Franklin County: Simon Cameron to Abraham Lincoln,
August 1, 1860
Summary:
Cameron congratulates Lincoln on his nomination and assures him of delivering
Pennsylvania.
August 1. 1860.
Harrisburg.
My dear Sir,
I should have written you sooner, with the [unclear: view] to congratulate you, upon the cordiality with which your nomination has been responded to throughout the country and the abundant [unclear: assurances] of final success heard from all quarters, but have waited until, I had seen enough of my friends in different parts of our own state to form a positive opinion of the election here, in Pennsylvania.
I can now do so and am glad to say that you will
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get the state beyond
the shadow of a doubt. Your friends need give themselves no trouble about us;
and may occupy their time in making Illinois & Indiana safe. We need no
help here, of any kind. The state is for you, and we
all have faith in your good intentions to stand by her interests as they are
connected with her coal and now beyond which we have no desires.
My young friend, Mr. [unclear: Lesley] told me you had shown him your notes of speeches made in 1844, on the subject of protection, and his account of them gratifies all of us, very much.
We shall elect our [unclear: Gov] M Curtin, by a handsome majority,
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but by no means as large a one as you will get in November.
I only regret that our opponents are not united. for we would have beaten their great man Douglas with all their forces concentrated, and would [unclear: thus be word] a context [unclear: hereoften] when they will unite on him or [unclear: worse] other single candidate. His friends and those of Breckenridge, are now more bitter against each other than they are against us and I fear that after the elections they will try to ascribe their defeat & our victory solely to their divisions. We will try to keep this [unclear: never] from them by making your majority a very large one.
I regret that Pennsylv
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is a safe.--as much so as Massachusetts or
Michigan, and I hope our friends in other states will give all their attention
to Illinois & Indiana. Your friends here will be responsible for
Pennsylvania.
Very truly your friend
Simon Cameron
Honorable Abraham Lincoln
