glas, 1,291,547; Breckinridge,
850,082; Bell, 646,124. Mr. Lincoln's vote was wholly from the
free States, except some 26,000 cast for him in the five border
slave States. In the other slave States his name was not presented
as a candidate. Mr. Douglas received in the South about 163,000
votes. In the North the votes cast distinctively for the Breckinridge
electoral ticket were less than 100,000, and distinctively for the
Bell electoral ticket about 80,000.

It was thus manifest that the two Northern Presidential candidates,
Lincoln and Douglas, had absorbed almost the entire vote in the
free States, and the two Southern Presidential candidates, Breckinridge
and Bell, had absorbed almost the entire vote in the slave States.
The Northern candidate received popular support in the South in
about the same degree that the Southern candidate received popular
support in the North. In truth as well as in appearance it was a
sectional contest in which the North supported Northern candidates,
and the South supported Southern candidates. It was the first time
in the history of the government in which the President was chosen
without electoral votes from both the free and the slave States.
This result was undoubtedly a source of weakness to Mr. Lincoln,--
weakness made more apparent by his signal failure to obtain a
popular majority. He had a large plurality, but the combined vote
of his opponents was nearly a million greater than the vote which
he received.

The time had now come when the Southern Disunionists were to be
put to the test. The event had happened which they had declared
in advance to be cause of separation. It was perhaps the belief
that their courage and determination were challenged, which forced
them to action. Having so often pledged themselves not to endure
the election of an anti-slavery President, they were now persuaded
that, if they quietly submitted, they would thereby accept an
inferior position in the government. This assumed obligation of
consistency stimulated them to rash action; for upon every
consideration of prudence and wise forecast, they would have quietly
accepted a result which they acknowledged to be in strict accordance
with the Constitution. The South was enjoying exceptional prosperity.
The advance of the slave States in wealth was more rapid then at
any other period of their history. Their staple products commanded
high prices and were continually growing in amount to meet