. Abraham Lincoln; a history . If Lincoln resignedhis membership in the Legislature this mightdestroy the majority. If he refused to resign,such refusal might carry some member to theDemocrats. At last, upon full deliberation, Lincoln resignedhis seat, relying upon the six or seven hundredmajority in Sangamon County to elect anotherWhig. It was a delusive trust. A reaction in theWhig ranks against abolitionism suddenly setin. A listless apathy succeeded the intense excite-ment and strain of the summers canvass. Localrivalries forced the selection of an unpopular candi-date. Shrewdly noting all
. Abraham Lincoln; a history . If Lincoln resignedhis membership in the Legislature this mightdestroy the majority. If he refused to resign,such refusal might carry some member to theDemocrats. At last, upon full deliberation, Lincoln resignedhis seat, relying upon the six or seven hundredmajority in Sangamon County to elect anotherWhig. It was a delusive trust. A reaction in theWhig ranks against abolitionism suddenly setin. A listless apathy succeeded the intense excite-ment and strain of the summers canvass. Localrivalries forced the selection of an unpopular candi-date. Shrewdly noting all these signs the Demo-crats of Sangamon organized what is known inWestern politics as a still-hunt. They made afeint of allowing the special election to go bydefault. They made no nomination. They per-mitted an independent Democrat, known underthe sobriquet of Steamboat Smith, to parade hisown name. Up to the very day of election theygave no public sign, although they had in theutmost secrecy instructed and drilled their pre-. OWEN I,OVEJOY. LINCOLN AND TRUMBULL 385 cinct squads. On the morning of election the Democrats appeared at every poll, dis-tributing tickets bearing the name of a single can-didate not before mentioned by any one. Theywere busy all day long spurring up the laggingand indifferent, and bringing the aged, the infirm,and the distant voters in vehicles. Their ruse suc-ceeded. The Whigs were taken completely bysurprise, and in a remarkably small total vote,McDaniels, Democrat, was chosen by about sixtymajority. The Whigs in other parts of the Statewere furious at the unlooked-for result, and theincident served gieatly to complicate the senatorialcanvass. Nevertheless it turned out that even after thisloss the opposition to Douglas would have amajority on joint ballot. But how unite thisopposition made up of Whigs, of Democrats, andof so-called abolitionists ? It was just at thatmoment in the impending revolution of partieswhen everything was do
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