The Men In the Middle--Norman B. Judd

Norman Judd, pictured right, was the Republican State Chairman by 1858, and he was terrifically enthusiastic about Abraham Lincoln's chances then, against Douglas for Senator, and in 1860.


He quickly became one of AL's top advisors.
Here is an interesting quote from him, concerning the perhaps illegal voting of Irish-Americans in the '58 race:


I now have a high degree of confidence that we shall succeed, if we are not over-run with fraudulent votes to a greater extent than usual. On alighting from the cars and walking three squares at Naples on Monday, I met about fifteen Celtic gentlemen, with black carpet-sacks in their hands.

I learned that they had crossed over from the Rail-road in Brown county, but where they were going no one could tell. They dropped in about the doggeries, and were still hanging about when I left. At Brown County yesterday I was told that about four hundred of the same sort were to be brought into Schuyler, before the election, to work on some new Railroad; but on reaching here I find Bagby thinks that is not so.

What I most dread is that they will introduce into the doubtful districts numbers of men who are legal voters in all respects except residence and who will swear to residence and thus put it beyond our power to exclude them. They can & I fear will swear falsely on that point, because they know it is next to impossible to convict them of Perjury upon it.

Now the greater remaining part of the campaign, is finding a way to head this thing off. Can it be done at all?
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Ah, the past!