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Yours of yesterday, with the inclosed newspaper slip, is received. I have never said, or thought more, as to the inclination of some of our Eastern republican friends to favor Douglas, than I expressed
in your hearing on the evening of the 21st. April, at the State Library in this place. I have believed---do believe now---that Greely, for instance, would be rather pleased to see Douglas re-elected over me or any other republican; and yet I do not believe it is so, because of any secret arrangement with Douglas. It is because he thinks Douglas' superior position, reputation, experience, and ability, if you please, would more than compensate for his lack of a pure republican position, and therefore, his re-election do the general cause of republicanism, more good, than would the election of any one of our better undistinguished pure republicans. I do not know how you estimate Greely, but I consider him incapable of corruption, or falsehood. He denies that he directly is taking part in favor of Douglas, and I believe him. Still his feeling constantly manifests itself in his paper, which, being so extensively read in Illinois, is, and will continue to be, a drag upon us. I have also thought that Govr. Seward too, feels about as Greely does; but not being a newspaper editor, his feeling, in this respect, is not much manifested. I have no idea that he is, by conversations or by letters, urging Illinois republicans to vote for Douglas.
As to myself, let me pledge you my word that neither I, nor any friend of mine so far as I know, has been setting stake against Gov. Seward. No combination has been made with me, or proposed to me, in relation to the next Presidential candidate. The same thing is true in regard to [the] next Governor of our State. I am not directly or indirectly committed to any one; nor has any one made any advance to me upon the subject. I have had many free conversations with John Wentworth; but he never dropped a remark that led me to suspect that he wishes to be Governor. Indeed, it is due to truth to say that while he has uniformly expressed himself for me, he has never hinted at any condition.
The signs are that we shall have a good convention on the 16th. and I think our prospects generally, are improving some every day. I believe we need nothing so much as to get rid of unjust suspicions of one another. Yours very truly A. LINCOLN.
[1] ALS copy, DLC-RTL.