第11章

Keepitoutuntilavoteistaken，andavoteinfavorofitcannotbegotinanypopulationoffortythousandonearth，whohavebeendrawntogetherbytheordinarymotivesofemigrationandsettlement。TogetslavesintotheTerritorysimultaneouslywiththewhitesintheincipientstagesofsettlementistheprecisestakeplayedforandwoninthisNebraskameasure。

Thequestionisaskedus："Ifslaveswillgoinnotwithstandingthegeneralprincipleoflawliberatesthem，whywouldtheynotequallygoinagainstpositivestatutelaw——goin，eveniftheMissourirestrictionweremaintained！"Ianswer，becauseittakesamuchboldermantoventureinwithhispropertyinthelattercasethanintheformer；becausethepositiveCongressionalenactmentisknowntoandrespectedbyall，ornearlyall，whereasthenegativeprinciplethatnolawisfreelawisnotmuchknownexceptamonglawyers。Wehavesomeexperienceofthispracticaldifference。InspiteoftheOrdinanceof’87，afewnegroeswerebroughtintoIllinois，andheldinastateofquasi—

slavery，notenough，however，tocarryavoteofthepeopleinfavoroftheinstitutionwhentheycametoformaconstitution。

ButintotheadjoiningMissouricountry，wheretherewasnoOrdinanceof’87，——wasnorestriction，——theywerecarriedtentimes，nay，ahundredtimes，asfast，andactuallymadeaslaveState。Thisisfact—nakedfact。

Anotherlullabyargumentisthattakingslavestonewcountriesdoesnotincreasetheirnumber，doesnotmakeanyoneslavewhowouldotherwisebefree。Thereissometruthinthis，andIamgladofit；butitisnotwhollytrue。TheAfricanslavetradeisnotyeteffectuallysuppressed；and，ifwemakeareasonabledeductionforthewhitepeopleamonguswhoareforeignersandthedescendantsofforeignersarrivingheresince1808，weshallfindtheincreaseoftheblackpopulationoutrunningthatofthewhitetoanextentunaccountable，exceptbysupposingthatsomeofthem，too，havebeencomingfromAfrica。Ifthisbeso，theopeningofnewcountriestotheinstitutionincreasesthedemandforandaugmentsthepriceofslaves，andsodoes，infact，makeslavesoffreemen，bycausingthemtobebroughtfromAfricaandsoldintobondage。

Buthoweverthismaybe，weknowtheopeningofnewcountriestoslaverytendstotheperpetuationoftheinstitution，andsodoeskeepmeninslaverywhowouldotherwisebefree。Thisresultwedonotfeellikefavoring，andweareundernolegalobligationtosuppressourfeelingsinthisrespect。

EqualjusticetotheSouth，itissaid，requiresustoconsenttotheextensionofslaverytonewcountries。Thatistosay，inasmuchasyoudonotobjecttomytakingmyhogtoNebraska，thereforeImustnotobjecttoyourtakingyourslave。Now，I

admitthatthisisperfectlylogicalifthereisnodifferencebetweenhogsandnegroes。Butwhileyouthusrequiremetodenythehumanityofthenegro，IwishtoaskwhetheryouoftheSouth，yourselves，haveeverbeenwillingtodoasmuch？Itiskindlyprovidedthatofallthosewhocomeintotheworldonlyasmallpercentagearenaturaltyrants。ThatpercentageisnolargerintheslaveStatesthaninthefree。ThegreatmajoritySouth，aswellasNorth，havehumansympathies，ofwhichtheycannomoredivestthemselvesthantheycanoftheirsensibilitytophysicalpain。ThesesympathiesinthebosomsoftheSouthernpeoplemanifest，inmanyways，theirsenseofthewrongofslavery，andtheirconsciousnessthat，afterall，thereishumanityinthenegro。Iftheydenythis，letmeaddressthemafewplainquestions。In1820you(theSouth)joinedtheNorth，almostunanimously，indeclaringtheAfricanslavetradepiracy，andinannexingtoitthepunishmentofdeath。Whydidyoudothis？Ifyoudidnotfeelthatitwaswrong，whydidyoujoininprovidingthatmenshouldbehungforit？ThepracticewasnomorethanbringingwildnegroesfromAfricatosuchaswouldbuythem。Butyouneverthoughtofhangingmenforcatchingandsellingwildhorses，wildbuffaloes，orwildbears。

Again，youhaveamongyouasneakingindividualoftheclassofnativetyrantsknownasthe"slavedealer。"Hewatchesyournecessities，andcrawlsuptobuyyourslave，ataspeculatingprice。Ifyoucannothelpit，youselltohim；butifyoucanhelpit，youdrivehimfromyourdoor。Youdespisehimutterly。

Youdonotrecognizehimasafriend，orevenasanhonestman。

Yourchildrenmustnotplaywithhis；theymayrollickfreelywiththelittlenegroes，butnotwiththeslave—dealer’schildren。Ifyouareobligedtodealwithhim，youtrytogetthroughthejobwithoutsomuchastouchinghim。Itiscommonwithyoutojoinhandswiththemenyoumeet，butwiththeslave—

dealeryouavoidtheceremony——instinctivelyshrinkingfromthesnakycontact。Ifhegrowsrichandretiresfrombusiness，youstillrememberhim，andstillkeepupthebanofnon—intercourseuponhimandhisfamily。Now，whyisthis？Youdonotsotreatthemanwhodealsincorn，cotton，ortobacco。

Andyetagain：ThereareintheUnitedStatesandTerritories，includingtheDistrictofColumbia，433，643freeblacks。Atfivehundreddollarsperheadtheyareworthovertwohundredmillionsofdollars。Howcomesthisvastamountofpropertytoberunningaboutwithoutowners？Wedonotseefreehorsesorfreecattlerunningatlarge。Howisthis？Allthesefreeblacksarethedescendantsofslaves，orhavebeenslavesthemselves；andtheywouldbeslavesnowbutforsomethingwhichhasoperatedontheirwhiteowners，inducingthematvastpecuniarysacrificetoliberatethem。Whatisthatsomething？Isthereanymistakingit？Inallthesecasesitisyoursenseofjusticeandhumansympathycontinuallytellingyouthatthepoornegrohassomenaturalrighttohimself——thatthosewhodenyitandmakemeremerchandiseofhimdeservekickings，contempt，anddeath。

Andnowwhywillyouaskustodenythehumanityoftheslave，andestimatehimasonlytheequalofthehog？Whyaskustodowhatyouwillnotdoyourselves？Whyaskustodofornothingwhattwohundredmillionsofdollarscouldnotinduceyoutodo？

ButonegreatargumentinsupportoftherepealoftheMissouriCompromiseisstilltocome。Thatargumentis"thesacredrightofself—government。"ItseemsourdistinguishedSenatorhasfoundgreatdifficultyingettinghisantagonists，evenintheSenate，tomeethimfairlyonthisargument。Somepoethassaid：

"Foolsrushinwhereangelsfeartotread。"

Atthehazardofbeingthoughtoneofthefoolsofthisquotation，Imeetthatargument——Irushin——Itakethatbullbythehorns。ItrustIunderstandandtrulyestimatetherightofself—government。Myfaithinthepropositionthateachmanshoulddopreciselyashepleaseswithallwhichisexclusivelyhisownliesatthefoundationofthesenseofjusticethereisinme。Iextendtheprincipletocommunitiesofmenaswellastoindividuals。Isoextenditbecauseitispoliticallywise，aswellasnaturallyjust；politicallywiseinsavingusfrombroilsaboutmatterswhichdonotconcernus。Here，oratWashington，IwouldnottroublemyselfwiththeoysterlawsofVirginia，orthecranberrylawsofIndiana。Thedoctrineofself—governmentisright，——absolutelyandeternallyright，——butithasnojustapplicationashereattempted。OrperhapsI

shouldrathersaythatwhetherithassuchapplicationdependsuponwhetheranegroisorisnotaman。Ifheisnotaman，inthatcasehewhoisamanmayasamatterofself—governmentdojustwhathepleaseswithhim。Butifthenegroisaman，isitnottothatextentatotaldestructionofself—governmenttosaythathetooshallnotgovernhimself？Whenthewhitemangovernshimself，thatisself—government；butwhenhegovernshimselfandalsogovernsanotherman，thatismorethanself—government——thatisdespotism。Ifthenegroisaman，why，then，myancientfaithteachesmethat"allmenarecreatedequal，"andthattherecanbenomoralrightinconnectionwithoneman’smakingaslaveofanother。

JudgeDouglasfrequently，withbitterironyandsarcasm，paraphrasesourargumentbysaying："ThewhitepeopleofNebraskaaregoodenoughtogovernthemselves，buttheyarenotgoodenoughtogovernafewmiserablenegroes！"

Well，IdoubtnotthatthepeopleofNebraskaareandwillcontinuetobeasgoodastheaverageofpeopleelsewhere。Idonotsaythecontrary。WhatIdosayisthatnomanisgoodenoughtogovernanothermanwithoutthatother’sconsent。Isaythisistheleadingprinciple，thesheet—anchorofAmericanrepublicanism。OurDeclarationofIndependencesays：

"Weholdthesetruthstobeself—evident：Thatallmenarecreatedequal；thattheyareendowedbytheirCreatorwithcertaininalienablerights；thatamongthesearelife，liberty，andthepursuitofhappiness。Thattosecuretheserights，governmentsareinstitutedamongmen，DERIVINGTHEIRJUSTPOWERS

PROMTHECONSENTOFTHEGOVERNED。"

Ihavequotedsomuchatthistimemerelytoshowthat，accordingtoourancientfaith，thejustpowersofgovernmentarederivedfromtheconsentofthegoverned。Nowtherelationofmasterandslaveisprotantoatotalviolationofthisprinciple。Themasternotonlygovernstheslavewithouthisconsent，buthegovernshimbyasetofrulesaltogetherdifferentfromthosewhichheprescribesforhimself。Allowallthegovernedanequalvoiceinthegovernment，andthat，andthatonly，isself—

government。

LetitnotbesaidthatIamcontendingfortheestablishmentofpoliticalandsocialequalitybetweenthewhitesandblacks。I

havealreadysaidthecontrary。Iamnotcombatingtheargumentofnecessity，arisingfromthefactthattheblacksarealreadyamongus；butIamcombatingwhatissetupasmoralargumentforallowingthemtobetakenwheretheyhaveneveryetbeen——arguingagainsttheextensionofabadthing，which，whereitalreadyexists，wemustofnecessitymanageaswebestcan。

Insupportofhisapplicationofthedoctrineofself—government，SenatorDouglashassoughttobringtohisaidtheopinionsandexamplesofourRevolutionaryfathers。Iamgladhehasdonethis。Ilovethesentimentsofthoseold—timemen，andshallbemosthappytoabidebytheiropinions。HeshowsusthatwhenitwasincontemplationforthecoloniestobreakofffromGreatBritain，andsetupanewgovernmentforthemselves，severaloftheStatesinstructedtheirdelegatestogoforthemeasure，providedeachStateshouldbeallowedtoregulateitsdomesticconcernsinitsownway。Idonotquote；butthisinsubstance。

Thiswasright；Iseenothingobjectionableinit。Ialsothinkitprobablethatithadsomereferencetotheexistenceofslaveryamongthem。Iwillnotdenythatithad。Buthaditanyreferencetothecarryingofslaveryintonewcountries？Thatisthequestion，andwewillletthefathersthemselvesanswerit。

Thissamegenerationofmen，andmostlythesameindividualsofthegenerationwhodeclaredthisprinciple，whodeclaredindependence，whofoughtthewaroftheRevolutionthrough，whoafterwardmadetheConstitutionunderwhichwestilllive——thesesamemenpassedtheOrdinanceof’87，declaringthatslaveryshouldnevergototheNorthwestTerritory。

IhavenodoubtJudgeDouglasthinkstheywereveryinconsistentinthis。Itisaquestionofdiscriminationbetweenthemandhim。Butthereisnotaninchofgroundleftforhisclaimingthattheiropinions，theirexample，theirauthority，areonhissideinthecontroversy。

Again，isnotNebraska，whileaTerritory，apartofus？Dowenotownthecountry？Andifwesurrenderthecontrolofit，dowenotsurrendertherightofself—government？Itispartofourselves。Ifyousayweshallnotcontrolit，becauseitisonlypart，thesameistrueofeveryotherpart；andwhenallthepartsaregone，whathasbecomeofthewhole？Whatisthenleftofus？WhatusefortheGeneralGovernment，whenthereisnothingleftforittogovern？

ButyousaythisquestionshouldbelefttothepeopleofNebraska，becausetheyaremoreparticularlyinterested。Ifthisbetherule，youmustleaveittoeachindividualtosayforhimselfwhetherhewillhaveslaves。Whatbettermoralrighthavethirty—onecitizensofNebraskatosaythatthethirty—

secondshallnotholdslavesthanthepeopleofthethirty—oneStateshavetosaythatslaveryshallnotgointothethirty—

secondStateatall？

ButifitisasacredrightforthepeopleofNebraskatotakeandholdslavesthere，itisequallytheirsacredrighttobuythemwheretheycanbuythemcheapest；andthat，undoubtedly，willbeonthecoastofAfrica，providedyouwillconsentnottohangthemforgoingtheretobuythem。Youmustremovethisrestriction，too，fromthesacredrightofself—government。IamawareyousaythattakingslavesfromtheStatestoNebraskadoesnotmakeslavesoffreemen；buttheAfricanslave—tradercansayjustasmuch。Hedoesnotcatchfreenegroesandbringthemhere。Hefindsthemalreadyslavesinthehandsoftheirblackcaptors，andhehonestlybuysthemattherateofaredcottonhandkerchiefahead。Thisisverycheap，anditisagreatabridgmentofthesacredrightofself—governmenttohangmenforengaginginthisprofitabletrade。

Anotherimportantobjectiontothisapplicationoftherightofself—governmentisthatitenablesthefirstfewtodeprivethesucceedingmanyofafreeexerciseoftherightofself—

government。Thefirstfewmaygetslaveryin，andthesubsequentmanycannoteasilygetitout。HowcommonistheremarknowintheslaveStates，"Ifwewereonlyclearofourslaves，howmuchbetteritwouldbeforus。"Theyareactuallydeprivedoftheprivilegeofgoverningthemselvesastheywould，bytheactionofaveryfewinthebeginning。ThesamethingwastrueofthewholenationatthetimeourConstitutionwasformed。

WhetherslaveryshallgointoNebraska，orothernewTerritories，isnotamatterofexclusiveconcerntothepeoplewhomaygothere。ThewholenationisinterestedthatthebestuseshallbemadeoftheseTerritories。Wewantthemforhomesoffreewhitepeople。Thistheycannotbe，toanyconsiderableextent，ifslaveryshallbeplantedwithinthem。SlaveStatesareplacesforpoorwhitepeopletoremovefrom，nottoremoveto。NewfreeStatesaretheplacesforpoorpeopletogoto，andbettertheircondition。ForthisusethenationneedstheseTerritories。

Stillfurther：thereareconstitutionalrelationsbetweentheslaveandfreeStateswhicharedegradingtothelatter。Weareunderlegalobligationstocatchandreturntheirrunawayslavestothem：asortofdirty，disagreeablejob，which，Ibelieve，asageneralrule，theslaveholderswillnotperformforoneanother。Thenagain，inthecontrolofthegovernment——themanagementofthepartnershipaffairs——theyhavegreatlytheadvantageofus。BytheConstitutioneachStatehastwosenators，eachhasanumberofrepresentativesinproportiontothenumberofitspeople，andeachhasanumberofPresidentialelectorsequaltothewholenumberofitssenatorsandrepresentativestogether。Butinascertainingthenumberofthepeopleforthispurpose，fiveslavesarecountedasbeingequaltothreewhites。Theslavesdonotvote；theyareonlycountedandsousedastoswelltheinfluenceofthewhitepeople’svotes。ThepracticaleffectofthisismoreaptlyshownbyacomparisonoftheStatesofSouthCarolinaandMaine。SouthCarolinahassixrepresentatives，andsohasMaine；SouthCarolinahaseightPresidentialelectors，andsohasMaine。Thisispreciseequalitysofar；andofcoursetheyareequalinsenators，eachhavingtwo。ThusinthecontrolofthegovernmentthetwoStatesareequalsprecisely。Buthowaretheyinthenumberoftheirwhitepeople？Mainehas581，813，whileSouthCarolinahas274，567；MainehastwiceasmanyasSouthCarolina，and32，679over。Thus，eachwhitemaninSouthCarolinaismorethanthedoubleofanymaninMaine。ThisisallbecauseSouthCarolina，besidesherfreepeople，has384，984slaves。TheSouthCarolinianhaspreciselythesameadvantageoverthewhitemanineveryotherfreeStateaswellasinMaine。Heismorethanthedoubleofanyoneofusinthiscrowd。Thesameadvantage，butnottothesameextent，isheldbyallthecitizensoftheslaveStatesoverthoseofthefree；anditisanabsolutetruth，withoutanexception，thatthereisnovoterinanyslaveStatebutwhohasmorelegalpowerinthegovernmentthananyvoterinanyfreeState。Thereisnoinstanceofexactequality；andthedisadvantageisagainstusthewholechapterthrough。Thisprinciple，intheaggregate，givestheslaveStatesinthepresentCongresstwentyadditionalrepresentatives，beingsevenmorethanthewholemajoritybywhichtheypassedtheNebraskaBill。

Nowallthisismanifestlyunfair；yetIdonotmentionittocomplainofit，insofarasitisalreadysettled。ItisintheConstitution，andIdonotforthatcause，oranyothercause，proposetodestroy，oralter，ordisregardtheConstitution。I

standtoit，fairly，fully，andfirmly。

ButwhenIamtoldImustleaveitaltogethertootherpeopletosaywhethernewpartnersaretobebredupandbroughtintothefirm，onthesamedegradingtermsagainstme，Irespectfullydemur。IinsistthatwhetherIshallbeawholemanoronlythehalfofone，incomparisonwithothersisaquestioninwhichI

amsomewhatconcerned，andonewhichnoothermancanhaveasacredrightofdecidingforme。IfIamwronginthis，ifitreallybeasacredrightofself—governmentinthemanwhoshallgotoNebraskatodecidewhetherhewillbetheequalofmeorthedoubleofme，then，afterheshallhaveexercisedthatright，andtherebyshallhavereducedmetoastillsmallerfractionofamanthanIalreadyam，Ishouldlikeforsomegentleman，deeplyskilledinthemysteriesofsacredrights，toprovidehimselfwithamicroscope，andpeepabout，andfindout，ifhecan，whathasbecomeofmysacredrights。Theywillsurelybetoosmallfordetectionwiththenakedeye。

Finally，Iinsistthatifthereisanythingwhichitisthedutyofthewholepeopletoneverintrusttoanyhandsbuttheirown，thatthingisthepreservationandperpetuityoftheirownlibertiesandinstitutions。AndiftheyshallthinkasIdo，thattheextensionofslaveryendangersthemmorethananyorallothercauses，howrecreanttothemselvesiftheysubmitThequestion，andwithitthefateoftheircountry，toamerehandfulofmenbentonlyonseif—interest。Ifthisquestionofslaveryextensionwereaninsignificantone，onehavingnopowertodoharm——itmightbeshuffledasideinthisway；andbeing，asitis，thegreatBehemothofdanger，shallthestronggripofthenationbelooseneduponhim，tointrusthimtothehandsofsuchfeeblekeepers？

Ihavedonewiththismightyargumentofself—government。Go，sacredthing！Goinpeace。

ButNebraskaisurgedasagreatUnion—savingmeasure。Well，I

toogoforsavingtheUnion。MuchasIhateslavery，IwouldconsenttotheextensionofitratherthanseetheUniondissolved，justasIwouldconsenttoanygreateviltoavoidagreaterone。ButwhenIgotoUnion—saving，Imustbelieve，atleast，thatthemeansIemployhavesomeadaptationtotheend。

Tomymind，Nebraskahasnosuchadaptation。

"Ithathnorelishofsalvationinit。"

Itisanaggravation，rather，oftheonlyonethingwhicheverendangerstheUnion。Whenitcameuponus，allwaspeaceandquiet。Thenationwaslookingtotheformingofnewbendsofunion，andalongcourseofpeaceandprosperityseemedtoliebeforeus。Inthewholerangeofpossibility，therescarcelyappearstometohavebeenanythingoutofwhichtheslaveryagitationcouldhavebeenrevived，excepttheveryprojectofrepealingtheMissouriCompromise。Everyinchofterritoryweownedalreadyhadadefinitesettlementoftheslaveryquestion，bywhichallpartieswerepledgedtoabide。Indeed，therewasnouninhabitedcountryonthecontinentwhichwecouldacquire，ifweexceptsomeextremenorthernregionswhicharewhollyoutofthequestion。

InthisstateofaffairstheGeniusofDiscordhimselfcouldscarcelyhaveinventedawayofagainsettingusbytheearsbutbyturningbackanddestroyingthepeacemeasuresofthepast。

ThecounselsofthatGeniusseemtohaveprevailed。TheMissouriCompromisewasrepealed；andhereweareinthemidstofanewslaveryagitation，such，Ithink，aswehaveneverseenbefore。

Whoisresponsibleforthis？Isitthosewhoresistthemeasure，orthosewhocauselesslybroughtitforward，andpresseditthrough，havingreasontoknow，andinfactknowing，itmustandwouldbesoresisted？Itcouldnotbutbeexpectedbyitsauthorthatitwouldbelookeduponasameasurefortheextensionofslavery，aggravatedbyagrossbreachoffaith。

Argueasyouwillandlongasyouwill，thisisthenakedfrontandaspectofthemeasure。Andinthisaspectitcouldnotbutproduceagitation。Slaveryisfoundedintheselfishnessofman’snature——oppositiontoitinhisloveofjustice。Theseprinciplesareateternalantagonism，andwhenbroughtintocollisionsofiercelyasslaveryextensionbringsthem，shocksandthroesandconvulsionsmustceaselesslyfollow。RepealtheMissouriCompromise，repealallcompromises，repealtheDeclarationofIndependence，repealallpasthistory，youstillcannotrepealhumannature。Itstillwillbetheabundanceofman’sheartthatslaveryextensioniswrong，andoutoftheabundanceofhishearthismouthwillcontinuetospeak。

Thestructure，too，oftheNebraskaBillisverypeculiar。Thepeoplearetodecidethequestionofslaveryforthemselves；butwhentheyaretodecide，orhowtheyaretodecide，orwhether，whenthequestionisoncedecided，itistoremainsooristobesubjecttoanindefinitesuccessionofnewtrials，thelawdoesnotsay。Isittobedecidedbythefirstdozensettlerswhoarrivethere，orisittoawaitthearrivalofahundred？IsittobedecidedbyavoteofthepeopleoravoteoftheLegislature，or，indeed，byavoteofanysort？Tothesequestionsthelawgivesnoanswer。Thereisamysteryaboutthis；forwhenamemberproposedtogivetheLegislatureexpressauthoritytoexcludeslavery，itwashooteddownbythefriendsofthebill。Thisfactisworthremembering。SomeYankeesintheEastaresendingemigrantstoNebraskatoexcludeslaveryfromit；and，sofarasIcanjudge，theyexpectthequestiontobedecidedbyvotinginsomewayorother。ButtheMissouriansareawake，too。Theyarewithinastone’s—throwofthecontestedground。Theyholdmeetingsandpassresolutions，inwhichnottheslightestallusiontovotingismade。TheyresolvethatslaveryalreadyexistsintheTerritory；thatmoreshallgothere；thatthey，remaininginMissouri，willprotectit，andthatabolitionistsshallbehungordrivenaway。Throughallthisbowieknivesandsix—shootersareseenplainlyenough，butneveraglimpseoftheballot—box。

And，really，whatistheresultofallthis？Eachpartywithinhavingnumerousanddeterminedbackerswithout，isitnotprobablethatthecontestwillcometoblowsandbloodshed？

CouldtherebeamoreaptinventiontobringaboutcollisionandviolenceontheslaveryquestionthanthisNebraskaprojectis？

IdonotchargeorbelievethatsuchwasintendedbyCongress；

butiftheyhadliterallyformedaringandplacedchampionswithinittofightoutthecontroversy，thefightcouldbenomorelikelytocomeoffthanitis。Andifthisfightshouldbegin，isitlikelytotakeaverypeaceful，Union—savingturn？

WillnotthefirstdropofbloodsoshedbetherealknelloftheUnion？

TheMissouriCompromiseoughttoberestored。ForthesakeoftheUnion，itoughttoberestored。WeoughttoelectaHouseofRepresentativeswhichwillvoteitsrestoration。Ifbyanymeansweomittodothis，whatfollows？SlaverymayormaynotbeestablishedinNebraska。Butwhetheritbeornot，weshallhaverepudiated——discardedfromthecouncilsofthenation——thespiritofcompromise；forwho，afterthis，willevertrustinanationalcompromise？Thespiritofmutualconcession——thatspiritwhichfirstgaveustheConstitution，andwhichhasthricesavedtheUnion——weshallhavestrangledandcastfromusforever。Andwhatshallwehaveinlieuofit？TheSouthflushedwithtriumphandtemptedtoexcess；theNorth，betrayedastheybelieve，broodingonwrongandburningforrevenge。Onesidewillprovoke，theotherresent。Theonewilltaunt，theotherdefy；

oneaggresses，theotherretaliates。AlreadyafewintheNorthdefyallconstitutionalrestraints，resisttheexecutionoftheFugitiveSlavelaw，andevenmenacetheinstitutionofslaveryintheStateswhereitexists。AlreadyafewintheSouthclaimtheconstitutionalrighttotakeandtoholdslavesinthefreeStates，demandtherevivaloftheslavetrade，anddemandatreatywithGreatBritainbywhichfugitiveslavesmaybereclaimedfromCanada。Asyettheyarebutfewoneitherside。

ItisagravequestionforloversoftheunionwhetherthefinaldestructionoftheMissouriCompromise，andwithitthespiritofallcompromise，willorwillnotemboldenandembittereachofthese，andfatallyincreasethenumberofboth。

Butrestorethecompromise，andwhatthen？Wetherebyrestorethenationalfaith，thenationalconfidence，thenationalfeelingofbrotherhood。Wetherebyreinstatethespiritofconcessionandcompromise，thatspiritwhichhasneverfailedusinpastperils，andwhichmaybesafelytrustedforallthefuture。TheSouthoughttojoinindoingthis。Thepeaceofthenationisasdeartothemastous。Inmemoriesofthepastandhopesofthefuture，theyshareaslargelyaswe。Itwouldbeontheirpartagreatact——greatinitsspirit，andgreatinitseffect。Itwouldbeworthtothenationahundredyearspurchaseofpeaceandprosperity。Andwhatofsacrificewouldtheymake？Theyonlysurrendertouswhattheygaveusforaconsiderationlong，longago；whattheyhavenotnowaskedfor，struggledorcaredfor；whathasbeenthrustuponthem，notlesstotheirastonishmentthantoours。

Butitissaidwecannotrestoreit；thatthoughweelecteverymemberofthelowerHouse，theSenateisstillagainstus。ItisquitetruethatofthesenatorswhopassedtheNebraskaBillamajorityofthewholeSenatewillretaintheirseatsinspiteoftheelectionsofthisandthenextyear。ButifattheseelectionstheirseveralconstituenciesshallclearlyexpresstheirwillagainstNebraska，willthesesenatorsdisregardtheirwill？Willtheyneitherobeynormakeroomforthosewhowill？

Butevenifwefailtotechnicallyrestorethecompromise，itisstillagreatpointtocarryapopularvoteinfavoroftherestoration。Themoralweightofsuchavotecannotbeestimatedtoohighly。TheauthorsofNebraskaarenotatallsatisfiedwiththedestructionofthecompromise——anindorsementofthisprincipletheyproclaimtobethegreatobject。Withthem，Nebraskaaloneisasmallmatter——toestablishaprincipleforfutureuseiswhattheyparticularlydesire。

Thefutureuseistobetheplantingofslaverywhereverinthewideworldlocalandunorganizedoppositioncannotpreventit。

Now，ifyouwishtogivethemthisindorsement，ifyouwishtoestablishthisprinciple，doso。Ishallregretit，butitisyourright。Onthecontrary，ifyouareopposedtotheprinciple，——intendtogiveitnosuchindorsement，letnowheedling，nosophistry，divertyoufromthrowingadirectvoteagainstit。

Somemen，mostlyWhigs，whocondemntherepealoftheMissouriCompromise，neverthelesshesitatetogoforitsrestoration，lesttheybethrownincompanywiththeabolitionists。Willtheyallowme，asanoldWhig，totellthem，good—humoredly，thatI

thinkthisisverysilly？Standwithanybodythatstandsright。

Standwithhimwhileheisright，andpartwithhimwhenhegoeswrong。StandwiththeabolitionistinrestoringtheMissouriCompromise，andstandagainsthimwhenheattemptstorepealtheFugitiveSlavelaw。InthelattercaseyoustandwiththeSoutherndisunionist。Whatofthat？Youarestillright。Inbothcasesyouareright。Inbothcasesyouopposethedangerousextremes。Inbothyoustandonmiddleground，andholdtheshiplevelandsteady。Inbothyouarenational，andnothinglessthannational。ThisisthegoodoldWhigground。TodesertsuchgroundbecauseofanycompanyistobelessthanaWhig——

lessthanaman——lessthananAmerican。

IparticularlyobjecttothenewpositionwhichtheavowedprincipleofthisNebraskalawgivestoslaveryinthebodypolitic。Iobjecttoitbecauseitassumesthattherecanbemoralrightintheenslavingofonemanbyanother。Iobjecttoitasadangerousdallianceforafreepeople——asadevidencethat，feelingprosperity，weforgetright；thatliberty，asaprinciple，wehaveceasedtorevere。Iobjecttoitbecausethefathersoftherepubliceschewedandrejectedit。Theargumentof"necessity"wastheonlyargumenttheyeveradmittedinfavorofslavery；andsofar，andsofaronly，asitcarriedthemdidtheyevergo。Theyfoundtheinstitutionexistingamongus，whichtheycouldnothelp，andtheycastblameupontheBritishkingforhavingpermitteditsintroduction。

TheroyallyappointedGovernorofGeorgiaintheearly1700’swasthreatenedbytheKingwithremovalifhecontinuedtoopposeslaveryinhiscolony——atthattimetheKingofEnglandmadeasmallprofitoneveryslaveimportedtothecolonies。ThelaterBritishcriticismoftheUnitedStatesfornoteradicatingslaveryintheearly1800’s，combinedwiththeirtacitsupportofthe’Confederacy’duringtheCivilWarisaprimeexampleoftheironyandhypocracyofpolitics：thatself—interestwilleveroverpowerright。

BeforetheConstitutiontheyprohibiteditsintroductionintotheNorthwesternTerritory，theonlycountryweownedthenfreefromit。AttheframingandadoptionoftheConstitution，theyforboretosomuchasmentiontheword"slave"or"slavery"inthewholeinstrument。Intheprovisionfortherecoveryoffugitives，theslaveisspokenofasa"personheldtoserviceorlabor。"InthatprohibitingtheabolitionoftheAfricanslavetradefortwentyyears，thattradeisspokenofas"themigrationorimportationofsuchpersonsasanyoftheStatesnowexistingshallthinkpropertoadmit，"etc。Thesearetheonlyprovisionsalludingtoslavery。ThusthethingishidawayintheConstitution，justasanafflictedmanhidesawayawenorcancerwhichhedaresnotcutoutatonce，lesthebleedtodeath，——withthepromise，nevertheless，thatthecuttingmaybeginatacertaintime。Lessthanthisourfatherscouldnotdo，andmoretheywouldnotdo。Necessitydrovethemsofar，andfarthertheywouldnotgo。Butthisisnotall。TheearliestCongressundertheConstitutiontookthesameviewofslavery。Theyhedgedandhemmeditintothenarrowestlimitsofnecessity。

In1794theyprohibitedanoutgoingslavetrade——thatis，thetakingofslavesfromtheUnitedStatestosell。In1798theyprohibitedthebringingofslavesfromAfricaintotheMississippiTerritory，thisTerritorythencomprisingwhatarenowtheStatesofMississippiandAlabama。ThiswastenyearsbeforetheyhadtheauthoritytodothesamethingastotheStatesexistingattheadoptionoftheConstitution。In1800

theyprohibitedAmericancitizensfromtradinginslavesbetweenforeigncountries，as，forinstance，fromAfricatoBrazil。In1803theypassedalawinaidofoneortwoslave—Statelawsinrestraintoftheinternalslavetrade。In1807，inapparenthothaste，theypassedthelaw，nearlyayearinadvance，——totakeeffectthefirstdayof1808，theveryfirstdaytheConstitutionwouldpermit，prohibitingtheAfricanslavetradebyheavypecuniaryandcorporalpenalties。In1820，findingtheseprovisionsineffectual，theydeclaredtheslavetradepiracy，andannexedtoittheextremepenaltyofdeath。WhileallthiswaspassingintheGeneralGovernment，fiveorsixoftheoriginalslaveStateshadadoptedsystemsofgradualemancipation，bywhichtheinstitutionwasrapidlybecomingextinctwithintheirlimits。Thusweseethattheplain，unmistakablespiritofthatagetowardslaverywashostilitytotheprincipleandtolerationonlybynecessity。

Butnowitistobetransformedintoa"sacredright。"Nebraskabringsitforth，placesitonthehighroadtoextensionandperpetuity，andwithapatonitsbacksaystoit，"Go，andGodspeedyou。"Henceforthitistobethechiefjewelofthenationtheveryfigure—headoftheshipofstate。Littlebylittle，butsteadilyasman’smarchtothegrave，wehavebeengivinguptheoldforthenewfaith。Neareightyyearsagowebeganbydeclaringthatallmenarecreatedequal；butnowfromthatbeginningwehaverundowntotheotherdeclaration，thatforsomementoenslaveothersisa"sacredrightofself—

government。"Theseprinciplescannotstandtogether。TheyareasoppositeasGodandMammon；andwhoeverholdstotheonemustdespisetheother。WhenPettit，inconnectionwithhissupportoftheNebraskaBill，calledtheDeclarationofIndependence"aself—evidentlie，"heonlydidwhatconsistencyandcandorrequireallotherNebraskamentodo。Oftheforty—oddNebraskasenatorswhosatpresentandheardhim，noonerebukedhim。NoramIapprisedthatanyNebraskanewspaper，oranyNebraskaorator，inthewholenationhaseveryetrebukedhim。IfthishadbeensaidamongMarion’smen，Southernersthoughtheywere，whatwouldhavebecomeofthemanwhosaidit？IfthishadbeensaidtothemenwhocapturedAndre，themanwhosaiditwouldprobablyhavebeenhungsoonerthanAndrewas。IfithadbeensaidinoldIndependenceHallseventy—eightyearsago，theverydoorkeeperwouldhavethrottledthemanandthrusthimintothestreet。Letnoonebedeceived。Thespiritofseventy—sixandthespiritofNebraskaareutterantagonisms；andtheformerisbeingrapidlydisplacedbythelatter。

Fellow—countrymen，Americans，SouthaswellasNorth，shallwemakenoefforttoarrestthis？Alreadytheliberalpartythroughouttheworldexpresstheapprehensionthat"theoneretrogradeinstitutioninAmericaisunderminingtheprinciplesofprogress，andfatallyviolatingthenoblestpoliticalsystemtheworldeversaw。"Thisisnotthetauntofenemies，butthewarningoffriends。Isitquitesafetodisregardit——todespiseit？Istherenodangertolibertyitselfindiscardingtheearliestpracticeandfirstpreceptofourancientfaith？Inourgreedychasetomakeprofitofthenegro，letusbewarelestwe"cancelandtearinpieces"eventhewhiteman’scharteroffreedom。

Ourrepublicanrobeissoiledandtrailedinthedust。Letusrepurifyit。Letusturnandwashitwhiteinthespirit，ifnottheblood，oftheRevolution。Letusturnslaveryfromitsclaimsof"moralright，，backuponitsexistinglegalrightsanditsargumentsof"necessity。"Letusreturnittothepositionourfathersgaveit，andthereletitrestinpeace。LetusreadopttheDeclarationofIndependence，andwithitthepracticesandpolicywhichharmonizewithit。LetNorthandSouth，letallAmericans——letallloversoflibertyeverywherejoininthegreatandgoodwork。Ifwedothis，weshallnotonlyhavesavedtheUnion，butweshallhavesosaveditastomakeandtokeepitforeverworthyofthesaving。Weshallhavesosaveditthatthesucceedingmillionsoffreehappypeopletheworldovershallriseupandcallusblessedtothelatestgenerations。

AtSpringfield，twelvedaysago，whereIhadspokensubstantiallyasIhavehere，JudgeDouglasrepliedtome；andasheistoreplytomehere，Ishallattempttoanticipatehimbynoticingsomeofthepointshemadethere。HecommencedbystatingIhadassumedallthewaythroughthattheprincipleoftheNebraskaBillwouldhavetheeffectofextendingslavery。Hedeniedthatthiswasintendedorthatthiseffectwouldfollow。

Iwillnotreopentheargumentuponthispoint。Thatsuchwastheintentiontheworldbelievedatthestart，andwillcontinuetobelieve。Thiswasthecountenanceofthething，andbothfriendsandenemiesinstantlyrecognizeditassuch。Thatcountenancecannotnowbechangedbyargument。Youcanaseasilyarguethecoloroutofthenegro’sskin。Likethebloodyhand，"

youmaywashitandwashit，theredwitnessofguiltstillsticksandstareshorriblyatyou。

NexthesaysthatCongressionalinterventionneverpreventedslaveryanywhere；thatitdidnotpreventitintheNorthwesternTerritory，norinIllinois；that，infact，IllinoiscameintotheUnionasaslaveState；thattheprincipleoftheNebraskaBillexpelleditfromIllinois，fromseveraloldStates，fromeverywhere。

Nowthisismerequibblingallthewaythrough。IftheOrdinanceof’87didnotkeepslaveryoutoftheNorthwestTerritory，howhappensitthatthenorthwestshoreoftheOhioRiverisentirelyfreefromit，whilethesoutheastshore，lessthanamiledistant，alongnearlythewholelengthoftheriver，isentirelycoveredwithit？

IfthatordinancedidnotkeepitoutofIllinois，whatwasitthatmadethedifferencebetweenIllinoisandMissouri？Theyliesidebyside，theMississippiRiveronlydividingthem，whiletheirearlysettlementswerewithinthesamelatitude。Between1810and1820thenumberofslavesinMissouriincreased7211，whileinIllinoisinthesametenyearstheydecreased51。Thisappearsbythecensusreturns。DuringnearlyallofthattenyearsbothwereTerritories，notStates。DuringthistimetheordinanceforbadeslaverytogointoIllinois，andnothingforbadeittogointoMissouri。ItdidgointoMissouri，anddidnotgointoIllinois。Thatisthefact。Cananyonedoubtastothereasonofit？ButhesaysIllinoiscameintotheUnionasaslaveState。Silence，perhaps，wouldbethebestanswertothisflatcontradictionoftheknownhistoryofthecountry。Whatarethefactsuponwhichthisboldassertionisbased？Whenwefirstacquiredthecountry，asfarbackas1787，thereweresomeslaveswithinitheldbytheFrenchinhabitantsofKaskaskia。TheterritoriallegislationadmittedafewnegroesfromtheslaveStatesasindenturedservants。OneyearaftertheadoptionofthefirstStateconstitution，thewholenumberofthemwas——whatdoyouthink？Justonehundredandseventeen，whiletheaggregatefreepopulationwas55，094，——aboutfourhundredandseventytoone。Uponthisstateoffactsthepeopleframedtheirconstitutionprohibitingthefurtherintroductionofslavery，withasortofguarantytotheownersofthefewindenturedservants，givingfreedomtotheirchildrentobebornthereafter，andmakingnomentionwhateverofanysupposedslaveforlife。

OutofthissmallmattertheJudgemanufactureshisargumentthatIllinoiscameintotheUnionasaslaveState。Letthefactsbetheanswertotheargument。

TheprinciplesoftheNebraskaBill，hesays，expelledslaveryfromIllinois。Theprincipleofthatbillfirstplantedithere—

—thatis，itfirstcamebecausetherewasnolawtopreventit，firstcamebeforeweownedthecountry；andfindingithere，andhavingtheOrdinanceof’87topreventitsincreasing，ourpeoplestruggledalong，andfinallygotridofitasbesttheycould。

ButtheprincipleoftheNebraskaBillabolishedslaveryinseveraloftheoldStates。Well，itistruethatseveraloftheoldStates，inthelastquarterofthelastcentury，didadoptsystemsofgradualemancipationbywhichtheinstitutionhasfinallybecomeextinctwithintheirlimits；butitmayormaynotbetruethattheprincipleoftheNebraskaBillwasthecausethatledtotheadoptionofthesemeasures。ItisnowmorethanfiftyyearssincethelastoftheseStatesadopteditssystemofemancipation。

IftheNebraskaBillistherealauthorofthebenevolentworks，itisratherdeplorablethatithasforsolongatimeceasedworkingaltogether。IstherenotsomereasontosuspectthatitwastheprincipleoftheRevolution，andnottheprincipleoftheNebraskaBill，thatledtoemancipationintheseoldStates？

LeaveittothepeopleoftheseoldemancipatingStates，andIamquitecertaintheywilldecidethatneitherthatnoranyothergoodthingeverdidoreverwillcomeoftheNebraskaBill。

Inthecourseofmymainargument，JudgeDouglasinterruptedmetosaythattheprincipleoftheNebraskaBillwasveryold；thatitoriginatedwhenGodmademan，andplacedgoodandevilbeforehim，allowinghimtochooseforhimself，beingresponsibleforthechoiceheshouldmake。AtthetimeIthoughtthiswasmerelyplayful，andIanswereditaccordingly。Butinhisreplytomehereneweditasaseriousargument。Inseriousness，then，thefactsofthispropositionarenottrueasstated。Goddidnotplacegoodandevilbeforeman，tellinghimtomakehischoice。

Onthecontrary，hedidtellhimtherewasonetreeofthefruitofwhichheshouldnoteat，uponpainofcertaindeath。IshouldscarcelywishsostrongaprohibitionagainstslaveryinNebraska。

Butthisargumentstrikesmeasnotalittleremarkableinanotherparticular——initsstrongresemblancetotheoldargumentforthedivinerightofkings。"Bythelatter，thekingistodojustashepleaseswithhiswhitesubjects，beingresponsibletoGodalone。Bytheformer，thewhitemanistodojustashepleaseswithhisblackslaves，beingresponsibletoGodalone。

Thetwothingsarepreciselyalike，anditisbutnaturalthattheyshouldfindsimilarargumentstosustainthem。

Ihadarguedthattheapplicationoftheprincipleofself—

government，ascontendedfor，wouldrequiretherevivaloftheAfricanslavetrade；thatnoargumentcouldbemadeinfavorofaman’srighttotakeslavestoNebraskawhichcouldnotbeequallywellmadeinfavorofhisrighttobringthemfromthecoastofAfrica。TheJudgerepliedthattheConstitutionrequiresthesuppressionoftheforeignslavetrade，butdoesnotrequiretheprohibitionofslaveryintheTerritories。Thatisamistakeinpointoffact。TheConstitutiondoesnotrequiretheactionofCongressineithercase，anditdoesauthorizeitinboth。Andsothereisstillnodifferencebetweenthecases。

InregardtowhatIhavesaidoftheadvantagetheslaveStateshaveoverthefreeinthematterofrepresentation，theJudgerepliedthatweinthefreeStatescountfivefreenegroesasfivewhitepeople，whileintheslaveStatestheycountfiveslavesasthreewhitesonly；andthattheadvantage，atlast，wasonthesideofthefreeStates。

Now，intheslaveStatestheycountfreenegroesjustaswedo；

anditsohappensthat，besidestheirslaves，theyhaveasmanyfreenegroesaswehave，andthirtythousandover。Thus，theirfreenegroesmorethanbalanceours；andtheiradvantageoverus，inconsequenceoftheirslaves，stillremainsasIstatedit。

Inreplytomyargumentthatthecompromisemeasuresof1850wereasystemofequivalents，andthattheprovisionsofnooneofthemcouldfairlybecarriedtoothersubjectswithoutitscorrespondingequivalentbeingcarriedwithit，theJudgedeniedoutrightthatthesemeasureshadanyconnectionwithordependenceuponeachother。Thisismeredesperation。Iftheyhadnoconnection，whyaretheyalwaysspokenofinconnection？

Whyhashesospokenofthemathousandtimes？Whyhasheconstantlycalledthemaseriesofmeasures？Whydoeseverybodycallthemacompromise？WhywasCaliforniakeptoutoftheUnionsixorsevenmonths，ifitwasnotbecauseofitsconnectionwiththeothermeasures？Webster’sleadingdefinitionoftheverb"tocompromise"is"toadjustandsettleadifference，bymutualagreement，withconcessionsofclaimsbytheparties。"Thisconveyspreciselythepopularunderstandingoftheword"compromise。

Weknew，beforetheJudgetoldus，thatthesemeasurespassedseparately，andindistinctbills，andthatnotwoofthemwerepassedbythevotesofpreciselythesamemembers。Butwealsoknow，andsodoesheknow，thatnooneofthemcouldhavepassedbothbranchesofCongressbutfortheunderstandingthattheothersweretopassalso。Uponthisunderstanding，eachgotvoteswhichitcouldhavegotinnootherway。Itisthisfactwhichgivestothemeasurestheirtruecharacter；anditistheuniversalknowledgeofthisfactthathasgiventhemthenameof"compromises，"soexpressiveofthattruecharacter。

Ihadasked："If，incarryingtheUtahandNewMexicolawstoNebraska，youcouldclearawayotherobjection，howcouldyouleaveNebraska’perfectlyfree’tointroduceslaverybeforesheformsaconstitution，duringherterritorialgovernment，whiletheUtahandNewMexicolawsonlyauthorizeitwhentheyformconstitutionsandareadmittedintotheUnion？"TothisJudgeDouglasansweredthattheUtahandNewMexicolawsalsoauthorizeditbefore；andtoprovethishereadfromoneoftheirlaws，asfollows："ThatthelegislativepowerofsaidTerritoryshallextendtoallrightfulsubjectsoflegislation，consistentwiththeConstitutionoftheUnitedStatesandtheprovisionsofthisact。"

Nowitisperceivedfromthereadingofthisthatthereisnothingexpressuponthesubject，butthattheauthorityissoughttobeimpliedmerelyforthegeneralprovisionof"allrightfulsubjectsoflegislation。"InreplytothisIinsist，asalegalruleofconstruction，aswellastheplain，popularviewofthematter，thattheexpressprovisionforUtahandNewMexicocominginwithslavery，iftheychoose，whentheyshallformconstitutions，isanexclusionofallimpliedauthorityonthesamesubject；thatCongresshavingthesubjectdistinctlyintheirmindswhentheymadetheexpressprovision，theythereinexpressedtheirwholemeaningonthatsubject。

TheJudgeratherinsinuatedthatIhadfounditconvenienttoforgettheWashingtonterritoriallawpassedin1853。ThiswasadivisionofOregon，organizingthenorthernpartastheTerritoryofWashington。HeassertedthatbythisacttheOrdinanceof’87，theretoforeexistinginOregon，wasrepealed；thatnearlyallthemembersofCongressvotedforit，beginningintheHouseofRepresentativeswithCharlesAllenofMassachusetts，andendingwithRichardYatesofIllinois；andthathecouldnotunderstandhowthosewhonowopposedtheNebraskaBillsovotedthere，unlessitwasbecauseitwasthentoosoonafterboththegreatpoliticalpartieshadratifiedthecompromisesof1850，andtheratificationthereforewastoofreshtobethenrepudiated。

NowIhadseentheWashingtonactbefore，andIhavecarefullyexamineditsince；andIaverthatthereisnorepealoftheOrdinanceof’87，orofanyprohibitionofslavery，init。Inexpressterms，thereisabsolutelynothinginthewholelawuponthesubject——infact，nothingtoleadareadertothinkofthesubject。Tomyjudgmentitisequallyfreefromeverythingfromwhichrepealcanbelegallyimplied；but，howeverthismaybe，aremennowtobeentrappedbyalegalimplication，extractedfromcovertlanguage，introducedperhapsfortheverypurposeofentrappingthem？Isincerelywisheverymancouldreadthislawquitethrough，carefullywatchingeverysentenceandeverylineforarepealoftheOrdinanceof’87，oranythingequivalenttoit。

AnotherpointontheWashingtonact：IfitwasintendedtobemodeledaftertheUtahandNewMexicoacts，asJudgeDouglasinsists，whywasitnotinsertedinit，asinthem，thatWashingtonwastocomeinwithorwithoutslaveryasshemaychooseattheadoptionofherconstitution？Ithasnosuchprovisioninit；andIdefytheingenuityofmantogiveareasonfortheomission，otherthanthatitwasnotintendedtofollowtheUtahandNewMexicolawsinregardtothequestionofslavery。

TheWashingtonactnotonlydiffersvitallyfromtheUtahandNewMexicoacts，buttheNebraskaactdiffersvitallyfromboth。Bythelatteractthepeopleareleft"perfectlyfree"toregulatetheirowndomesticconcerns，etc。；butinalltheformer，alltheirlawsaretobesubmittedtoCongress，andifdisapprovedaretobenull。TheWashingtonactgoesevenfurther；itabsolutelyprohibitstheterritorialLegislature，byverystrongandguardedlanguage，fromestablishingbanksorborrowingmoneyonthefaithoftheTerritory。Isthisthesacredrightofself—

governmentwehearvauntedsomuch？No，sir；theNebraskaBillfindsnomodelintheactsof’50ortheWashingtonact。ItfindsnomodelinanylawfromAdamtillto—day。AsPhillipssaysofNapoleon，theNebraskaactisgrand，gloomyandpeculiar，wrappedinthesolitudeofitsownoriginality，withoutamodelandwithoutashadowupontheearth。

InthecourseofhisreplySenatorDouglasremarkedinsubstancethathehadalwaysconsideredthisgovernmentwasmadeforthewhitepeopleandnotforthenegroes。Why，inpointofmerefact，Ithinksotoo。ButinthisremarkoftheJudgethereisasignificancewhichIthinkisthekeytothegreatmistake(ifthereisanysuchmistake)whichhehasmadeinthisNebraskameasure。ItshowsthattheJudgehasnoveryvividimpressionthatthenegroishuman，andconsequentlyhasnoideathattherecanbeanymoralquestioninlegislatingabouthim。Inhisviewthequestionofwhetheranewcountryshallbeslaveorfreeisamatterofasutterindifferenceasitiswhetherhisneighborshallplanthisfarmwithtobaccoorstockitwithhornedcattle。

Now，whetherthisviewisrightorwrong，itisverycertainthatthegreatmassofmankindtakeatotallydifferentview。Theyconsiderslaveryagreatmoralwrong，andtheirfeelingagainstitisnotevanescent，buteternal。Itliesattheveryfoundationoftheirsenseofjustice，anditcannotbetrifledwith。Itisagreatanddurableelementofpopularaction，andI

thinknostatesmancansafelydisregardit。

OurSenatoralsoobjectsthatthosewhoopposehiminthismatterdonotentirelyagreewithoneanother。HeremindsmethatinmyfirmadherencetotheconstitutionalrightsoftheslaveStatesI

differwidelyfromotherswhoarecooperatingwithmeinopposingtheNebraskaBill，andhesaysitisnotquitefairtoopposehiminthisvarietyofways。Heshouldrememberthathetookusbysurprise——astoundedusbythismeasure。Wewerethunderstruckandstunned，andwereeledandfellinutterconfusion。Butwerose，eachfighting，graspingwhateverhecouldfirstreach——ascythe，apitchfork，achopping—ax，orabutcher’scleaver。Westruckinthedirectionofthesound，andwewererapidlyclosinginuponhim。Hemustnotthinktodivertusfromourpurposebyshowingusthatourdrill，ourdress，andourweaponsarenotentirelyperfectanduniform。WhenthestormshallbepastheshallfindusstillAmericans，nolessdevotedtothecontinuedunionandprosperityofthecountrythanheretofore。

Finally，theJudgeinvokesagainstmethememoryofClayandWebster，Theyweregreatmen，andmenofgreatdeeds。ButwherehaveIassailedthem？Forwhatisitthattheirlifelongenemyshallnowmakeprofitbyassumingtodefendthemagainstme，theirlifelongfriend？IgoagainsttherepealoftheMissouriCompromise；didtheyevergoforit？TheywentfortheCompromiseof1850；didIevergoagainstthem？TheyweregreatlydevotedtotheUnion；tothesmallmeasureofmyabilitywasIeverlessso？ClayandWebsterweredeadbeforethisquestionarose；bywhatauthorityshallourSenatorsaytheywouldespousehissideofitifalive？Mr。ClaywastheleadingspiritinmakingtheMissouriCompromise；isitverycrediblethatifnowalivehewouldtaketheleadinthebreakingofit？

ThetruthisthatsomesupportfromWhigsisnowanecessitywiththeJudge，andforthisitisthatthenamesofClayandWebsterareinvoked。Hisoldfriendshavedesertedhiminsuchnumbersastoleavetoofewtoliveby。Hecametohisown，andhisownreceivedhimnot；andlo！heturnsuntotheGentiles。

AwordnowastotheJudge’sdesperateassumptionthatthecompromisesof1850hadnoconnectionwithoneanother；thatIllinoiscameintotheUnionasaslaveState，andsomeothersimilarones。Thisisnootherthanabolddenialofthehistoryofthecountry。Ifwedonotknowthatthecompromisesof1850

weredependentoneachother；ifwedonotknowthatIllinoiscameintotheUnionasafreeState，——wedonotknowanything。

Ifwedonotknowthesethings，wedonotknowthatweeverhadaRevolutionaryWarorsuchachiefasWashington。Todenythesethingsistodenyournationalaxioms，——ordogmas，atleast，——anditputsanendtoallargument。Ifamanwillstandupandassert，andrepeatandreassert，thattwoandtwodonotmakefour，Iknownothinginthepowerofargumentthatcanstophim。

IthinkIcananswertheJudgesolongashestickstothepremises；butwhenhefliesfromthem，Icannotworkanyargumentintotheconsistencyofamentalgagandactuallyclosehismouthwithit。InsuchacaseIcanonlycommendhimtotheseventythousandanswersjustinfromPennsylvania，Ohio，andIndiana。

REQUESTFORSENATESUPPORT

TOCHARLESHOYT

CLINTON，DeWITTCo。，Nov。10，1854

DEARSIR：——Youusedtoexpressagooddealofpartialityforme，andifyouarestillso，nowisthetime。SomefriendsherearereallyformefortheU。S。Senate，andIshouldbeverygratefulifyoucouldmakeamarkformeamongyourmembers。Pleasewritemeatallevents，givingmethenames，post—offices，and"politicalposition"ofmembersroundaboutyou。DirecttoSpringfield。

Letthisbeconfidential。

Yourstruly，A。LINCOLN。

TOT。J。HENDERSON。

SPRINGFIELD，November27，1854

T。J。HENDERSON，ESQ。

MYDEARSIR：——Ithascomeroundthatawhigmay，bypossibility，beelectedtotheUnitedStatesSenate，andIwantthechanceofbeingtheman。YouareamemberoftheLegislature，andhaveavotetogive。Thinkitover，andseewhetheryoucandobetterthantogoforme。

Writeme，atallevents；andletthisbeconfidential。

Yourstruly，A。LINCOLN。

TOJ。GILLESPIE。

SPRINGFIELD，Dec。1，1854。

DEARSIR：——IhavereallygotitintomyheadtotrytobeUnitedStatesSenator，and，ifIcouldhaveyoursupport，mychanceswouldbereasonablygood。ButIknow，andacknowledge，thatyouhaveasjustclaimstotheplaceasIhave；andthereforeI

cannotaskyoutoyieldtome，ifyouarethinkingofbecomingacandidate，yourself。If，however，youarenot，thenIshouldliketoberememberedaffectionatelybyyou；andalsotohaveyoumakeamarkformewiththeAnti—Nebraskamembersdownyourway。

Ifyouknow，andhavenoobjectiontotell，letmeknowwhetherTrumbullintendstomakeapush。Ifhedoes，IsupposethetwomeninSt。Clair，andone，orboth，inMadison，willbeforhim。

WehavetheLegislature，clearlyenough，onjointballot，buttheSenateisveryclose，andCullomtoldmeto—daythattheNebraskamenwillstaveofftheelection，iftheycan。Evenifwegetintojointvote，weshallhavedifficultytouniteourforces。

Pleasewriteme，andletthisbeconfidential。

Yourfriend，asever，A。LINCOLN

POLITICALREFERENCES

TOJUSTICEMCLEAN。

SPRINGFIELD，ILL。，December6，1854。

SIR：——IunderstanditisincontemplationtodisplacethepresentclerkandappointanewonefortheCircuitandDistrictCourtsofIllinois。Iamveryfriendlytothepresentincumbent，and，bothforhisownsakeandthatofhisfamily，Iwishhimtoberetainedsolongasitispossibleforthecourttodoso。

Inthecontingencyofhisremoval，however，IhaverecommendedWilliamButlerashissuccessor，andIdonotwishwhatIwritenowtobetakenasanyabatementofthatrecommendation。

WilliamJ。Blackisalsoanapplicantfortheappointment，andI

writethisatthesolicitationofhisfriendstosaythatheiseverywayworthyoftheoffice，andthatIdoubtnottheconferringituponhimwillgivegreatsatisfaction。

Yourob’tservant，A。LINCOLN

TOT。J。HENDERSON。

SPRINGFIELD，December15。1854

HON。T。J。HENDERSON。

DEARSIR：——Yoursofthe11thwasreceivedlastnight，andforwhichIthankyou。OfcourseIprefermyselftoallothers；yetitisneitherinmyheartnormyconsciencetosayIamanybettermanthanMr。Williams。Weshallhaveaterriblestrugglewithouradversaries。Theyaredesperateandbentondesperatedeeds。Iaccidentallylearnedofoneoftheleadersherewritingtoamembersouthofhere，inaboutthefollowinglanguage：

Wearebeaten。Theyhaveacleanmajorityofatleastnine，onjointballot。Theyoutnumberus，butwemustoutmanagethem。

Douglasmustbesustained。WemustelecttheSpeaker；andwemustelectaNebraskaUnitedStatesSenator，orelectnoneatall。"Similarletters，nodoubt，arewrittentoeveryNebraskamember。Beconsideringhowwecanbestmeet，andfoil，andbeatthem。Isendyou，bymail，acopyofmyPeoriaspeech。Youmayhaveseenitbefore，oryoumaynotthinkitworthseeingnow。

DonotspeakoftheNebraskalettermentionedabove；Idonotwishittobecomepublic，thatIreceivedsuchinformation。

Yourstruly，A。LINCOLN。

1855

LOSSOFPRIMARYFORSENATOR

TOE。B。WASHBURNE。

SPRINGFIELD，February9，1855

MYDEARSIR：

Ibeganwith44votes，Shields41，andTrumbull5，——yetTrumbullwaselected。Infact47differentmembersvotedforme，——gettingthreenewonesonthesecondballot，andlosingfouroldones。

Howcamemy47toyieldtoTrumbull’s5？ItwasGovernorMatteson’swork。Hehasbeensecretlyacandidateeversince(before，even)thefallelection。

AllthemembersroundaboutthecanalwereAnti—Nebraska，butwereneverthelessnearlyallDemocratsandoldpersonalfriendsofhis。HisplanwastoprivatelyimpressthemwiththebeliefthathewasasgoodAnti—Nebraskaasanyoneelse——atleastcouldbesecuredtobesobyinstructions，whichcouldbeeasilypassed。

TheNebraskamen，ofcourse，werenotforMatteson；butwhentheyfoundtheycouldelectnoavowedNebraskaman，theytardilydeterminedtolethimgetwhomeverofourmenhecould，bywhatevermeanshecould，andaskhimnoquestions。

TheNebraskamenwereveryconfidentoftheelectionofMatteson，thoughdenyingthathewasacandidate，andweverymuchbelievingalsothattheywouldelecthim。ButtheywantedfirsttomakeashowofgoodfaithtoShieldsbyvotingforhimafewtimes，andoursecretMattesonmenalsowantedtomakeashowofgoodfaithbyvotingwithusafewtimes。Soweledoff。Ontheseventhballot，Ithink，thesignalwasgiventotheNebraskamentoturntoMatteson，whichtheyactedontoaman，withoneexception……NextballottheremainingNebraskamanandonepretendedAntiwentovertohim，givinghim46。Thenextstillanother，givinghim47，wantingonlythreeofanelection。Inthemeantimeourfriends，withaviewofdetainingourexpectedbolters，hadbeenturningfrommetoTrumbulltillhehadrisento35andIhadbeenreducedto15。Thesewouldneverdesertmeexceptbymydirection；butIbecamesatisfiedthatifwecouldpreventMatteson’selectiononeortwoballotsmore，wecouldnotpossiblydosoasingleballotaftermyfriendsshouldbegintoreturntomefromTrumbull。SoIdeterminedtostrikeatonce，andaccordinglyadvisedmyremainingfriendstogoforhim，whichtheydidandelectedhimonthetenthballot。

Suchisthewaythethingwasdone。Ithinkyouwouldhavedonethesameunderthecircumstances。

Icouldhaveheadedoffeverycombinationandbeenelected，haditnotbeenforMatteson’sdoublegame——andhisdefeatnowgivesmemorepleasurethanmyowngivesmepain。Onthewhole，itisperhapsaswellforourgeneralcausethatTrumbulliselected。

TheNebraskamenconfessthattheyhateitworsethananythingthatcouldhavehappened。ItisagreatconsolationtoseethemworsewhippedthanIam。

Yoursforever，A。LINCOLN。

RETURNTOLAWPROFESSION

TOSANFORD，PORTER，ANDSTRIKER，NEWYORK。

SPRINGFIELD，MARCH10，1855

GENTLEMEN：——Yoursofthe5thisreceived，asalsowasthatof15thDec，last，inclosingbondofClifttoPray。WhenIreceivedthebondIwasdabblinginpolitics，andofcourseneglectingbusiness。HavingsincebeenbeatenoutIhavegonetoworkagain。

AsIdonotpracticeinRushville，Ito—dayopenacorrespondencewithHenryE。Dummer，Esq。，ofBeardstown，Ill。，withtheviewofgettingthejobintohishands。Heisagoodmanifhewillundertakeit。

WritemewhetherIshalldothisorreturnthebondtoyou。

Yoursrespectfully，A。LINCOLN。

TOO。H。BROWNING。

SPRINGFIELD，March23，1855。

HON。O。H。BROWNING。

MYDEARSIR：——YourlettertoJudgeLoganhasbeenshowntousbyhim；and，withhisconsent，weanswerit。WhenitbecameprobablethattherewouldbeavacancyontheSupremeBench，publicopinion，onthissideoftheriver，seemedtobeuniversallydirectedtoLoganasthepropermantofillit。I

meanpublicopiniononoursideinpolitics，withverysmallmanifestationinanydifferentdirectionbytheotherside。Theresultis，thathehasbeenagooddealpressedtoallowhisnametobeused，andhehasconsentedtoit，provideditcanbedonewithperfectcordialityandgoodfeelingonthepartofallourownfriends。We，theundersigned，areveryanxiousforit；andthemoresonowthathehasbeenurged，untilhismindisturneduponthematter。We，thereforeareverygladofyourletter，withtheinformationitbringsus，mixedonlywitharegretthatwecannotelectLoganandWalkerboth。Weshallbeglad，ifyouwillhoistLogan’sname，inyourQuincypapers。

Verytrulyyourfriends，A。LINCOLN，B。S。EWARDS，JOHNT。STUART。

TOH。C。WHITNEY。

SPRINGFIELD，June7，1855。

H。C。WHITNEY，ESQ。

MYDEARSIR：——Yournotecontainingelectionnewsisreceived；andforwhichIthankyou。Itisallofnouse，however。Loganisworsebeatenthananyothermaneverwassinceelectionswereinvented——beatenmorethantwelvehundredinthiscounty。ItisconcededonallhandsthattheProhibitorylawisalsobeaten。

Yourstruly，A。LINCOLN。

RESPONSETOAPRO—SLAVERYFRIEND

TOJOSHUA。F。SPEED。

SPRINGFIELD，August24，1855

DEARSPEED：——YouknowwhatapoorcorrespondentIam。EversinceIreceivedyourveryagreeableletterofthe22dofMay，Ihavebeenintendingtowriteyouananswertoit。Yousuggestthatinpoliticalaction，now，youandIwoulddiffer。Isupposewewould；notquiteasmuch，however，asyoumaythink。YouknowI

dislikeslavery，andyoufullyadmittheabstractwrongofit。

Sofarthereisnocauseofdifference。Butyousaythatsoonerthanyieldyourlegalrighttotheslave，especiallyatthebiddingofthosewhoarenotthemselvesinterested，youwouldseetheUniondissolved。Iamnotawarethatanyoneisbiddingyouyieldthatright；verycertainlyIamnot。Ileavethatmatterentirelytoyourself。IalsoacknowledgeyourrightsandmyobligationsundertheConstitutioninregardtoyourslaves。I

confessIhatetoseethepoorcreatureshunteddownandcaughtandcarriedbacktotheirstripesandunrequitedtoil；butIbitemylipsandkeepquiet。In1841youandIhadtogetheratediouslow—watertriponasteamboatfromLouisvilletoSt。Louis。Youmayremember，asIwelldo，thatfromLouisvilletothemouthoftheOhiotherewereonboardtenoradozenslavesshackledtogetherwithirons。Thatsightwasacontinuedtormenttome，andIseesomethinglikeiteverytimeItouchtheOhiooranyotherslaveborder。ItisnotfairforyoutoassumethatIhavenointerestinathingwhichhas，andcontinuallyexercises，thepowerofmakingmemiserable。YououghtrathertoappreciatehowmuchthegreatbodyoftheNorthernpeopledocrucifytheirfeelings，inordertomaintaintheirloyaltytotheConstitutionandtheUnion。Idoopposetheextensionofslaverybecausemyjudgmentandfeelingsopromptme，andIamundernoobligationstothecontrary。IfforthisyouandImustdiffer，differwemust。Yousay，ifyouwerePresident，youwouldsendanarmyandhangtheleadersoftheMissourioutragesupontheKansaselections；still，ifKansasfairlyvotesherselfaslaveStateshemustbeadmittedortheUnionmustbedissolved。ButhowifshevotesherselfaslaveStateunfairly，thatis，bytheverymeansforwhichyousayyouwouldhangmen？Mustshestillbeadmitted，ortheUniondissolved？Thatwillbethephaseofthequestionwhenitfirstbecomesapracticalone。InyourassumptionthattheremaybeafairdecisionoftheslaveryquestioninKansas，IplainlyseeyouandIwoulddifferabouttheNebraskalaw。Ilookuponthatenactmentnotasalaw，butasaviolencefromthebeginning。Itwasconceivedinviolence，ismaintainedinviolence，andisbeingexecutedinviolence。I

sayitwasconceivedinviolence，becausethedestructionoftheMissouriCompromise，underthecircumstances，wasnothinglessthanviolence。Itwaspassedinviolencebecauseitcouldnothavepassedatallbutforthevotesofmanymembersinviolenceoftheknownwilloftheirconstituents。Itismaintainedinviolence，becausetheelectionssinceclearlydemanditsrepeal；

andthedemandisopenlydisregarded。

Yousaymenoughttobehungforthewaytheyareexecutingthelaw；Isaythewayitisbeingexecutedisquiteasgoodasanyofitsantecedents。Itisbeingexecutedintheprecisewaywhichwasintendedfromthefirst，elsewhydoesnoNebraskamanexpressastonishmentorcondemnation？PoorReederistheonlypublicmanwhohasbeensillyenoughtobelievethatanythinglikefairnesswaseverintended，andhehasbeenbravelyundeceived。

ThatKansaswillformaslaveconstitution，andwithitwillasktobeadmittedintotheUnion，Itaketobealreadyasettledquestion，andsosettledbytheverymeansyousopointedlycondemn。ByeveryprincipleoflaweverheldbyanycourtNorthorSouth，everynegrotakentoKansasisfree；yet，inutterdisregardofthis，——inthespiritofviolencemerely，——thatbeautifulLegislaturegravelypassesalawtohanganymanwhoshallventuretoinformanegroofhislegalrights。Thisisthesubjectandrealobjectofthelaw。If，likeHaman，theyshouldhanguponthegallowsoftheirownbuilding，Ishallnotbeamongthemournersfortheirfate。Inmyhumblesphere，IshalladvocatetherestorationoftheMissouriCompromisesolongasKansasremainsaTerritory，andwhen，byallthesefoulmeans，itseekstocomeintotheUnionasaslaveState，Ishallopposeit。

Iamveryloathinanycasetowithholdmyassenttotheenjoymentofpropertyacquiredorlocatedingoodfaith；butIdonotadmitthatgoodfaithintakinganegrotoKansastobeheldinslaveryisaprobabilitywithanyman。AnymanwhohassenseenoughtobethecontrollerofhisownpropertyhastoomuchsensetomisunderstandtheoutrageouscharacterofthewholeNebraskabusiness。ButIdigress。InmyoppositiontotheadmissionofKansasIshallhavesomecompany，butwemaybebeaten。Ifweare，IshallnotonthataccountattempttodissolvetheUnion。Ithinkitprobable，however，weshallbebeaten。Standingasaunitamongyourselves，Youcan，directlyandindirectly，bribeenoughofourmentocarrytheday，asyoucouldontheopenpropositiontoestablishamonarchy。GetholdofsomemanintheNorthwhosepositionandabilityissuchthathecanmakethesupportofyourmeasure，whateveritmaybe，aDemocraticpartynecessity，andthethingisdone。Aproposofthis，letmetellyouananecdote。DouglasintroducedtheNebraskaBillinJanuary。InFebruaryafterwardtherewasacalledsessionoftheIllinoisLegislature。Oftheonehundredmemberscomposingthetwobranchesofthatbody，aboutseventywereDemocrats。TheselatterheldacaucusinwhichtheNebraskaBillwastalkedof，ifnotformallydiscussed。Itwastherebydiscoveredthatjustthree，andnomore，wereinfavorofthemeasure。InadayortwoDouglas’sorderscameontohaveresolutionspassedapprovingthebill；andtheywerepassedbylargemajorities！！！！ThetruthofthisisvouchedforbyaboltingDemocraticmember。Themasses，too，DemocraticaswellasWhig，wereevennearerunanimousagainstit；but，assoonasthepartynecessityofsupportingitbecameapparent，thewaytheDemocratsbegantoseethewisdomandjusticeofitwasperfectlyastonishing。

YousaythatifKansasfairlyvotesherselfafreeState，asaChristianyouwillrejoiceatit。Alldecentslaveholderstalkthatway，andIdonotdoubttheircandor。Buttheynevervotethatway。AlthoughinaprivateletterorconversationyouwillexpressyourpreferencethatKansasshallbefree，youwouldvotefornomanforCongresswhowouldsaythesamethingpublicly。

NosuchmancouldbeelectedfromanydistrictinaslaveState。

YouthinkStringfellowandcompanyoughttobehung；andyetatthenextPresidentialelectionyouwillvotefortheexacttypeandrepresentativeofStringfellow。Theslave—breedersandslave—tradersareasmall，odious，anddetestedclassamongyou；

andyetinpoliticstheydictatethecourseofallofyou，andareascompletelyyourmastersasyouarethemasterofyourownnegroes。YouinquirewhereInowstand。Thatisadisputedpoint。IthinkIamaWhig；butotherssaytherearenoWhigs，andthatIamanAbolitionist。WhenIwasatWashington，IvotedfortheWilmotProvisoasgoodasfortytimes；andIneverheardofanyoneattemptingtoun—Whigmeforthat。Inowdonomorethanopposetheextensionofslavery。IamnotaKnow—Nothing；

thatiscertain。HowcouldIbe？Howcananyonewhoabhorstheoppressionofnegroesbeinfavorofdegradingclassesofwhitepeople？Ourprogressindegeneracyappearstometobeprettyrapid。Asanationwebeganbydeclaringthat"allmenarecreatedequal。"Wenowpracticallyreadit"allmenarecreatedequal，exceptnegroes。"WhentheKnow—Nothingsgetcontrol，itwillread"allmenarecreatedequal，exceptnegroesandforeignersandCatholics。"Whenitcomestothis，Ishallpreferemigratingtosomecountrywheretheymakenopretenseoflovingliberty，——toRussia，forinstance，wheredespotismcanbetakenpure，andwithoutthebasealloyofhypocrisy。

MarywillprobablypassadayortwoinLouisvilleinOctober。

MykindestregardstoMrs。Speed。OntheleadingsubjectofthisletterIhavemoreofhersympathythanIhaveofyours；andyetletmesayIam，Yourfriendforever，A。LINCOLN。

1856

REQUESTFORARAILWAYPASS

TOR。P。MORGAN

SPRINGFIELD，February13，1856。

R。P。MORGAN，ESQ。：

SaysTomtoJohn，"Here’syouroldrottenwheelbarrow。I’vebrokeitusin’onit。Iwishyouwouldmendit，’caseIshallwanttoborrowitthisarternoon。"Actingonthisasaprecedent，Isay，"Here’syourold’chalkedhat，——Iwishyouwouldtakeitandsendmeanewone，’caseIshallwanttouseitthefirstofMarch。"

Yourstruly，A。LINCOLN

(A’chalkedhat’wasthecommonterm，atthattime，forarailroadpass。)

SPEECHDELIVEREDBEFORETHEFIRSTREPUBLICAN

STATECONVENTIONOFILLINOIS，HELDATBLOOMINGTON，ONMAY29，1856。

[FromtheReportbyWilliamC。Whitney。]

(Mr。Whitney’snotesweremadeatthetime，butnotwrittenoutuntil1896。Hedoesnotclaimthatthespeech，asherereported，isliterallycorrectonlythathehasfollowedtheargument，andthatinmanycasesthesentencesareasMr。Lincolnspokethem。)

Mr。CHAIRMANANDGENTLEMEN：Iwasoverat[Criesof"Platform！"

"Taketheplatform！"]——Isay，thatwhileIwasatDanvilleCourt，someofourfriendsofAnti—NebraskagottogetherinSpringfieldandelectedmeasonedelegatetorepresentoldSangamonwiththeminthisconvention，andIamherecertainlyasasympathizerinthismovementandbyvirtueofthatmeetingandselection。

Butwecanhardlybecalleddelegatesstrictly，inasmuchas，properlyspeaking，werepresentnobodybutourselves。IthinkitaltogetherfairtosaythatwehavenoAnti—NebraskapartyinSangamon，althoughthereisagooddealofAnti—Nebraskafeelingthere；butIsayformyself，andIthinkImayspeakalsoformycolleagues，thatwewhoareherefullyapproveoftheplatformandofallthathasbeendone[Avoice，"Yes！，"]，andevenifwearenotregularlydelegates，itwillberightformetoansweryourcalltospeak。IsupposewetrulystandforthepublicsentimentofSangamononthegreatquestionoftherepeal，althoughwedonotyetrepresentmanynumberswhohavetakenadistinctpositiononthequestion。

Weareinatryingtime——itrangesabovemereparty——andthismovementtocallahaltandturnourstepsbackwardneedsallthehelpandgoodcounselsitcanget；forunlesspopularopinionmakesitselfverystronglyfelt，andachangeismadeinourpresentcourse，bloodwillflowonaccountofNebraska，andbrother’shandswillberaisedagainstbrother！

[Thelastsentencewasutteredinsuchanearnest，impressive，ifnot，indeed，tragic，manner，astomakeacoldchillcreepoverme。Othersgaveasimilarexperience。]

IhavelistenedwithgreatinteresttotheearnestappealmadetoIllinoismenbythegentlemanfromLawrence[JamesS。Emery]whohasjustaddressedussoeloquentlyandforcibly。Iwasdeeplymovedbyhisstatementofthewrongsdonetofree—Statemenoutthere。IthinkitjusttosaythatalltruemenNorthshouldsympathizewiththem，andoughttobewillingtodoanypossibleandneedfulthingtorighttheirwrongs。Butwemustnotpromisewhatweoughtnot，lestwebecalledontoperformwhatwecannot；wemustbecalmandmoderate，andconsiderthewholedifficulty，anddeterminewhatispossibleandjust。Wemustnotbeledbyexcitementandpassiontodothatwhichoursoberjudgmentswouldnotapproveinourcoolermoments。Wehavehigheraims；wewillhavemoreseriousbusinessthantodallywithtemporarymeasures。