Abraham Lincoln gave advance notice of his intention to draft a resolution to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia in the 30th U.S. Congress; however, he abandoned the effort after determining that he could not muster the necessary votes. Lincoln seemed convinced that Congress possessed the power to write such a bill into law, but he felt it should be done only with the consent of the citizens of Washington. The support of District of Columbia officials, although initially given, was withdrawn after leading Southern congressmen expressed strong objections to the legislation. Lincoln, a first-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives, had little personal influence.