In every Southern State this sentiment
was able to command a considerable part of the vote.*
*A possible exception was South Carolina. As the presidential
electors were appointed by the legislature, there is no certain
record of minority sentiment.
Widely different in temper were those stern and resolute men
whose organization, in perfect fighting trim, faced eagerly the
divided Democrats. The Republicans had no division among
themselves upon doctrine. Such division as existed was due to
the ordinary rivalry of political leaders. In the opinion of all
his enemies and of most Americans, Seward was the Republican man
of the hour. During much of 1859 he had discreetly withdrawn from
the country and had left to his partisans the conduct of his
campaign, which seems to have been going well when he returned in
the midst of the turmoil following the death of John Brown.
Nevertheless he was disturbed over his prospects, for he found
that in many minds, both North and South, he was looked upon as
the ultimate cause of all the turmoil. His famous speech on the
"irrepressible conflict" was everywhere quoted as an exultant
prophecy of these terrible latter days.
It was long the custom to deny to Seward any good motive in a
speech which he now delivered, just as it was to deny Webster any
good motive for his famous 7th of March speech.
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