The first vote was:—
| Whole number | 465 | |
| Necessary for choice | 233 | |
| William H. Seward of New York | 173 | 1/2 |
| Abraham Lincoln of Illinois | 102 | |
| Simon Cameron of Pennsylvania | 50 | 1/2 |
| Salmon P. Chase of Ohio | 49 | |
| Edward Bates of Missouri | 48 | |
| William L. Dayton of New Jersey | 14 | |
| John McLean of Ohio | 12 | |
| Jacob Collamer of Vermont | 10 | |
| Scattering | 6 |
The fact was, and Lincoln's friends perfectly understood it, that Cameron held that peculiar kind of power which gave him no real prospect of success, yet had a considerable salable value. Could they refrain from trying the market? They asked the owners of the 501/2 Cameron votes what was their price. The owners said: The Treasury Department. Lincoln's friends declared this extravagant. Then they all chaffered. Finally
Cameron's men took a place in the cabinet, without further specification. Lamon says that another smaller contract was made with the friends of Caleb B. Smith. Then the Lincoln managers rested in a pleasing sense of security.
The second ballot showed slight changes:—
| Seward | 184 | 1/2 |
| Lincoln | 181 | |
| Cameron | 2 | |
| Chase | 42 | 1/2 |
| Bates | 5 | |
| Dayton | 10 | |
| McLean | 8 | |
| Scattering | 2 |
Upon the third ballot delivery was made of what Mr. Davis had bought. That epidemic foreknowledge, which sometimes so unaccountably foreruns an event, told the convention that the decision was at hand. A dead silence reigned save for the click of the telegraphic instruments and the low scratching of hundreds of pencils checking off the votes as the roll was called. Those who were keeping the tally saw that it stood:—
| Seward | 180 | |
| Lincoln | 231 | 1/2 |
| Chase | 24 | 1/2 |
| Bates | 22 | |
| Dayton | 1 | |
| McLean | 5 | |
| Scattering | 1 |
Cameron was out of the race; Lincoln was within 11/2 votes of the goal. Before the count could be announced, a delegate from Ohio transferred four votes to Lincoln. This settled the matter; and then other delegations followed, till Lincoln's score rose to 354. At once the "enthusiasm" of 10,000 men again reduced to insignificance
a "herd of buffaloes or lions." When at last quiet was restored, William M. Evarts, who had led for Seward, offered the usual motion to make the nomination of Abraham Lincoln unanimous. It was done. Again the "tremendous roaring" arose. Later in the day the convention nominated Hannibal Hamlin[[101]] of Maine, on the second ballot, by 367 votes, for the vice-presidency. Then for many hours, till exhaustion brought rest, Chicago was given over to the wonted follies; cannon boomed, music resounded, and streets and barrooms were filled with the howling and drinking crowds of the intelligent promoters of one of the great moral crusades of the human race.