of the war demanded a large revenue, this
was obtained partly by a high tariff. In these circumstances originated
the Protectionist character of the Republican party; a character
confirmed by the natural alliance of the favored interests with the
favoring power.

The most prominent and in a sense logical candidate was William H.
Seward. As Governor and then Senator of New York, as a polished and
philosophic orator, as a man whose anti-slavery and constitutional
principles were well understood,--he was easily in the popular estimate
the foremost man of the party. Lincoln was in comparison obscure; his
fame rested mainly on his achievements as a popular debater; he was
wholly unversed in executive work and almost equally so in legislation;
highly esteemed in his own State, but little known beyond its borders.
He had been proposed for the Presidency only a week before in the State
convention, with great hurrahing for "the rail-splitter," "honest old
Abe." It seemed hardly more than one of the "favorite son" candidacies
which every canvass knows in plenty. But he was supported by a group of
very skillful Illinois politicians. They worked up the local sentiment
in his favor; they filled the galleries of the Wigwam at daylight of
the decisive day, and they took quieter and effective measures. Simon
Cameron claimed to control the vote of Pennsylvania in the convention,
and a bargain was made with him that if Lincoln were elected he should
have a seat in the Cabinet. Lincoln was not a party to the compact, but
when informed of it afterward he reluctantly made good his part. The
same thing was done with the friends of Caleb B. Smith of Indiana, and
with a like sequel.

Meantime, Seward met such difficulties as always beset the first
favorite in a race. The old alliance between Seward, Weed and Greeley,
had been broken, with anger and resentment on Greeley's part, and he was
now on the floor of the convention actively opposing his old ally.
William M. Evarts led the New York delegation for Seward. Edward Bates
of Missouri had some support, as more moderate than Seward in his
anti-slavery principles, but he was too colorless a candidate to draw
much strength. One of Seward's friends, in seeking to win over the Bates
men, declared that Lincoln was just as radical as Seward. A newspaper
containing this being shown to Lincoln, he penciled on the margin a
reply which was forwarded to his supporters, "Lincoln agrees with Seward
in h