SPRINGFIELD, April 29,
1860
Hon: L. TRUMBULL:
My dear Sir: Yours of the 24th was duly received; and
I have postponed answering it, hoping by the result at Charleston, to know who
is to lead our adversaries, before writing. But Charleston hangs fire, and I
wait no longer.
As you request, I will be entirely frank. The taste is in
my mouth a little; and this, no doubt, disqualifies me, to some extent, to form
correct opinions. You may confidently rely, however, that by no advice or
consent of mine, shall my pretentions be pressed to the point of endangering
our common cause.
Now, as to my opinions about the chances of others in
Illinois. I think neither Seward nor Bates can carry Illinois if Douglas shall
be on the track; and that either of them can, if he shall not be. I rather
think McLean could carry it with D. on or off; in other words, I think McLean
is stronger in Illinois, taking all sections of it, than either S. or B; and I
think S. the weakest of the three. I hear no objection to Mr. McLean, except
his age; but that objection seems to occur to every one; and it is possible it
might leave him no stronger than the others. By the way, if we should nominate
him, how would we save to ourselves the chance of filling his vacancy in the
Court? Have him hold on up to the moment of his inauguration? Would that course
be no draw-back upon us in the canvass?
Recurring to Illinois, we want something here quite as much
as, and which is harder to get than, the electoral vote — the Legislature. And
it is exactly in this point that Seward's nomination would be hard upon us.
Suppose he should gain us a thousand votes in Winnebago, it would not
compensate for the loss of fifty in Edgar.
A word now for your own special benefit. You better write no
letters which can possibly be distorted into opposition, or quasi opposition to
me. There are men on the constant watch for such things out of which to
prejudice my peculiar friends against you.
While I have no more suspicion of you than I have of my best
friend living, I am kept in a constant struggle against suggestions of this
sort. I have hesitated some to write this paragraph, lest you should suspect I
do it for my own benefit, and not for yours; but on reflection I conclude you
will not suspect me.
Let no eye but your own see this — not that there is
anything wrong, or even ungenerous, in it; but it would be misconstrued.
Your friend as ever
A. LINCOLN
SOURCE: Gilbert A. Tracy, Editor, Uncollected Letters of Abraham Lincoln, p. 143-4
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