otal of five hundred
and six for Lincoln; the announcement being greeted with a storm of
cheering which lasted many minutes.

The principal names mentioned for the vice-presidency were Hannibal
Hamlin, the actual incumbent; Andrew Johnson of Tennessee; and Daniel S.
Dickinson of New York. Besides these, General L.H. Rousseau had the vote
of his own State--Kentucky. The radicals of Missouri favored General
B.F. Butler, who had a few scattered votes also from New England. Among
the principal candidates, however, the voters were equally enough
divided to make the contest exceedingly spirited and interesting.

For several days before the convention met Mr. Lincoln had been besieged
by inquiries as to his personal wishes in regard to his associate on the
ticket. He had persistently refused to give the slightest intimation of
such wish. His private secretary, Mr. Nicolay, who was at Baltimore in
attendance at the convention, was well acquainted with this attitude;
but at last, over-borne by the solicitations of the chairman of the
Illinois delegation, who had been perplexed at the advocacy of Joseph
Holt by Leonard Swett, one of the President's most intimate friends, Mr.
Nicolay wrote to Mr. Hay, who had been left in charge of the executive
office in his absence:

"Cook wants to know, confidentially, whether Swett is all right; whether
in urging Holt for Vice-President he reflects the President's wishes;
whether the President has any preference, either personal or on the
score of policy; or whether he wishes not even to interfere by a
confidential intimation.... Please get this information for me, if
possible."

The letter was shown to the President, who indorsed upon it:

"Swett is unquestionably all right. Mr. Holt is a good man, but I had
not heard or thought of him for V.P. Wish not to interfere about V.P.
Cannot interfere about platform. Convention must judge for itself."

This positive and final instruction was sent at once to Mr. Nicolay, and
by him communicated to the President's most intimate friends in the
convention. It was therefore with minds absolutely untrammeled by even
any knowledge of the President's wishes that the convention went about
its work of selecting his associate on the ticket. It is altogether
probable that the ticket of 1860 would have been nominated without a
contest had it not been for the general impression, in and out of the
convention, that it would be advisable to select as a candidat