are the nominees I don't believe many people know what is occurring is similar to what
occurred in 1860, the second attempt by the newly formed Republican Party to win the
presidency.
At that time, more than 150 years ago, one candidate wrestled against internal Republican
'forces' to prevent him from winning the nomination!
During that campaign the man everyone expected to receive the nomination was the powerful
and well-known William H. Seward of New York. Abraham Lincoln was not considered a
formidable or serious contender for the appointment. Lincoln was a "dark horse" at best.
What Lincoln did was "outfox" Seward. Sound familiar?
The following included excerpts from "How Lincoln Won the 1860 Republican Nomination"
found at: http://www.greatamericanhistory.net/nomination.htm
It occurred at the Republican convention in Chicago, in May 1860. Seward was the front
runner and dispatched his team of 70 delegates and 13 railroad cars of supporters to get
delegates in his pocket.
Seward was confident, having garnered a third of the required 233 votes to win the
nomination. No other candidate had the potential to defeat him as none had nearly as many
delegates.
Seward's only concern was Illinois’ “Favorite Son,” Abraham Lincoln, but he only expected
Lincoln to receive tacit support, the states’ 22 votes, and no more. Steward would not take
the chance of losing, so he sent word, offering Lincoln the VP to secure his nomination in the event of a tough floor fight.
But, Lincoln also had a strategy. Using all his political skill, he persuaded the Illinois
delegation to vote for him in a bloc, and provided them with some tactical guidance which
included an admonishment to “make no deals that bind me,” and waited in Springfield for
the results.
Confident that Seward would not have enough votes to lock up the nomination on the first
ballot, Lincoln intended to get the second highest vote count on the first ballot and line up
additional votes for the second ballot in order to show increasing strength.
Lincoln hoped this strategy--combined with the presence of an enthusiastic band of followers
on the floor, would be sufficient to win the nomination on the third or subsequent ballot.
Lincoln’s men left no detail unattended in their pursuit of this strategy. They made certain
Seward’s New Yorkers were seated far from other critical delegations with whom they
might collaborate. They even printed hundreds of counterfeit tickets and distributed them to Lincoln supporters with instructions to show up early--in order to displace Seward’s supporters. They also assigned two men with very loud voices to lead the cheering. One of these men reportedly had a larynx powerful enough to allow his shout to be heard across Lake Michigan.
The first two days of the convention were devoted to acceptance of delegates, administration,
and the platform. The evenings were spent in caucusing of delegates, offering champagne for now and “oceans of money” later.
In contrast, Lincoln's team spent their time lining up votes from delegates of other states that didn’t want to see Seward win. Indiana committed 26 first ballot votes to Lincoln. Several of the New England states, including New Hampshire and Maine, provided Lincoln with many first ballot votes that Seward was planning on.
Even more important were the second ballot votes. Several states, including Vermont, were
glad to find that the “stop Seward” forces were finally uniting behind one man and
committed most of their subsequent votes to Lincoln. Pennsylvania was harder to crack, so
a harder decision was made, get a commitment from Pennsylvania to support Lincoln on
second ballot by offering a cabinet position to Simon Cameron.
Finally, the third day arrived. One thousand Seward men marched behind a smartly uniformed
brass band. To their horror, they found that they could not get in: the Lincoln men, admitted with their counterfeit tickets, had taken their seats.
After the first ballot, Seward, as expected, led with 173 votes. Lincoln was next with 102.
A second ballot was immediately called for, and the Lincoln camp knew that their man would gain strength. Vermont was the first state to make a major shift--all 10 votes went to Lincoln, a significant blow to Seward.
As the roll call continued, Lincoln gained a few votes here and a few there, while Seward’s tally remained largely unchanged.
When Pennsylvania’s turn came, the Lincoln men held their breath. Whereas only four votes from Pennsylvania went to Lincoln on the first ballot, a whopping 48 went to him on the second. Seward supporters sank in their seats. Lincoln clearly had the momentum. The final tally on the second ballot was 184 for Seward and 181 for Lincoln.
Ballot three began. Lincoln continued to pick up votes--4 more from Kentucky, 15 from Ohio--while Seward lost votes.
Lincoln now had 231 and a half votes, one and a half short of the needed for the nomination.
Ohio would seal Seward's fate as it changed four votes to Lincoln.
So Lincoln was nominated and would be elected the nation’s 16th president. He appointed Seward secretary of state, and other challengers, Cameron secretary of war, Chase secretary
of the Treasury, and Bates attorney general. (the way "horse trading" is done today)
That is how Lincoln won, using his power of persuasion with delegates, same as now.
Now, back to the current Republican Party primary. It won't be a surprise if the two leading Republican candidates employ the same "gamesmanship" used in 1860.
All we can hope for is that the desires of the electorate will prevail.
Please add feedback in comments section below, or email ajbruno14@gmail.com "Point of View" blog http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/
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