ong, and that its further extension should be prohibited
by Congress. Its candidates were Abraham Lincoln of Illinois for
President and Hannibal Hamlin of Maine for Vice-president.

2. The Douglas wing of the Democratic party, which declared indifference
whether slavery were right or wrong, extended or prohibited, and
proposed to permit the people of a Territory to decide whether they
would prevent or establish it. Its candidates were Stephen A. Douglas of
Illinois for President, and Herschel V. Johnson of Georgia for
Vice-President.

3. The Buchanan wing of the Democratic party, which declared that
slavery was right and beneficial, and whose policy was to extend the
institution, and create new slave States. Its candidates were John C.
Breckinridge of Kentucky for President, and Joseph Lane of Oregon for
Vice-President.

4. The Constitutional Union party, which professed to ignore the
question of slavery, and declared it would recognize no political
principles other than "the Constitution of the country, the union of the
States, and the enforcement of the laws." Its candidates were John Bell
of Tennessee for President, and Edward Everett of Massachusetts for
Vice-President.

In the array of these opposing candidates and their platforms, it could
be easily calculated from the very beginning that neither Lincoln nor
Douglas had any chance to carry a slave State, nor Breckinridge nor Bell
to carry a free State; and that neither Douglas in the free States, nor
Bell in either section could obtain electoral votes enough to succeed.
Therefore, but two alternatives seemed probable. Either Lincoln would be
chosen by electoral votes, or, upon his failure to obtain a sufficient
number, the election would be thrown into the House of Representatives,
in which case the course of combination, chance, or intrigue could not
be foretold. The political situation and its possible results thus
involved a degree of uncertainty sufficient to hold out a contingent
hope to all the candidates and to inspire the followers of each to
active exertion. This hope and inspiration, added to the hot temper
which the long discussion of antagonistic principles had engendered,
served to infuse into the campaign enthusiasm, earnestness, and even
bitterness, according to local conditions in the different sections.

In campaign enthusiasm the Republican party easily took the lead. About
a week before his nomination, Mr. Lincoln had been present at the
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