Abraham Lincoln Quotes
I authorize no bargains and will be bound by none.
During the 1860 Republican nominating convention, following the custom of the time, neither Lincoln or the odds on favorite, William H. Seward, were even in Chicago. Lincoln's campaign managers wired him regarding a possible deal with Simon Cameron to obtain the votes of the Pennsylvania delegation:. Lincoln's managers were incredulous. Without bargains there was no way Lincoln stood a chance. They decided that Lincoln didn't really mean what he had said but was only "covering himself" for the record. They proceeded to deal with Cameron as well as trade for most of the prospective cabinet and some Federal judgeships as well. Lincoln won and honored all the bargains when he became president.
Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1865, 16th President of the United States (Republican, IL), Telegram to his primary campaign managers, May 1860
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Abraham Lincoln was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln led the United States through its Civil War—its bloodiest war and its greatest moral, constitutional, and political crisis. In doing so, he preserved the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government, and modernized the economy.
