one　of　us　is。。。by　what　vote　can　I　do　most　to　prevent　the　madness　of　the　times　from　working　its　maddest　act　the　very　ecstasy　of　its　madnessthe　permanent　formation　and　the　actual　triump