e for the
vice-presidency a war Democrat. Mr. Dickinson, while not putting himself
forward as a candidate, had sanctioned the use of his name on the
special ground that his candidacy might attract to the support of the
Union party many Democrats who would have been unwilling to support a
ticket avowedly Republican; but these considerations weighed with still
greater force in favor of Mr. Johnson, who was not only a Democrat, but
also a citizen of a slave State. The first ballot showed that Mr.
Johnson had received two hundred votes, Mr. Hamlin one hundred and
fifty, and Mr. Dickinson one hundred and eight; and before the result
was announced almost the whole convention turned their votes to Johnson;
whereupon his nomination was declared unanimous. The work was so quickly
done that Mr. Lincoln received notice of the action of the convention
only a few minutes after the telegram announcing his own renomination
had reached him.

Replying next day to a committee of notification, he said in part:

"I will neither conceal my gratification nor restrain the expression of
my gratitude that the Union people, through their convention, in the
continued effort to save and advance the nation, have deemed me not
unworthy to remain in my present position. I know no reason to doubt
that I shall accept the nomination tendered and yet, perhaps I should
not declare definitely before reading and considering what is called the
platform. I will say now, however, I approve the declaration in favor of
so amending the Constitution as to prohibit slavery throughout the
nation. When the people in revolt, with a hundred days of explicit
notice that they could within those days resume their allegiance without
the overthrow of their institutions, and that they could not resume it
afterward, elected to stand out, such amendment to the Constitution as
is now proposed became a fitting and necessary conclusion to the final
success of the Union cause.... In the joint names of Liberty and Union,
let us labor to give it legal form and practical effect."

In his letter of June 29, formally accepting the nomination, the
President observed the same wise rule of brevity which he had followed
four years before. He made but one specific reference to any subject of
discussion. While he accepted the convention's resolution reaffirming
the Monroe Doctrine, he gave the convention and the country distinctly
to understand that he stood by the action already adopted b