The New York Crowd

[SSlater]

I have been trying to fill a file on "The New York Crowd", without much success. I have looked for 'people', and/or ideas about why 'they' wanted Lincoln dead, and why must it be QUICK.
There seems to be two ideas supporting the need for 'Quick'. One is the Death Rate, in the war. Those supporters wanted to stop the killing, pronto. The other group wanted the war TO CONTINUE. So that they may amass great wealth, by trading with the Confederates.
It does seem odd that first group would oppose the killing and then kill Lincoln.
Several Peace treaties were proposed, but each died young, because Lincoln insisted on the terms would include the abolishment of slavery and there would be no separate Confederate States of America. These two features were totally unacceptable to the South, thus the proposals made no headway. This approach was a long drawn out procedure, and this delay overrides the demand for QUICK. (The assassination of Lincoln would only lead to the preparation on another Treaty.)
Then there were the wealthy merchants, who most likely did not have their sons fighting on the front line, because they could afford to pay a substitute. The 'killing' then meant nothing to them. They supported such programs as "Bacon for Cotton" at 'pound for pound'. Cotton was penned up in Southern Ports by the blockade. This created a shortage throughout the world. Any one who had Cotton to sell, could name their own price - and get it. There were ways to get Cotton into the North legally, but Lincoln wanted to stop that trade.
Now that's a good cause for someone to want to get Lincoln QUICK.
This argument appears to point the finger at the Wealthy Merchants, who could easily pay for a substitute -for themselves- to be the assassin. This approach would identify the source of the money that Atzerodt, and the others, expected to 'pile-up.'
With very little effort, I can name names that qualify for a 'Wealthy Merchant' distinction - but no proof.
Therefore, I believe that the term "The New York Crowd" was an all-inclusive term used to mean the "Wealthy Merchants", without knowing any specific participant, or specific organization. Just a broad term to mean "Them".
P. S. I am still going to look for "Them", somewhere, but I have to believe that any individual who qualifies as a "Wealthy Merchant", was not Stupid. Thus, I do not expect that any of them ever added their name to a list of members, who were willing to pay for an assassination.