Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 26.djvu/337

 Tin < ''iii/i'lt rut, Catueandits /M'< /"/. ;_' 7

in th< House, Senate, and Cabinet," that prior to the adoption of this platform " there was apparent languor and indifference among people of the North as to who should be president, but after its adop- tion, there could be no doubt as to the trend of popular opinion." ( i ivernor Seward said in a speech delivered a few days after the adoption of that platform : "The issue is thus squarely made: McClel- lan and disunion, or Lincoln and union."

So that the issue thus made by the people of the North among tlu-msc-lvt's was really whether the war then being waged by them against the South was right or wrong; and on that issue, thus clearly presented, out of four millions of voters who went to the polls nearly one-half said, in effect, that the war was wrong, and that the principles for which the South was contending the " rights of the States unimpaired " were right, and that their over- throw was to be resisted by all patriotic Americans. Lincoln received 2,216,067 votes, whilst McClellan received 1,808,725 votes; the lat- ter receiving very nearly as many votes in the Northern States alone as Lincoln had received in the whole country when he was elected in 1860, his vote at that time being only 1,866,352.

I construe this as a condemnation of their cause by nearly one-half th f>e op/e of tlie North, ' ' out of their own mouths." It will be remem- bered that in this election the soldiers in the field voted, and it is to be- presumed, of course, voted in support of the cause for which they were then fighting. which fact alone would doubtless account for a very large part of the votes cast for Mr. Lincoln. In this election, too, there was again the most shameless interference by the military to carry the election for Mr. Lincoln. When we consider these facts, I think the result was truly remarkable, and something for the Northern people to think of now, when many of them so flippantly taunt the Southern people with having been "rebels" and "traitors." Let them ask themselves, did not the South have a just cause, and did not nearly one-half the Northern people so pro- nounce at the time ?

As a sample of the interference by the military authorities in that election, General B. F. Butler tells us in his book how he was sent by Mr. Stanton to New York with a military force to control that city and State for Mr. Lincoln. He says he stationed his troops conveniently near to every voting place in New York city, and that " he took care that the Southerners should understand that means would be taken for their identification, and that whoever of them should vote would be dealt with in such a manner as to make them