When the election came, Lincoln received an electoral
vote of 212 against 21, and a popular vote of 2,330,552 against
1,835,985.
The inevitable question arises as to what was the real cause of
this success. It is safe to say that the political campaign
contained some adroit strategy; that Sherman was without doubt an
enormous factor; that the Democrats made numerous blunders; and
that the secret societies had an effect other than they intended.
However, the real clue seems to be found in one sentence from a
letter written by Lowell to Motley when the outlook for his party
was darkest: "The mercantile classes are longing for peace, but I
believe that the people are more firm than ever." Of the great,
silent mass of the people, the true temper seems to be struck off
in a popular poem of the time, written in response to one of the
calls for more troops, a poem with refrains built on the model of
this couplet:
"We're coming from the hillside, we're coming from the shore,
We're coming, Father Abraham, six hundred thousand more."
CHAPTER XIV. LINCOLN'S FINAL INTENTIONS
The victory of the Union Party in November enabled Lincoln to
enjoy for a brief period of his career as President what may be
thought of as a lull in the storm.
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