Reflections on Lincoln, creation of Idaho Territory and the state of modern politics | Opinion

Every time February rolls around, as Lincoln’s birthday causes us to reflect on the Civil War and Lincoln saving a nation torn asunder by slavery, I think of my days living in Honest Abe’s adopted town of Springfield, Illinois.

When guests came to visit, there was no shortage of Lincoln sites to see. First, it was off to see Lincoln’s home, which appeared as though he just stepped out a few moments ago to get a cup of coffee. Then there was New Salem, a few hours down the road, a re-creation of the town where Lincoln spent a few of his younger years. And finally, his tomb, graced with a huge bronze bust of Lincoln with a very shiny nose from visitors rubbing it in his memory.

By the time I left Springfield, I figured I knew all I needed to know about Abraham Lincoln, until recently, when I read Ted Widmer’s book, “Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington.” It’s a riveting account of Lincoln’s journey to be sworn in as the 16th president aboard a train from Springfield to Washington.

The book reminded me of a visitor to Boise a few years ago who regaled his audience with how a very different Republican Party of the day nominated Lincoln.

Alderman Ed Burke, the longest serving Chicago alderman in the city at the time, came to Boise at the invitation of a Boise business leader. The alderman visited the Boise State University campus, met with students and faculty and delivered a luncheon lecture downtown based on a book he co-authored about political conventions held in Chicago, “Inside the Wigwam: Chicago Presidential Conventions 1860-1996.” The Wigwam was a convention center in downtown Chicago that held over 10,000 seats, and it hosted the Republican convention in 1860 that would nominate Lincoln on his way to the presidency.

And that’s where it gets interesting. Alderman Burke, in true Chicago style, was indicted a few years after delivering that Boise lecture and is still awaiting trial on racketeering charges. But there is another reason it’s interesting for Idahoans, and Burke shared with the luncheon crowd the history that made it so.

When Lincoln was nominated as the Republican candidate for president in 1860, he was not the front-runner in that contest. Sen. William Seward of New York was expected to win the nomination, but Seward supporters hadn’t planned on the the guile and ingenuity of Chicago politicians. According to Burke, on the night before the third vote, which secured the nomination for Lincoln, one of Lincoln’s friends spent the night printing counterfeit passes to the convention floor.

Early the next morning, Chicago ward bosses rousted Lincoln supporters out of bed and packed them on to the floor and balcony of the convention center. They raised such a ruckus for their candidate and took so many seats that most of Seward’s supporters were denied entry to what turned out to be a shouting match of Lincoln supporters making it difficult for Seward delegates to rally other state delegations in their favor.

Lincoln won the nomination that day and became the candidate for president in 1860 thanks to some wily political engineering by Chicago pols. Burke closed his lecture by reiterating the fact that it was Chicago pols who pulled off Lincoln’s nomination and, therefore, get credit for Lincoln becoming president.

Two years later in 1862, Burke reminded this room of Idahoans, Lincoln would create the Lincoln territory, the first step to statehood that Idaho achieved in 1890. Burke, certainly aware of Chicago’s reputation as a haven for politicians who skirt the law, gleefully and proudly concluded his remarks by asserting that had it not been for Chicago pols, there might not even be a state of Idaho! The audience loved it.

As far as Lincoln’s journey to Washington, as detailed in “Lincoln on the Verge,” it bears no resemblance to how presidents travel or campaign today. He delivered more than 100 speeches in 13 days and shook the hands of thousands of well-wishers who greeted him at stops along the way. Mile after mile of plain folk stood along the tracks and waved their greetings as the train carried Lincoln to Washington. Whether it was Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Columbus or smaller towns along the way, he endured long days of meeting face-to-face with citizens who wished him well.

He knew the risks of stepping into crowds with little protection from those who might come to harm him. Daily threats against his life from those who hated his opposition to slavery made the journey a risky venture. Lincoln’s train was even preceded by another train checking to make sure the tracks were clear of explosives that might be laid down to blow up the Lincoln train.

Perhaps these threats to kill the president and blow up the nation’s capital should come as no surprise on what would be the eve of a Civil War that would rip the nation in two and cast doubt on whether there would ever again be a “United” States of America. But it bears a scary resemblance to our divided and polarized times when treasonous Americans attacked the Capitol, in this case urged on by the president of the United States. To add insult to injury, too many of our elected officials placed party over country and refused to acknowledge the Jan. 6 insurrection and separate themselves from such treasonous behavior.

Some members of the “Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol” placed country over party when they sacrificed their own political futures to uncover who was responsible for the insurrection. Co-chair Liz Cheney first was stripped of her House Republican leadership position as conference chair, then lost her seat in Congress, voted out in the Republican primary in her home state of Wyoming. Former Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., lost her seat to a Republican in the 2022 midterms, following her service on the committee. Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., successfully elected six times in a heavily Republican district, saw the writing on the wall and decided to not run for reelection and serve on the Select Committee.

With the Republicans Cheney and Kinzinger on board the committee and giving it bipartisan authority, Republicans were foiled in their attempts to paint the committee as a Democratic witch-hunt.

We won’t know the effect their work will have on Department of Justice investigations for some time, but their work and courage in framing what really happened caused that historically anticipated “red wave” in the midterm elections to dissipate and in its place arose unusual electoral successes for the Democratic Party.

We can only hope that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin will awake from their apparent slumber and pick up on the excellent work of the committee.

The recent enactment of the revised Electoral Reform Count Act of 2022 offers hope, but there is so much more we can do to protect our democracy. I think many of us have been surprised to find so few laws and guardrails in place to protect us against someone like Donald Trump. Let’s hope the good work of the Jan. 6 Committee sets the pace for what’s to come.

Bob Kustra served as president of Boise State University from 2003 to 2018. He is host of Readers Corner on Boise State Public Radio and is a regular columnist for the Idaho Statesman. He served two terms as Illinois lieutenant governor and 10 years as a state legislator.