第19章

Thesetwoclassesofmenfallwithinthegeneralclassofthosewhodonotlookuponitasawrong。Andiftherebeamongyouanybodywhosupposesthathe，asaDemocrat，canconsiderhimself"asmuchopposedtoslaveryasanybody，"Iwouldliketoreasonwithhim。Younevertreatitasawrong。Whatotherthingthatyouconsiderasawrongdoyoudealwithasyoudealwiththat？Perhapsyousayitiswrong——butyourleaderneverdoes，andyouquarrelwithanybodywhosaysitiswrong。Althoughyoupretendtosaysoyourself，youcanfindnofitplacetodealwithitasawrong。YoumustnotsayanythingaboutitinthefreeStates，becauseitisnothere。YoumustnotsayanythingaboutitintheslaveStates，becauseitisthere。Youmustnotsayanythingaboutitinthepulpit，becausethatisreligion，andhasnothingtodowithit。Youmustnotsayanythingaboutitinpolitics，becausethatwilldisturbthesecurityof"myplace。"Thereisnoplacetotalkaboutitasbeingawrong，althoughyousayyourselfitisawrong。But，finally，youwillscrewyourselfuptothebeliefthatifthepeopleoftheslaveStatesshouldadoptasystemofgradualemancipationontheslaveryquestion，youwouldbeinfavorofit。Youwouldbeinfavorofit。

Yousaythatisgettingitintherightplace，andyouwouldbegladtoseeitsucceed。Butyouaredeceivingyourself。YouallknowthatFrankBlairandGratzBrown，downthereinSt。Louis，undertooktointroducethatsysteminMissouri。Theyfoughtasvaliantlyastheycouldforthesystemofgradualemancipationwhichyoupretendyouwouldbegladtoseesucceed。Now，Iwillbringyoutothetest。

Afterahardfighttheywerebeaten，andwhenthenewscameoverhere，youthrewupyourhatsandhurrahedforDemocracy。Morethanthat，takealltheargumentmadeinfavorofthesystemyouhaveproposed，anditcarefullyexcludestheideathatthereisanythingwrongintheinstitutionofslavery。Theargumentstosustainthatpolicycarefullyexcludeit。Evenhereto—dayyouheardJudgeDouglasquarrelwithmebecauseIutteredawishthatitmightsometimecometoanend。AlthoughHenryClaycouldsayhewishedeveryslaveintheUnitedStateswasinthecountryofhisancestors，IamdenouncedbythosepretendingtorespectHenryClayforutteringawishthatitmightsometime，insomepeacefulway，cometoanend。

TheDemocraticpolicyinregardtothatinstitutionwillnottoleratethemerestbreath，theslightesthint，oftheleastdegreeofwrongaboutit。TryitbysomeofJudgeDouglas’sarguments。Hesayshe"don’tcarewhetheritisvoteduporvoteddown"intheTerritories。

Idonotcaremyself，indealingwiththatexpression，whetheritisintendedtobeexpressiveofhisindividualsentimentsonthesubject，oronlyofthenationalpolicyhedesirestohaveestablished。Itisalikevaluableformypurpose。Anymancansaythatwhodoesnotseeanythingwronginslavery；butnomancanlogicallysayitwhodoesseeawronginit，becausenomancanlogicallysayhedon’tcarewhetherawrongisvoteduporvoteddown。Hemaysayhedon’tcarewhetheranindifferentthingisvotedupordown，buthemustlogicallyhaveachoicebetweenarightthingandawrongthing。Hecontendsthatwhatevercommunitywantsslaveshasarighttohavethem。Sotheyhave，ifitisnotawrong。Butifitisawrong，hecannotsaypeoplehavearighttodowrong。HesaysthatuponthescoreofequalityslavesshouldbeallowedtogoinanewTerritory，likeotherproperty。Thisisstrictlylogicalifthereisnodifferencebetweenitandotherproperty。Ifitandotherpropertyareequal，thisargumentisentirelylogical。Butifyouinsistthatoneiswrongandtheotherright，thereisnousetoinstituteacomparisonbetweenrightandwrong。YoumayturnovereverythingintheDemocraticpolicyfrombeginningtoend，whetherintheshapeittakesonthestatutebook，intheshapeittakesintheDredScottdecision，intheshapeittakesinconversation，ortheshapeittakesinshortmaxim—likearguments，——iteverywherecarefullyexcludestheideathatthereisanythingwronginit。

Thatistherealissue。ThatistheissuethatwillcontinueinthiscountrywhenthesepoortonguesofJudgeDouglasandmyselfshallbesilent。Itistheeternalstrugglebetweenthesetwoprinciples——

rightandwrong——throughouttheworld。Theyarethetwoprinciplesthathavestoodfacetofacefromthebeginningoftime，andwillevercontinuetostruggle。Theoneisthecommonrightofhumanity，andtheotherthedivinerightofkings。Itisthesameprincipleinwhatevershapeitdevelopsitself。Itisthesamespiritthatsays，"Youworkandtoilandearnbread，andI’lleatit。"Nomatterinwhatshapeitcomes，whetherfromthemouthofakingwhoseekstobestridethepeopleofhisownnationandlivebythefruitoftheirlabor，orfromoneraceofmenasanapologyforenslavinganotherrace，itisthesametyrannicalprinciple。IwasgladtoexpressmygratitudeatQuincy，andIre—expressithere，toJudgeDouglas，——

thathelookstonoendoftheinstitutionofslavery。Thatwillhelpthepeopletoseewherethestrugglereallyis。Itwillhereafterplacewithusallmenwhoreallydowishthewrongmayhaveanend。Andwheneverwecangetridofthefogwhichobscurestherealquestion，whenwecangetJudgeDouglasandhisfriendstoavowapolicylookingtoitsperpetuation，——wecangetoutfromamongthatclassofmenandbringthemtothesideofthosewhotreatitasawrong。Thentherewillsoonbeanendofit，andthatendwillbeits"ultimateextinction。"Whenevertheissuecanbedistinctlymade，andallextraneousmatterthrownoutsothatmencanfairlyseetherealdifferencebetweentheparties，thiscontroversywillsoonbesettled，anditwillbedonepeaceablytoo。Therewillbenowar，noviolence。Itwillbeplacedagainwherethewisestandbestmenoftheworldplacedit。BrooksofSouthCarolinaoncedeclaredthatwhenthisConstitutionwasframeditsframersdidnotlooktotheinstitutionexistinguntilthisday。Whenhesaidthis，Ithinkhestatedafactthatisfullyborneoutbythehistoryofthetimes。

Buthealsosaidtheywerebetterandwisermenthanthemenofthesedays，yetthemenofthesedayshadexperiencewhichtheyhadnot，andbytheinventionofthecotton—ginitbecameanecessityinthiscountrythatslaveryshouldbeperpetual。Inowsaythat，willinglyorunwillingly——purposelyorwithoutpurpose，JudgeDouglashasbeenthemostprominentinstrumentinchangingthepositionoftheinstitutionofslavery，——whichthefathersofthegovernmentexpectedtocometoanenderethis，andputtingituponBrooks’scotton—ginbasis；placingitwhereheopenlyconfesseshehasnodesirethereshalleverbeanendofit。

IunderstandIhavetenminutesyet。IwillemployitinsayingsomethingaboutthisargumentJudgeDouglasuses，whilehesustainstheDredScottdecision，thatthepeopleoftheTerritoriescanstillsomehowexcludeslavery。ThefirstthingIaskattentiontoisthefactthatJudgeDouglasconstantlysaid，beforethedecision，thatwhethertheycouldornot，wasaquestionfortheSupremeCourt。ButafterthecourthadmadethedecisionhevirtuallysaysitisnotaquestionfortheSupremeCourt，butforthepeople。Andhowisithetellsustheycanexcludeit？Hesaysitneeds"policeregulations，"

andthatadmitsof"unfriendlylegislation。"AlthoughitisarightestablishedbytheConstitutionoftheUnitedStatestotakeaslaveintoaTerritoryoftheUnitedStatesandholdhimasproperty，yetunlesstheTerritorialLegislaturewillgivefriendlylegislation，andmoreespeciallyiftheyadoptunfriendlylegislation，theycanpracticallyexcludehim。Now，withoutmeetingthispropositionasamatteroffact，Ipasstoconsidertherealconstitutionalobligation。Letmetakethegentlemanwholooksmeinthefacebeforeme，andletussupposethatheisamemberoftheTerritorialLegislature。ThefirstthinghewilldowillbetoswearthathewillsupporttheConstitutionoftheUnitedStates。HisneighborbyhissideintheTerritoryhasslavesandneedsTerritoriallegislationtoenablehimtoenjoythatconstitutionalright。CanhewithholdthelegislationwhichhisneighborneedsfortheenjoymentofarightwhichisfixedinhisfavorintheConstitutionoftheUnitedStateswhichhehassworntosupport？Canhewithholditwithoutviolatinghisoath？And，moreespecially，canhepassunfriendlylegislationtoviolatehisoath？Why，thisisamonstroussortoftalkabouttheConstitutionoftheUnitedStates！Therehasneverbeenasoutlandishorlawlessadoctrinefromthemouthofanyrespectablemanonearth。IdonotbelieveitisaconstitutionalrighttoholdslavesinaTerritoryoftheUnitedStates。IbelievethedecisionwasimproperlymadeandIgoforreversingit。JudgeDouglasisfuriousagainstthosewhogoforreversingadecision。

Butheisforlegislatingitoutofallforcewhilethelawitselfstands。Irepeatthattherehasneverbeensomonstrousadoctrineutteredfromthemouthofarespectableman。

Isupposemostofus(Iknowitofmyself)believethatthepeopleoftheSouthernStatesareentitledtoaCongressionalFugitiveSlavelaw，——thatisarightfixedintheConstitution。ButitcannotbemadeavailabletothemwithoutCongressionallegislation。IntheJudge’slanguage，itisa"barrenright，"whichneedslegislationbeforeitcanbecomeefficientandvaluabletothepersonstowhomitisguaranteed。Andastherightisconstitutional，Iagreethatthelegislationshallbegrantedtoit，andthatnotthatweliketheinstitutionofslavery。Weprofesstohavenotasteforrunningandcatchingniggers，atleast，Iprofessnotasteforthatjobatall。

WhythendoIyieldsupporttoaFugitiveSlavelaw？BecauseIdonotunderstandthattheConstitution，whichguaranteesthatright，canbesupportedwithoutit。AndifIbelievedthattherighttoholdaslaveinaTerritorywasequallyfixedintheConstitutionwiththerighttoreclaimfugitives，Ishouldbeboundtogiveitthelegislationnecessarytosupportit。IsaythatnomancandenyhisobligationtogivethenecessarylegislationtosupportslaveryinaTerritory，whobelievesitisaconstitutionalrighttohaveitthere。Nomancan，whodoesnotgivetheAbolitionistsanargumenttodenytheobligationenjoinedbytheConstitutiontoenactaFugitiveStatelaw。Tryitnow。ItisthestrongestAbolitionargumentevermade。IsayifthatDredScottdecisioniscorrect，thentherighttoholdslavesinaTerritoryisequallyaconstitutionalrightwiththerightofaslaveholdertohavehisrunawayreturned。Noonecanshowthedistinctionbetweenthem。Theoneisexpress，sothatwecannotdenyit。TheotherisconstruedtobeintheConstitution，sothathewhobelievesthedecisiontobecorrectbelievesintheright。Andthemanwhoarguesthatbyunfriendlylegislation，inspiteofthatconstitutionalright，slaverymaybedrivenfromtheTerritories，cannotavoidfurnishinganargumentbywhichAbolitionistsmaydenytheobligationtoreturnfugitives，andclaimthepowertopasslawsunfriendlytotherightoftheslaveholdertoreclaimhisfugitive。Idonotknowhowsuchanarguementmaystrikeapopularassemblylikethis，butIdefyanybodytogobeforeabodyofmenwhosemindsareeducatedtoestimatingevidenceandreasoning，andshowthatthereisaniotaofdifferencebetweentheconstitutionalrighttoreclaimafugitiveandtheconstitutionalrighttoholdaslave，inaTerritory，providedthisDredScottdecisioniscorrect，IdefyanymantomakeanargumentthatwilljustifyunfriendlylegislationtodepriveaslaveholderofhisrighttoholdhisslaveinaTerritory，thatwillnotequally，inallitslength，breadth，andthickness，furnishanargumentfornullifyingtheFugitiveSlavelaw。Why，thereisnotsuchanAbolitionistinthenationasDouglas，afterall！

EndofVolume4

TheWritingsofAbrahamLincolnbyAbrahamLincolnVOLUME5。

TOSYDNEYSPRING，GRAYVILLE，ILL。

SPRINGFIELD，June19，1858。

SYDNEYSPRING，Esq。

MYDEARSIR：——YourletterintroducingMr。Fareewasdulyreceived。

TherewasnoopeningtonominatehimforSuperintendentofPublicInstruction，butthroughhimEgyptmadeamostvaluablecontributiontotheconvention。Ithinkitmaybefairlysaidthathecameoffthelionoftheday——orratherofthenight。CanyounotelecthimtotheLegislature？Itseemstomehewouldbehardtobeat。Whatobjectioncouldbemadetohim？WhatisyourSenatorMartinsayinganddoing？WhatisWebbabout？

Pleasewriteme。

Yourstruly，A。LINCOLN。

TOH。C。WHITNEY。

SPRINGFIELD，June24，1858

H。C。WHITNEY，ESQ。

DEARSIR：——YourletterenclosingtheattackoftheTimesuponmewasreceivedthismorning。Giveyourselfnoconcernaboutmyvotingagainstthesupplies。Unlessyouarewithoutfaiththataliecanbesuccessfullycontradicted，thereisnotawordoftruthinthecharge，andIamjustconsideringalittleastothebestshapetoputacontradictionin。Showthistowhomeveryouplease，butdonotpublishitinthepaper。

Yourfriendasever，A。LINCOLN。

TOJ。W。SOMERS。

SPRINGFIELD，June25，1858。

JAMESW。SOMERS，Esq。

MYDEARSIR：——Yoursofthe22nd，inclosingadraftoftwohundreddollars，wasdulyreceived。Ihavepaiditonthejudgment，andherewithyouhavethereceipt。IdonotwishtosayanythingastowhoshallbetheRepublicancandidatefortheLegislatureinyourdistrict，furtherthanthatIhavefullconfidenceinDr。Hull。HaveyouevergotinthewayofconsultingwithMcKinleyinpoliticalmatters？Heistrueassteel，andhisjudgmentisverygood。ThelastIheardfromhim，heratherthoughtWeldon，ofDeWitt，wasourbesttimberforrepresentative，allthingsconsidered。Butyoutheremustsettleitamongyourselves。Itmaywellpuzzleolderheadsthanyourstounderstandhow，astheDredScottdecisionholds，CongresscanauthorizeaTerritorialLegislaturetodoeverythingelse，andcannotauthorizethemtoprohibitslavery。Thatisoneofthethingsthecourtcandecide，butcannevergiveanintelligiblereasonfor。

Yoursverytruly，A。LINCOLN。

TOA。CAMPBELL。

SPRINGFIELD，June28，1858。

A。CAMPBELL，Esq。

MYDEARSIR：——In1856yougavemeauthoritytodrawonyouforanysumnotexceedingfivehundreddollars。Iseeclearlythatsuchaprivilegewouldbemoreavailablenowthanitwasthen。Iamawarethattimesaretighternowthantheywerethen。Pleasewritemeatallevents，andwhetheryoucannowdoanythingornotIshallcontinuegratefulforthepast。

Yoursverytruly，A。LINCOLN。

TOJ。GILLESPIE。

SPRINGFIELD，July16，1858。

HON。JOSEPHGILLESPIE。

MYDEARSIR：——IwritethistosaythatfromthespecimensofDouglasDemocracyweoccasionallyseeherefromMadison，welearnthattheyaremakingveryconfidentcalculationofbeatingyouandyourfriendsforthelowerhouse，inthatcounty。Theyoffertobetuponit。

BillingsandJob，respectively，havebeenuphere，andwereeachasI

learn，talkinglargelyaboutit。Iftheydoso，itcanonlybedonebycarryingtheFillmoremenof1856verydifferentlyfromwhattheyseemto[be]goingintheotherparty。Belowisthevoteof1856，inyourdistrict：

Counties。

Counties。Buchanan。Fremont。Fillmore。

Bond……607153659

Madison……145111111658

Montgomery……992162686

————————————

305014263003

Bythisyouwillsee，ifyougothroughthecalculation，thatiftheygetonequarteroftheFillmorevotes，andyouthreequarters，theywillbeatyou125votes。Iftheygetonefifth，andyoufourfifths，youbeatthem179。InMadison，alone，ifourfriendsget1000oftheFillmorevotes，andtheiropponentstheremainder，658，wewinbyjusttwovotes。

Thisshowsthewholefield，onthebasisoftheelectionof1856。

Whether，sincethen，anyBuchanan，orFremonters，haveshiftedground，andhowthemajorityofnewvoteswillgo，youcanjudgebetterthanI。

Ofcourseyou，ontheground，canbetterdetermineyourlineoftacticsthananyoneofftheground；butitbehoovesyoutobewideawakeandactivelyworking。

Don’tneglectit；andwritemeatyourfirstleisure。

Yoursasever，A。LINCOLN。

TOJOHNMATHERS，JACKSONVILLE，ILL。

SPRINGFIELD，JULY20，1858。

JNO。MATHERS，Esq。

MYDEARSIR：——Yourkindandinterestingletterofthe19thwasdulyreceived。Yoursuggestionsastoplacingone’sselfontheoffensiveratherthanthedefensivearecertainlycorrect。ThatisapointwhichIshallnotdisregard。IspokehereonSaturdaynight。Thespeech，notverywellreported，appearsintheStatejournalofthismorning。Youdoubtlesswillseeit；andIhopethatyouwillperceiveinitthatIamalreadyimproving。Iwouldmailyouacopynow，buthavenotone[at]hand。Ithankyouforyourletterandshallbepleasedtohearfromyouagain。

Yoursverytruly，A。LINCOLN。

TOJOSEPHGILLESPIE。

SPRINGFIELD，JULY25，1858。

HON。J。GILLESPIE。

MYDEARSIR：——Yourdolefulletterofthe8thwasreceivedonmyreturnfromChicagolastnight。Idohopeyouareworsescaredthanhurt，thoughyououghttoknowbest。Wemustnotlosethedistrict。

Wemustmakeajobofit，andsaveit。Layholdoftheproperagencies，andsecurealltheAmericansyoucan，atonce。Idohope，oncloserinspection，youwillfindtheyarenothalfgone。Makealittletest。Rundownoneofthepoll—booksoftheEdwardsvilleprecinct，andtakethefirsthundredknownAmericannames。ThenquietlyascertainhowmanyofthemareactuallygoingforDouglas。I

thinkyouwillfindlessthanfifty。Butevenifyoufindfifty，makesureoftheotherfifty，thatis，makesureofallyoucan，atallevents。WewillsetotheragenciestoworkwhichshallcompensateforthelossofagoodmanyAmericans。Don’tfailtocheckthestampedeatonce。Trumbull，Ithink，willbewithyoubeforelong。

Thereismuchhecannotdo，andsomehecan。Ihavereasontohopetherewillbeotherhelpofanappropriatekind。Writemeagain。

Yoursasever，A。LINCOLN。

TOB。C。COOK。

SPRINGFIELD，Aug。2，1858。

Hon。B。C。COOK。

MYDEARSIR：——IhavealetterfromaverytrueandintelligentmaninsistingthatthereisaplanonfootinLaSalleandBureautorunDouglasRepublicansforCongressandfortheLegislatureinthosecounties，iftheycanonlygettheencouragementofourfolksnominatingprettyextremeabolitionists。

Itisthoughttheywilldonothingifourfolksnominatemenwhoarenotveryobnoxioustothechargeofabolitionism。Pleasehaveyoureyeuponthis。Signsarelookingprettyfair。

Yoursverytruly，A。LINCOLN。

TOHON。J。M。PALMER。

SPRINGFIELD，Aug。5，1858。

HON。J。M。PALMER。

DEARSIR：——Sincewepartedlasteveningnonewthoughthasoccurredto[me]onthesubjectofwhichwetalkedmostyesterday。

Ihaveconcluded，however，tospeakatyourtownonTuesday，August31st，andhavepromisedtohaveitsoappearinthepapersofto—morrow。JudgeTrumbullhasnotyetreachedhere。

Yoursasever，A。LINCOLN。

TOALEXANDERSYMPSON。

SPRINGFIELD，Aug。11，1858。

ALEXANDERSYMPSON，Esq。

DEARSIR：——Yoursofthe6threceived。IflifeandhealthcontinueI

shallprettylikelybeatAugustaonthe25th。

Thingslookreasonablywell。WilltellyoumorefullywhenIseeyou。

Yourstruly，A。LINCOLN。

TOJ。O。CUNNINGHAM。

OTTAWA，August22，1858。

J。O。CUNNINGHAM，Esq。

MYDEARSIR：——Yoursofthe18th，signedassecretaryoftheRepublicanclub，isreceived。InthematterofmakingspeechesIamagooddealpressedbyinvitationsfromalmostallquarters，andwhileIhopetobeatUrbanasometimeduringthecanvass，Icannotyetsaywhen。CanyounotseemeatMonticelloonthe6thofSeptember？

DouglasandI，forthefirsttimethiscanvass，crossedswordshereyesterday；thefireflewsome，andIamgladtoknowIamyetalive。

Therewasavastconcourseofpeople——morethancouldgetnearenoughtohear。

Yoursasever，A。LINCOLN。

ONSLAVERYINADEMOCRACY。

August？？，1858

AsIwouldnotbeaslave，soIwouldnotbeamaster。Thisexpressesmyideaofdemocracy。Whateverdiffersfromthis，totheextentofthedifference，isnodemocracy。

A。LINCOLN。

TOB。C。COOK。

SPRINGFIELD，August2，1858

HON。B。C。COOK。

MYDEARSIR：——Ihavealetterfromaverytruefriend，andintelligentman，writingthatthereisaplanonfootinLaSalleandBureau，torunDouglasRepublicanforCongressandfortheLegislatureinthosecounties，iftheycanonlygettheencouragementofourfolksnominatingprettyextremeabolitionists。Itisthoughttheywilldonothingifourfolksnominatemenwhoarenotvery[undecipherablewordlookslike"obnoxious"]tothechargeofabolitionism。Pleasehaveyoureyeuponthis。Signsarelookingprettyfair。

Yoursverytruly，A。LINCOLN。

TODR。WILLIAMFITHIAN，DANVILLE，ILL。

BLOOMINGTON，Sept。3，1858

DEARDOCTOR：——Yoursofthe1stwasreceivedthismorning，asalsoonefromMr。Harmon，andonefromHiramBeckwithonthesamesubject。

YouwillseebytheJournalthatIhavebeenappointedtospeakatDanvilleonthe22dofSept。，——thedayafterDouglasspeaksthere。

MyrecentexperienceshowsthatspeakingatthesameplacethenextdayafterD。istheverything，——itis，infact，aconcludingspeechonhim。PleaseshowthistoMessrs。HarmonandBeckwith；andtellthemtheymustexcusemefromwritingseparateletterstothem。

Yoursasever，A。LINCOLN

P。S。——Givefullnoticetoallsurroundingcountry。

A。L。

FRAGMENTOFSPEECHATPARIS，ILL。，SEPT。8，1858。

LetusinquirewhatJudgeDouglasreallyinventedwhenheintroducedtheNebraskaBill？HecalleditPopularSovereignty。Whatdoesthatmean？Itmeansthesovereigntyofthepeopleovertheirownaffairs——

inotherwords，therightofthepeopletogovernthemselves。DidJudgeDouglasinventthis？Notquite。TheideaofpopularsovereigntywasfloatingaboutseveralagesbeforetheauthoroftheNebraskaBillwasborn——indeed，beforeColumbussetfootonthiscontinent。Intheyear1776ittookforminthenoblewordswhichyouareallfamiliarwith："Weholdthesetruthstobeself—evident，thatallmenarecreatedequal，"etc。WasnotthistheoriginofpopularsovereigntyasappliedtotheAmericanpeople？Herewearetoldthatgovernmentsareinstitutedamongmenderivingtheirjustpowersfromtheconsentofthegoverned。Ifthatisnotpopularsovereignty，thenIhavenoconceptionofthemeaningofwords。IfJudgeDouglasdidnotinventthiskindofpopularsovereignty，letuspursuetheinquiryandfindoutwhatkindhedidinvent。WasittherightofemigrantstoKansasandNebraskatogovernthemselves，andalotof"niggers，"too，iftheywantedthem？ClearlythiswasnoinventionofhisbecauseGeneralCassputforththesamedoctrinein1848inhissocalledNicholsonletter，sixyearsbeforeDouglasthoughtofsuchathing。Thenwhatwasitthatthe"LittleGiant"

invented？ItneveroccurredtoGeneralCasstocallhisdiscoverybytheoddnameofpopularsovereignty。Hehadnotthefacetosaythattherightofthepeopletogovern"niggers"wastherightofthepeopletogovernthemselves。Hisnotionsofthefitnessofthingswerenotmouldedtothebrazennessofcallingtherighttoputahundred"niggers"throughunderthelashinNebraskaa"sacred"rightofself—government。AndhereIsubmittoyouwasJudgeDouglas’sdiscovery，andthewholeofit：HediscoveredthattherighttobreedandflognegroesinNebraskawaspopularsovereignty。

SPEECHATCLINTON，ILLINOIS，SEPTEMBER8，1858。

Thequestionsaresometimesasked"Whatisallthisfussthatisbeingmadeaboutnegroes？Whatdoesitamountto？Andwherewillitend？"Thesequestionsimplythatthosewhoaskthemconsidertheslaveryquestionaveryinsignificantmattertheythinkthatitamountstolittleornothingandthatthosewhoagitateitareextremelyfoolish。Nowitmustbeadmittedthatifthegreatquestionwhichhascausedsomuchtroubleisinsignificant，weareveryfoolishtohaveanythingtodowithit——ifitisofnoimportancewehadbetterthrowitasideandbusyourselveswithsomethingelse。Butletusinquirealittleintothisinsignificantmatter，asitiscalledbysome，andseeifitisnotimportantenoughtodemandthecloseattentionofeverywell—wisheroftheUnion。InoneofDouglas’srecentspeeches，IfindareferencetoonewhichwasmadebymeinSpringfieldsometimeago。Thejudgemakesonequotationfromthatspeechthatrequiressomelittlenoticefrommeatthistime。IregretthatIhavenotmySpringfieldspeechbeforeme，butthejudgehasquotedoneparticularpartofitsooftenthatIthinkIcanrecollectit。ItrunsIthinkasfollows：

"Wearenowfarintothefifthyearsinceapolicywasinitiatedwiththeavowedobjectandconfidentpromiseofputtinganendtoslaveryagitation。Undertheoperationofthatpolicythatagitationhasnotonlynotceasedbuthasconstantlyaugmented。Inmyopinionitwillnotceaseuntilacrisisshallhavebeenreachedandpassed。

"Ahousedividedagainstitselfcannotstand。Ibelievethisgovernmentcannotendurepermanentlyhalfslaveandhalffree。IdonotexpecttheUniontobedissolved。Idonotexpectthehousetofall，butIdoexpectitwillceasetobedivided。Itwillbecomeallonethingoralltheother。Eithertheopponentsofslaverywillarrestthefurtherspreadofitandplaceitwherethepublicmindshallrestinthebeliefthatitisinthecourseofultimateextinction；oritsadvocateswillpushitforwardtillitshallbecomealikelawfulinalltheStates，oldaswellasnew，NorthaswellasSouth。"

JudgeDouglasmakesuseoftheabovequotation，andfindsagreatdealoffaultwithit。Hedealsunfairlywithme，andtriestomakethepeopleofthisStatebelievethatIadvocateddangerousdoctrinesinmySpringfieldspeech。LetusseeifthatportionofmySpringfieldspeechofwhichJudgeDouglascomplainssobitterly，isasobjectionabletoothersasitistohim。Weare，certainly，farintothefifthyearsinceapolicywasinitiatedwiththeavowedobjectandconfidentpromiseofputtinganendtoslaveryagitation。

OnthefourthdayofJanuary，1854，JudgeDouglasintroducedtheKansas—Nebraskabill。Heinitiatedanewpolicy，andthatpolicy，sohesays，wastoputanendtotheagitationoftheslaveryquestion。

WhetherthatwashisobjectornotIwillnotstoptodiscuss，butatalleventssomekindofapolicywasinitiated；andwhathasbeentheresult？Insteadofthequietandgoodfeelingwhichwerepromisedusbytheself—styledauthorofPopularSovereignty，wehavehadnothingbutill—feelingandagitation。AccordingtoJudgeDouglas，thepassageoftheNebraskabillwouldtranquilizethewholecountry——

therewouldbenomoreslaveryagitationinoroutofCongress，andthevexedquestionwouldbeleftentirelytothepeopleoftheTerritories。SuchwastheopinionofJudgeDouglas，andsuchweretheopinionsoftheleadingmenoftheDemocraticParty。Evenaslateasthespringof1856Mr。Buchanansaid，ashorttimesubsequenttohisnominationbytheCincinnaticonvention，thattheterritoryofKansaswouldbetranquilinlessthansixweeks。Perhapshethoughtso，butKansashasnotbeenandisnottranquil，anditmaybealongtimebeforeshemaybeso。

WeallknowhowfiercetheagitationwasinCongresslastwinter，andwhatanarrowescapeKansashadfrombeingadmittedintotheUnionwithaconstitutionthatwasdetestedbyninety—ninehundredthsofhercitizens。DidtheangrydebateswhichtookplaceatWashingtonduringthelastseasonofCongressleadyoutosupposethattheslaveryagitationwassettled？

AnelectionwasheldinKansasinthemonthofAugust，andtheconstitutionwhichwassubmittedtothepeoplewasvoteddownbyalargemajority。SoKansasisstilloutoftheUnion，andthereisaprobabilitythatshewillremainoutforsometime。ButJudgeDouglassaystheslaveryquestionissettled。HesaysthebillheintroducedintotheSenateoftheUnitedStatesonthe4thdayofJanuary，1854，settledtheslaveryquestionforever！Perhapshecantellushowthatbillsettledtheslaveryquestion，forifheisabletosettleaquestionofsuchgreatmagnitudeheoughttobeabletoexplainthemannerinwhichhedoesit。Heknowsandyouknowthatthequestionisnotsettled，andthathisill—timedexperimenttosettleithasmadeitworsethaniteverwasbefore。

AndnowletmesayafewwordsinregardtoDouglas’sgreathobbyofnegroequality。Hethinks——hesaysatleast——thattheRepublicanpartyisinfavorofallowingwhitesandblackstointermarry，andthatamancan’tbeagoodRepublicanunlessheiswillingtoelevateblackmentoofficeandtoassociatewiththemontermsofperfectequality。Heknowsthatweadvocatenosuchdoctrinesasthese，buthecaresnothowmuchhemisrepresentsusifhecangainafewvotesbysodoing。Toshowyouwhatmyopinionofnegroequalitywasintimespast，andtoprovetoyouthatIstandonthatquestionwhereI

alwaysstood，IwillreadyouafewextractsfromaspeechthatwasmadebymeinPeoriain1854。ItwasmadeinreplytooneofJudgeDouglas’sspeeches。

(Mr。Lincolnthenreadanumberofextractswhichhadtheringofthetruemetal。Wehaverarelyheardanythingwithwhichwehavebeenmorepleased。Andtheaudienceafterhearingtheextractsread，andcomparingtheirconservativesentimentswiththosenowadvocatedbyMr。Lincoln，testifiedtheirapprovalbyloudapplause。HowanyreasonablemancanhearoneofMr。Lincoln’sspeecheswithoutbeingconvertedtoRepublicanismissomethingthatwecan’taccountfor。

Ed。)

Slavery，continuedMr。Lincoln，isnotamatteroflittleimportance，itovershadowseveryotherquestioninwhichweareinterested。IthasdividedtheMethodistandPresbyterianchurches，andhassowndiscordintheAmericanTractSociety。Thechurcheshavesplitandthesocietywillfollowtheirexamplebeforelong。Soitwillbeseenthatslaveryisagitatedinthereligiousaswellasinthepoliticalworld。

JudgeDouglasisverymuchafraidinthetriumphthattheRepublicanpartywillleadtoageneralmixtureofthewhiteandblackraces。

PerhapsIamwronginsayingthatheisafraid，soIwillcorrectmyselfbysayingthathepretendstofearthatthesuccessofourpartywillresultintheamalgamationoftheblacksandwhites。I

thinkIcanshowplainly，fromdocumentsnowbeforeme，thatJudgeDouglas’sfearsaregroundless。Thecensusof1800tellsusthatinthatyeartherewereoverfourhundredthousandmulattoesintheUnitedStates。NowletustakewhatiscalledanAbolitionState——

theRepublican，slavery—hatingStateofNewHampshire——andseehowmanymulattoeswecanfindwithinherborders。Thenumberamountstojustonehundredandeighty—four。IntheOldDominion——intheDemocraticandaristocraticStateofVirginia——therewereafewmoremulattoesthantheCensus—takersfoundinNewHampshire。Howmanydoyousupposetherewere？Seventy—ninethousand，sevenhundredandseventy—five——twenty—threethousandmorethantherewereinallthefreeStates！IntheslaveStatestherewerein1800，threehundredandforty—eightthousandmulattoesallofhomeproduction；

andinthefreeStatestherewerelessthansixtythousandmulattoes——andalargenumberofthemwereimportedfromtheSouth。

FRAGMENTOFSPEECHATEDWARDSVILLE，ILL。，SEPT。13，1858。

Ihavebeenrequestedtogiveaconcisestatementofthedifference，asIunderstandit，betweentheDemocraticandRepublicanparties，ontheleadingissuesofthecampaign。ThisquestionhasbeenputtomebyagentlemanwhomIdonotknow。IdonotevenknowwhetherheisafriendofmineorasupporterofJudgeDouglasinthiscontest，nordoesthatmakeanydifference。Hisquestionisaproperone。LestI

shouldforgetit，IwillgiveyoumyanswerbeforeproceedingwiththelineofargumentIhavemarkedoutforthisdiscussion。

ThedifferencebetweentheRepublicanandtheDemocraticpartiesontheleadingissuesofthiscontest，asIunderstandit，isthattheformerconsiderslaveryamoral，socialandpoliticalwrong，whilethelatterdonotconsideriteitheramoral，asocialorapoliticalwrong；andtheactionofeach，asrespectsthegrowthofthecountryandtheexpansionofourpopulation，issquaredtomeettheseviews。

IwillnotaffirmthattheDemocraticpartyconsiderslaverymorally，sociallyandpoliticallyright，thoughtheirtendencytothatviewhas，inmyopinion，beenconstantandunmistakableforthepastfiveyears。Iprefertotake，astheacceptedmaximoftheparty，theideaputforthbyJudgeDouglas，thathedon’tcarewhetherslaveryisvoteddownorvotedup。"IamquitewillingtobelievethatmanyDemocratswouldpreferthatslaveryshouldbealwaysvoteddown，andIknowthatsomepreferthatitbealwaysvotedup"；butIhavearighttoinsistthattheiraction，especiallyifitbetheirconstantaction，shalldeterminetheirideasandpreferencesonthissubject。

EverymeasureoftheDemocraticpartyoflateyears，bearingdirectlyorindirectlyontheslaveryquestion，hascorrespondedwiththisnotionofutterindifferencewhetherslaveryorfreedomshalloutrunintheraceofempireacrosstothePacific——everymeasure，Isay，uptotheDredScottdecision，where，itseemstome，theideaisboldlysuggestedthatslaveryisbetterthanfreedom。TheRepublicanparty，onthecontrary，holdthatthisgovernmentwasinstitutedtosecuretheblessingsoffreedom，andthatslaveryisanunqualifiedeviltothenegro，tothewhiteman，tothesoil，andtotheState。

Regardingitasanevil，theywillnotmolestitintheStateswhereitexists，theywillnotoverlooktheconstitutionalguardswhichourfathersplacedaroundit；theywilldonothingthatcangiveproperoffencetothosewhoholdslavesbylegalsanction；buttheywilluseeveryconstitutionalmethodtopreventtheevilfrombecominglargerandinvolvingmorenegroes，morewhitemen，moresoil，andmoreStatesinitsdeplorableconsequences。Theywill，ifpossible，placeitwherethepublicmindshallrestinthebeliefthatitisincourseofultimatepeaceableextinctioninGod’sowngoodtime。Andtothisendtheywill，ifpossible，restorethegovernmenttothepolicyofthefathers，thepolicyofpreservingthenewTerritoriesfromthebanefulinfluenceofhumanbondage，astheNorthwesternTerritoriesweresoughttobepreservedbytheOrdinanceof1787，andtheCompromiseActof1820。Theywilloppose，inallitslengthandbreadth，themodernDemocraticidea，thatslaveryisasgoodasfreedom，andoughttohaveroomforexpansionalloverthecontinent，ifpeoplecanbefoundtocarryit。All，ornearlyall，ofJudgeDouglas’sargumentsarelogical，ifyouadmitthatslaveryisasgoodandasrightasfreedom，andnotoneofthemiswortharushifyoudenyit。Thisisthedifference，asIunderstandit，betweentheRepublicanandDemocraticparties。

Myfriends，IhaveendeavoredtoshowyouthelogicalconsequencesoftheDredScottdecision，whichholdsthatthepeopleofaTerritorycannotpreventtheestablishmentofslaveryintheirmidst。Ihavestatedwhatcannotbegainsaid，thatthegroundsuponwhichthisdecisionismadeareequallyapplicabletothefreeStatesastothefreeTerritories，andthatthepeculiarreasonsputforthbyJudgeDouglasforindorsingthisdecisioncommithim，inadvance，tothenextdecisionandtoallotherdecisionscorningfromthesamesource。Andwhen，byallthesemeans，youhavesucceededindehumanizingthenegro；whenyouhaveputhimdownandmadeitimpossibleforhimtobebutasthebeastsofthefield；whenyouhaveextinguishedhissoulinthisworldandplacedhimwheretherayofhopeisblownoutasinthedarknessofthedamned，areyouquitesurethatthedemonyouhaverousedwillnotturnandrendyou？Whatconstitutesthebulwarkofourownlibertyandindependence？Itisnotourfrowningbattlements，ourbristlingseacoasts，ourarmyandournavy。ThesearenotourrelianceagainsttyrannyAllofthosemaybeturnedagainstuswithoutmakingusweakerforthestruggle。

OurrelianceisintheloveoflibertywhichGodhasplantedinus。

Ourdefenseisinthespiritwhichprizeslibertyastheheritageofallmen，inalllandseverywhere。Destroythisspiritandyouhaveplantedtheseedsofdespotismatyourowndoors。Familiarizeyourselveswiththechainsofbondageandyouprepareyourownlimbstowearthem。Accustomedtotrampleontherightsofothers，youhavelostthegeniusofyourownindependenceandbecomethefitsubjectsofthefirstcunningtyrantwhorisesamongyou。Andletmetellyou，thatallthesethingsarepreparedforyoubytheteachingsofhistory，iftheelectionsshallpromisethatthenextDredScottdecisionandallfuturedecisionswillbequietlyacquiescedinbythepeople。

VERSETO"LINNIE"

September30？，1858。

TO"LINNIE"：

AsweetplaintivesongdidIhearAndIfanciedthatshewasthesinger。

MayemotionsaspureasthatsongsetastirBethewontthatthefutureshallbringher。

NEGROESAREMEN

TOJ。U。BROWN。

SPRINGFIELD，OCT18，1858

HON。J。U。BROWN。

MYDEARSIR：——IdonotperceivehowIcanexpressmyselfmoreplainlythanIhaveinthefore—goingextracts。InfourofthemIhaveexpresslydisclaimedallintentiontobringaboutsocialandpoliticalequalitybetweenthewhiteandblackracesandinalltherestIhavedonethesamethingbyclearimplication。

IhavemadeitequallyplainthatIthinkthenegroisincludedintheword"men"usedintheDeclarationofIndependence。

Ibelievethedeclarationthat"allmenarecreatedequal"isthegreatfundamentalprincipleuponwhichourfreeinstitutionsrest；

thatnegroslaveryisviolativeofthatprinciple；butthat，byourframeofgovernment，thatprinciplehasnotbeenmadeoneoflegalobligation；thatbyourframeofgovernment，Stateswhichhaveslaveryaretoretainit，orsurrenderitattheirownpleasure；andthatallothers——individuals，freeStatesandnationalGovernment——

areconstitutionallyboundtoleavethemaloneaboutit。

IbelieveourGovernmentwasthusframedbecauseofthenecessityspringingfromtheactualpresenceofslavery，whenitwasframed。

ThatsuchnecessitydoesnotexistintheTerritorieswhenslaveryisnotpresent。

InhisMendenhallspeechMr。Claysays："Nowasanabstractprinciplethereisnodoubtofthetruthofthatdeclaration(allmencreatedequal)，anditisdesirable，intheoriginalconstructionofsociety，tokeepitinviewasagreatfundamentalprinciple。"

Again，inthesamespeechMr。Claysays："Ifastateofnatureexistedandwewereabouttolaythefoundationsofsociety，nomanwouldbemorestronglyopposedthanIshouldtoincorporatetheinstitutionofslaveryamongitselements。"

Exactlyso。InournewfreeTerritories，astateofnaturedoesexist。InthemCongresslaysthefoundationsofsociety；andinlayingthosefoundations，Isay，withMr。Clay，itisdesirablethatthedeclarationoftheequalityofallmenshallbekeptinviewasagreatfundamentalprinciple，andthatCongress，whichlaysthefoundationsofsociety，should，likeMr。Clay，bestronglyopposedtotheincorporationofslaveryanditselements。

Butitdoesnotfollowthatsocialandpoliticalequalitybetweenwhitesandblacksmustbeincorporatedbecauseslaverymustnot。Thedeclarationdoesnotsorequire。

Yoursasever，A。LINCOLN

[NewspapercuttingsofLincoln’sspeechesatPeoria，in1854，atSpringfield，Ottawa，Chicago，andCharleston，in1858。Theywerepastedinalittlebookinwhichtheaboveletterwasalsowritten。]

TOA。SYMPSON。

BLANDINSVILLE，Oct26，1858

A。SYMPSON，Esq。

DEARSIR：——SincepartingwithyouthismorningIheardsomethingswhichmakemebelievethatEdmundsandMorrillwillspendthisweekamongtheNationalDemocrats，tryingtoinducethemtocontentthemselvesbyvotingforJakeDavis，andthentovotefortheDouglascandidatesforsenatorandrepresentative。Havethisheadedoff，ifyoucan。CallWagley’sattentiontoitandhavehimandtheNationalDemocratforRep。tocounteractitasfarastheycan。

Yoursasever，A。LINCOLN。

SENATORIALELECTIONLOSTANDOUTOFMONEY

TON。B。JUDD。

SPRINGFIELD，NOVEMBER16，1858

HON。N。B。JUDD

DEARSIR：——Yoursofthe15thisjustreceived。Iwroteyouthesameday。Astothepecuniarymatter，Iamwillingtopayaccordingtomyability；butIamthepooresthandlivingtogetotherstopay。I

havebeenonexpensessolongwithoutearninganythingthatIamabsolutelywithoutmoneynowforevenhouseholdpurposes。Still，ifyoucanputintwohundredandfiftydollarsformetowarddischargingthedebtofthecommittee，IwillallowitwhenyouandI

settletheprivatematterbetweenus。This，withwhatIhavealreadypaid，andwithanoutstandingnoteofmine，willexceedmysubscriptionoffivehundreddollars。This，too，isexclusiveofmyordinaryexpensesduringthecampaign，allofwhich，beingaddedtomylossoftimeandbusiness，bearsprettyheavilyupononenobetteroffin[this]world’sgoodsthanI；butasIhadthepostofhonor，itisnotformetobeovernice。Youarefeelingbadly，——"Andthistooshallpassaway，"neverfear。

Yoursasever，A。LINCOLN。

THEFIGHTMUSTGOON

TOH。ASBURY。

SPRINGFIELD，November19，1858。

HENRYASBURY，Esq。

DEARSIR：——Yoursofthe13thwasreceivedsomedaysago。Thefightmustgoon。Thecauseofcivillibertymustnotbesurrenderedattheendofoneorevenonehundreddefeats。Douglashadtheingenuitytobesupportedinthelatecontestbothasthebestmeanstobreakdownandtoupholdtheslaveinterest。Noingenuitycankeeptheseantagonisticelementsinharmonylong。Anotherexplosionwillsooncome。

Yourstruly，A。LINCOLN。

REALIZATIONTHATDEBATESMUSTBESAVED

TOC。H。RAY。

SPRINGFIELD，Nov。20，1858

DR。C。H。RAY

MYDEARSIR：——Iwishtopreserveasetofthelatedebates(iftheymaybecalledso)，betweenDouglasandmyself。Toenablemetodoso，pleasegettwocopiesofeachnumberofyourpapercontainingthewhole，andsendthemtomebyexpress；andIwillpayyouforthepapersandforyourtrouble。Iwishthetwosetsinordertolayoneawayinthe[undecipherableword]andtoputtheotherinascrapbook。Remember，ifpartofanydebateisonbothsidesofthesheetitwilltaketwosetstomakeonescrap—book。

Ibelieve，accordingtoaletterofyourstoHatch，youare"feelinglikeh—llyet。"Quitthat——youwillsoonfeelbetter。Another"blowup"iscoming；andweshallhavefunagain。Douglasmanagedtobesupportedbothasthebestinstrumenttodownandtoupholdtheslavepower；butnoingenuitycanlongkeeptheantagonisminharmony。

Yoursasever，A。LINCOLN

TOH。C。WHITNEY。

SPRINGFIELD，November30，1858

H。C。WHITNEY，ESQ。

MYDEARSIR：——BeingdesirousofpreservinginsomepermanentformthelatejointdiscussionbetweenDouglasandmyself，tendaysagoI

wrotetoDr。Ray，requestinghimtoforwardtomebyexpresstwosetsofthenumbersoftheTribunewhichcontainthereportsofthosediscussions。UptodateIhavenowordfromhimonthesubject。

Willyou，ifinyourpower，procurethemandforwardthemtomebyexpress？Ifyouwill，Iwillpayallcharges，andbegreatlyobliged，toboot。Hopingtovisityoubeforelong，IremainAseveryourfriend，A。LINCOLN。

TOH。D。SHARPE。

SPRINGFIELD，Dec。8，1858。

H。D。SHARPE，Esq。

DEARSIR：——YourverykindletterofNov。9thwasdulyreceived。I

donotknowthatyouexpectedordesiredananswer；butglancingoverthecontentsofyoursagain，Iampromptedtosaythat，whileI

desiredtheresultofthelatecanvasstohavebeendifferent，I

stillregarditasanexceedingsmallmatter。Ithinkwehavefairlyentereduponadurablestruggleastowhetherthisnationistoultimatelybecomeallslaveorallfree，andthoughIfallearlyinthecontest，itisnothingifIshallhavecontributed，intheleastdegree，tothefinalrightfulresult。

Respectfullyyours，A。LINCOLN。

TOA。SYMPSON。

SPRINGFIELD，Dec。12，1858。

ALEXANDERSYMPSON，Esq。

MYDEARSIR：——Iexpecttheresultoftheelectionwenthardwithyou。

Soitdidwithme，too，perhapsnotquitesohardasyoumayhavesupposed。Ihaveanabidingfaiththatweshallbeattheminthelongrun。Stepbysteptheobjectsoftheleaderswillbecometooplainforthepeopletostandthem。IwritemerelytoletyouknowthatIamneitherdeadnordying。Pleasegivemyrespectstoyourgoodfamily，andallinquiringfriends。

Yoursasever，A。LINCOLN。

ONBANKRUPTCY

NOTESOFANARGUMENT。

December[？]，1858。

Legislationandadjudicationmustfollowandconformtotheprogressofsociety。

Theprogressofsocietynowbeginstoproducecasesofthetransferfordebtsoftheentirepropertyofrailroadcorporations；andtoenabletransfereestouseandenjoythetransferredproperty，1egislationandadjudicationbegintobenecessary。

Shallthisclassoflegislationjustnowbeginningwithusbegeneralorspecial？

SectionTenofourConstitutionrequiresthatitshouldbegeneral，ifpossible。(Readthesection。)

Speciallegislationalwaystrenchesuponthejudicialdepartment；andinsofarviolatesSectionTwooftheConstitution。(Readit。)

Justreasoning——policy——isinfavorofgenerallegis1ation——elsetheLegislaturewillbeloadeddownwiththeinvestigationofsmallercases——aworkwhichthecourtsoughttoperform，andcanperformmuchmoreperfectly。HowcantheLegislaturerightlydecidethefactsbetweenP。&B。andS。C。

Itissaidthatunderagenerallaw，wheneveraR。R。Co。getstiredofitsdebts，itmaytransferfraudulentlytogetridofthem。Sotheymay——somayindividuals；andwhich——theLegislatureorthecourts——isbestsuitedtotrythequestionoffraudineithercase？

Itissaid，ifapurchaserhaveacquiredlegalrights，lethimnotberobbedofthem，butifheneedslegislationlethimsubmittojusttermstoobtainit。

Lethim，saywe，havegenerallawinadvance(guardedineverypossiblewayagainstfraud)，sothat，whenheacquiresalegalright，hewillhavenooccasiontowaitforadditionallegislation；andifhehaspracticedfraudletthecourtssodecide。

ALEGALOPINIONBYABRAHAMLINCOLN。

The11thSectionoftheActofCongress，approvedFeb。11，1805，prescribingrulesforthesubdivisionofsectionsoflandwithintheUnitedStatessystemofsurveys，standingunrepealed，inmyopinion，isbindingontherespectivepurchasersofdifferentpartsofthesamesection，andfurnishesthetrueruleforsurveyorsinestablishinglinesbetweenthem。Thatlaw，beinginforceatthetimeeachbecameapurchaser，becomesaconditionofthepurchase。

And，bythatlaw，Ithinkthetruerulefordividingintoquartersanyinteriorsectionorsections，whichisnotfractional，istorunstraightlinesthroughthesectionfromtheoppositequartersectioncorners，fixingthepointwheresuchstraightlinescross，orintersecteachother，asthemiddleorcentreofthesection。

Nearly，perhapsquite，alltheoriginalsurveysaretosomeextenterroneous，andinsomeofthesections，greatlyso。Ineachofthelatter，itisobviousthatamoreequitablemodeofdivisionthantheabovemightbeadopted；butaserrorisinfinitelyvariousperhapsnobettersinglerulescanbeprescribed。

AtalleventsIthinktheabovehasbeenprescribedbythecompetentauthority。

SPRINGFIELD，Jany。6，1859。

A。LINCOLN。

TOM。W。DELAHAY。

SPRINGFIELD，March4，1859。

M。W。DELAHAY，Esq。

MYDEARSIR：YoursecondletterinrelationtomybeingwithyouatyourRepublicanconventionwasdulyreceived。Itisnotathandjustnow，butIhavetheimpressionfromitthattheconventionwastobeatLeavenworth；butdaybeforeyesterdayafriendhandedmealetterfromJudgeM。F。Caraway，inwhichhealsoexpressesawishformetocome，andhefixestheplaceatOssawatomie。ThisIbelieveisoffoftheriver，andwillrequiremoretimeandlabortogettoit。Itwillpushmehardtogettherewithoutinjurytomyownbusiness；butIshalltrytodoit，thoughIamnotyetquitecertainIshallsucceed。

Ishouldliketoknowbeforecoming，thatwhilesomeofyouwishmetocome，theremaynotbeotherswhowouldquiteasliefIwouldstayaway。Writemeagain。

Yoursasever，A。LINCOLN。

TOW。M。MORRIS。

SPRINGFIELD，March28，1859。

W。M。MORRIS，Esq。

DEARSIR：——YourkindnoteinvitingmetodeliveralectureatGalesburgisreceived。IregrettosayIcannotdosonow；Imuststicktothecourtsawhile。Ireadasortoflecturetothreedifferentaudiencesduringthelastmonthandthis；butIdidsoundercircumstanceswhichmadeitawasteofnotimewhatever。

Yoursverytruly，TOH。L。PIERCEANDOTHERS。

SPRINGFIELD，ILLINOIS，April6，1859。

GENTLEMEN：——YourkindnoteinvitingmetoattendafestivalinBoston，onthe28thinstant，inhonorofthebirthdayofThomasJefferson，wasdulyreceived。MyengagementsaresuchthatIcannotattend。

Bearinginmindthataboutseventyyearsagotwogreatpoliticalpartieswerefirstformedinthiscountry，thatThomasJeffersonwastheheadofoneofthemandBostontheheadquartersoftheother，itisbothcuriousandinterestingthatthosesupposedtodescendpoliticallyfromthepartyopposedtoJeffersonshouldnowbecelebratinghisbirthdayintheirownoriginalseatofempire，whilethoseclaimingpoliticaldescentfromhimhavenearlyceasedtobreathehisnameeverywhere。

Remembering，too，thattheJeffersonpartywasformeduponitssupposedsuperiordevotiontothepersonalrightsofmen，holdingtherightsofpropertytobesecondaryonly，andgreatlyinferior，andassumingthattheso—calledDemocracyofto—dayaretheJefferson，andtheiropponentstheanti—Jefferson，party，itwillbeequallyinterestingtonotehowcompletelythetwohavechangedhandsastotheprincipleuponwhichtheywereoriginallysupposedtobedivided。

TheDemocracyofto—dayholdthelibertyofonemantobeabsolutelynothing，wheninconflictwithanotherman’srightofproperty；

Republicans，onthecontrary，areforboththemanandthedollar，butincaseofconflictthemanbeforethedollar。

Irememberbeingoncemuchamusedatseeingtwopartiallyintoxicatedmenengagedinafightwiththeirgreat—coatson，whichfight，afteralongandratherharmlesscontest，endedineachhavingfoughthimselfoutofhisowncoatandintothatoftheother。IfthetwoleadingpartiesofthisdayarereallyidenticalwiththetwointhedaysofJeffersonandAdams，theyhaveperformedthesamefeatasthetwodrunkenmen。

Butsoberly，itisnownochild’splaytosavetheprinciplesofJeffersonfromtotaloverthrowinthisnation。OnewouldstatewithgreatconfidencethathecouldconvinceanysanechildthatthesimplerpropositionsofEuclidaretrue；butneverthelesshewouldfail，utterly，withonewhoshoulddenythedefinitionsandaxioms。

TheprinciplesofJeffersonarethedefinitionsandaxiomsoffreesociety。Andyettheyaredeniedandevaded，withnosmallshowofsuccess。Onedashinglycallsthem"glitteringgeneralities。"

Anotherbluntlycallsthem"self—evidentlies。"Andothersinsidiouslyarguethattheyapplyto"superiorraces。"Theseexpressions，differinginform，areidenticalinobjectandeffect——

thesupplantingtheprinciplesoffreegovernment，andrestoringthoseofclassification，caste，andlegitimacy。Theywoulddelightaconvocationofcrownedheadsplottingagainstthepeople。Theyarethevanguard，theminersandsappers，ofreturningdespotism。Wemustrepulsethem，ortheywillsubjugateus。Thisisaworldofcompensation；andhewhowouldbenoslavemustconsenttohavenoslave。Thosewhodenyfreedomtoothersdeserveitnotforthemselves，and，underajustGod，cannotlongretainit。AllhonortoJeffersontothemanwho，intheconcretepressureofastrugglefornationalindependencebyasinglepeople，hadthecoolness，forecast，andcapacitytointroduceintoamererevolutionarydocumentanabstracttruth，applicabletoallmenandalltimes，andsotoembalmittherethatto—dayandinallcomingdaysitshallbearebukeandastumbling—blocktotheveryharbingersofreappearingtyrannyandoppression。

Yourobedientservant，A。LINCOLN。

TOT。CANISIUS。

SPRINGFIELD，May17，1859。

DR。THEODORECANISIUS。

DEARSIR：——Yournoteasking，inbehalfofyourselfandotherGermancitizens，whetherIamfororagainsttheconstitutionalprovisioninregardtonaturalizedcitizens，latelyadoptedbyMassachusetts，andwhetherIamfororagainstafusionoftheRepublicansandotheroppositionelementsforthecanvassof1860，isreceived。

MassachusettsisasovereignandindependentState；anditisnoprivilegeofminetoscoldherforwhatshedoes。Still，iffromwhatshehasdoneaninferenceissoughttobedrawnastowhatI

woulddo，Imaywithoutimproprietyspeakout。Isay，then，that，asIunderstandtheMassachusettsprovision，IamagainstitsadoptioninIllinois，orinanyotherplacewhereIhavearighttoopposeit。

Understandingthespiritofourinstitutionstoaimattheelevationofmen，Iamopposedtowhatevertendstodegradethem。Ihavesomelittlenotorietyforcommiseratingtheoppressednegro；andIshouldbestrangelyinconsistentifIcouldfavoranyprojectforcurtailingtheexistingrightsofwhitemen，eventhoughbornindifferentlands，andspeakingdifferentlanguagesfrommyself。Astothematteroffusion，IamforitifitcanbehadonRepublicangrounds；

andIamnotforitonanyotherterms。Afusiononanyothertermswouldbeasfoolishasunprincipled。ItwouldlosethewholeNorth，whilethecommonenemywouldstillcarrythewholeSouth。Thequestionofmenisadifferentone。Therearegood，patrioticmenandablestatesmenintheSouthwhomIwouldcheerfullysupport，iftheywouldnowplacethemselvesonRepublicanground，butIamagainstlettingdowntheRepublicanstandardahairsbreadth。

Ihavewrittenthishastily，butIbelieveitanswersyourquestionssubstantially。

Yourstruly，A。LINCOLN。

TOTHEGOVERNOR，AUDITOR，ANDTREASUREROFTHESTATEOFILLINOIS。

GENTLEMEN：

Inreplytoyourinquiry；requestingourwrittenopinionastowhatyourdutyrequiresyoutodoinexecutingthelatterclauseoftheSeventhSectionof"AnActinrelationtothepaymentoftheprincipalandinterestoftheStatedebt，"approvedFeb’y22，1859，wereplythatsaidlastclauseofsaidsectioniscertainlyindefinite，general，andambiguousinitsdescriptionofthebondstobeissuedbyyou；givingnotimeatwhichthebondsaretobemadepayable，noplaceatwhicheitherprincipalorinterestaretobepaid，andnorateofinterestwhichthebondsaretobear；noranyotherdescriptionexceptthattheyaretobecouponbonds，whichincommercialusagemeansinterest—payingbondswithobligationsorordersattachedtothemforthepaymentofannualorsemiannualinterest；thereiswesupposenodifficultyinascertaining，ifthisactstoodalone，whatoughttobetheconstructionoftheterms"couponbonds"andthatit，wouldmeanbondsbearinginterestfromthetimeofissuingthesame。Andunderthisactconsideredbyitselfthecreditorswouldhavearighttorequiresuchbonds。ButyourinquiryinregardtoaclassofbondsonwhichnointerestistobepaidorshallbegintorununtilJanuary1，1860，iswhethertheActofFebruary18，1857，wouldnotauthorizeyoutorefusetogivebondswithanycouponsattachedpayablebeforethefirstdayofJuly，1860。WehaveverymaturelyconsideredthisquestionandhavearrivedattheconclusionthatyouhavearighttousesuchmeasuresaswillsecuretheStateagainstthelossofsixmonths’interestonthesebondsbytheindefinitenessoftheActof1859。Whileitcannotbedeniedthattheletterofthelawsfavortheconstructionclaimedbysomeofthecreditorsthatinterest—bearingbondswererequiredtobeissuedtothem，inasmuchastherestrictionthatnointerestistorunonsaidbondsunti11stJanuary，1860，relatessolelytothebondsissuedundertheActof1857。AndtheActof1859directingyoutoissuenewbondsdoesnotcontainthisrestriction，butdirectsyoutoissuecouponbonds。NeverthelesstheveryindefinitenessandgeneralityoftheActof1859，givingnorateofinterest，notimedue，noplaceofpayment，nopostponementofthetimewheninterestcommences，necessarilyimpliesthattheLegislatureintendedtoinvestyouwithadiscretiontoimposesuchtermsandrestrictionsaswouldprotecttheinterestoftheState；andwethinkyouhavearightandthatitisyourdutytoseethattheStateBondsaresoissuedthattheStateshallnotlosesixmonths’interest。TwoplanspresentthemselveseitherofwhichwillsecuretheState。1st。Ifinliteralcompliancewiththelawyouissuebondsbearinginterestfrom1stJuly，1859，youmaydeductfromthebondspresentedthreethousandfromevery$100，000ofbondsandissue$97，000ofcouponbonds；bythisplan$3000outof$100，000ofprincipalwouldbeextinguishedinconsiderationofpaying$2910interestonthefirstofJanuary，1860——andtheinterestonthe$3000wouldforevercease；

thiswouldbenodoubtmostadvantageoustotheState。ButiftheAuditorwillnotconsenttothis，then，2nd。Cutoffofeachbondallthecouponspayablebefore1stJuly，1860。

OneoftheseplanswouldundoubtedlyhavebeenprescribedbytheLegislatureifitsattentionhadbeendirectedtothisquestion。

May28，1859。

ONLINCOLN’SSCRAPBOOK

TOH。C。WHITNEY。

SPRINGFIELD，December25，1858。

H。C。WHITNEY，ESQ。

MYDEARSIR：——Ihavejustreceivedyoursofthe23rdinquiringwhetherIreceivedthenewspapersyousentmebyexpress。Ididreceivethem，andamverymuchobliged。Thereissomeprobabilitythatmyscrap—bookwillbereprinted，andifitshall，Iwillsaveyouacopy。

Yourfriendasever，A。LINCOLN。

1859

FIRSTSUGGESTIONOFAPRESIDENTIALOFFER。

TOS。GALLOWAY。

SPRINGFIELD，ILL。，July28，1859。

HON。SAMUELGALLOWAY。

MYDEARSIR：——Yourverycomplimentary，nottosayflattering，letterofthe23dinst。isreceived。Dr。Reynoldshadinducedmetoexpectyouhere；andIwasdisappointednotalittlebyyourfailuretocome。AndyetIfearyouhaveformedanestimateofmewhichcanscarcelybesustainedonapersonalacquaintance。

TwothingsdonebytheOhioRepublicanconvention——therepudiationofJudgeSwan，andthe"plank"forarepealoftheFugitiveSlaveLaw——I

verymuchregretted。Thesetwothingsareofapiece；andtheyareviewedbymanygoodmen，sincerelyopposedtoslavery，asastruggleagainst，andindisregardof，theConstitutionitself。Anditistheverythingthatwillgreatlyendangerourcause，ifitbenotkeptoutofournationalconvention。Thereisanotherthingourfriendsaredoingwhichgivesmesomeuneasiness。Itistheirleaningtoward"popularsovereignty。"Therearethreesubstantialobjectionstothis：First，nopartycancommandrespectwhichsustainsthisyearwhatitopposedlast。Secondly，Douglas(whoisthemostdangerousenemyofliberty，becausethemostinsidiousone)wouldhavelittlesupportintheNorth，andbyconsequence，nocapitaltotradeonintheSouth，ifitwerenotforhisfriendsthusmagnifyinghimandhishumbug。Butlastly，andchiefly，Douglas’spopularsovereignty，acceptedbythepublicmindasajustprinciple，nationalizesslavery，andrevivestheAfricanslavetradeinevitably。

TakingslavesintonewTerritories，andbuyingslavesinAfrica，areidenticalthings，identicalrightsoridenticalwrongs，andtheargumentwhichestablishesonewillestablishtheother。TryathousandyearsforasoundreasonwhyCongressshallnothinderthepeopleofKansasfromhavingslaves，and，whenyouhavefoundit，itwillbeanequallygoodonewhyCongressshouldnothinderthepeopleofGeorgiafromimportingslavesfromAfrica。

AstoGovernorChase，Ihaveakindsideforhim。Hewasoneofthefewdistinguishedmenofthenationwhogaveus，inIllinois，theirsympathylastyear。Ineversawhim，butsupposehimtobeableandright—minded；butstillhemaynotbethemostsuitableasacandidateforthePresidency。

ImustsayIdonotthinkmyselffitforthePresidency。Asyouproposeacorrespondencewithme，Ishalllookforyourlettersanxiously。

IhavenotmetDr。Reynoldssincereceivingyourletter；butwhenI

shall，Iwillpresentyourrespectsasrequested。

Yoursverytruly，A。LINCOLN。

ITISBADTOBEPOOR。

TOHAWKINSTAYLOR

SPRINGFIELD，ILL。Sept。6，1859。

HAWKINSTAYLOR，Esq。

DEARSIR：——Yoursofthe3disjustreceived。ThereissomemistakeaboutmyexpectedattendanceoftheU。S。Courtinyourcityonthe3dTuesdayofthismonth。Ihavehadnothoughtofbeingthere。

Itisbadtobepoor。IshallgotothewallforbreadandmeatifI

neglectmybusinessthisyearaswellaslast。ItwouldpleasememuchtoseethecityandgoodpeopleofKeokuk，butforthisyearitislittlelessthananimpossibility。IamconstantlyreceivinginvitationswhichIamcompelledtodecline。IwaspressinglyurgedtogotoMinnesota；andInowhavetwoinvitationstogotoOhio。

TheselastarepromptedbyDouglasgoingthere；andIamreallytemptedtomakeaflyingtriptoColumbusandCincinnati。

IdohopeyouwillhavenoserioustroubleinIowa。WhatthinksGrimesaboutit？IhavenotknownhimtobemistakenaboutanelectioninIowa。PresentmyrespectstoCol。Carter，andanyotherfriends，andbelievemeYourstruly，A。LINCOLN。

SPEECHATCOLUMBUS，OHIO。

SEPTEMBER16，1859。

FELLOW—CITIZENSOFTHESTATEOFOHIO：IcannotfailtorememberthatIappearforthefirsttimebeforeanaudienceinthisnowgreatState，——anaudiencethatisaccustomedtohearsuchspeakersasCorwin，andChase，andWade，andmanyotherrenownedmen；and，rememberingthis，Ifeelthatitwillbewellforyou，asforme，thatyoushouldnotraiseyourexpectationstothatstandardtowhichyouwouldhavebeenjustifiedinraisingthemhadoneofthesedistinguishedmenappearedbeforeyou。Youwouldperhapsbeonlypreparingadisappointmentforyourselves，and，asaconsequenceofyourdisappointment，mortificationtome。Ihope，therefore，thatyouwillcommencewithverymoderateexpectations；andperhaps，ifyouwillgivemeyourattention，Ishallbeabletointerestyoutoamoderatedegree。

Appearinghereforthefirsttimeinmylife，Ihavebeensomewhatembarrassedforatopicbywayofintroductiontomyspeech；butI

havebeenrelievedfromthatembarrassmentbyanintroductionwhichtheOhioStatesmannewspapergavemethismorning。InthispaperI

havereadanarticle，inwhich，amongotherstatements，Ifindthefollowing：

"IndebatingwithSenatorDouglasduringthememorablecontestoflastfall，Mr。Lincolndeclaredinfavorofnegrosuffrage，andattemptedtodefendthatvileconceptionagainsttheLittleGiant。"

Imentionthisnow，attheopeningofmyremarks，forthepurposeofmakingthreecommentsuponit。ThefirstIhavealreadyannounced，——

itfurnishesmeanintroductorytopic；thesecondistoshowthatthegentlemanismistaken；thirdly，togivehimanopportunitytocorrectit。

Inthefirstplace，inregardtothismatterbeingamistake。Ihavefoundthatitisnotentirelysafe，whenoneismisrepresentedunderhisverynose，toallowthemisrepresentationtogouncontradicted。

Ithereforepropose，hereattheoutset，notonlytosaythatthisisamisrepresentation，buttoshowconclusivelythatitisso；andyouwillbearwithmewhileIreadacoupleofextractsfromthatvery"memorable"debatewithJudgeDouglaslastyear，towhichthisnewspaperrefers。InthefirstpitchedbattlewhichSenatorDouglasandmyselfhad，atthetownofOttawa，IusedthelanguagewhichI

willnowread。Havingbeenpreviouslyreadinganextract，I

continuedasfollows：

"Now，gentlemen，Idon’twanttoreadatanygreaterlength，butthisisthetruecomplexionofallIhaveeversaidinregardtotheinstitutionofslaveryandtheblackrace。Thisisthewholeofit；

andanythingthatarguesmeintohisideaofperfectsocialandpoliticalequalitywiththenegro，isbutaspeciousandfantasticarrangementofwords，bywhichamancanproveahorse—chestnuttobeachestnuthorse。Iwillsayhere，whileuponthissubject，thatI

havenopurposedirectlyorindirectlytointerferewiththeinstitutionofslaveryintheStateswhereitexists。IbelieveI

havenolawfulrighttodoso，andIhavenoinclinationtodoso。I

havenopurposetointroducepoliticalandsocialequalitybetweenthewhiteandtheblackraces。Thereisaphysicaldifferencebetweenthetwowhich，inmyjudgment，willprobablyforbidtheireverlivingtogetheruponthefootingofperfectequality；andinasmuchasitbecomesanecessitythattheremustbeadifference，I，aswellasJudgeDouglas，aminfavoroftheracetowhichI

belonghavingthesuperiorposition。Ihaveneversaidanythingtothecontrary，butIholdthat，notwithstandingallthis，thereisnoreasonintheworldwhythenegroisnotentitledtoallthenaturalrightsenumeratedintheDeclarationofIndependence，——therighttolife，libertyandthepursuitofhappiness。Iholdthatheisasmuchentitledtotheseasthewhiteman。IagreewithjudgeDouglas，heisnotmyequalinmanyrespects，——certainlynotincolor，perhapsnotinmoralorintellectualendowments。Butintherighttoeatthebread，withoutleaveofanybodyelse，whichhisownhandearns，heismyequal，andtheequalofJudgeDouglas，andtheequalofeverylivingman。"

Uponasubsequentoccasion，whenthereasonformakingastatementlikethisoccurred，Isaid：

"WhileIwasatthehotelto—dayanelderlygentlemancalleduponmetoknowwhetherIwasreallyinfavorofproducingperfectequalitybetweenthenegroesandwhitepeople。WhileIhadnotproposedtomyselfonthisoccasiontosaymuchonthatsubject，yet，asthequestionwasaskedme，IthoughtIwouldoccupyperhapsfiveminutesinsayingsomethinginregardtoit。Iwillsay，then，thatIamnot，noreverhavebeen，infavorofbringingaboutinanywaythesocialandpoliticalequalityofthewhiteandblackraces；thatIamnot，noreverhavebeen，infavorofmakingvotersorjurorsofnegroes，norofqualifyingthemtoholdoffice，orintermarrywiththewhitepeople；andIwillsayinadditiontothisthatthereisaphysicaldifferencebetweenthewhiteandblackraceswhichIbelievewillforeverforbidthetworaceslivingtogetherontermsofsocialandpoliticalequality。Andinasmuchastheycannotsolive，whiletheydoremaintogethertheremustbethepositionofsuperiorandinferior，andI，asmuchasanyotherman，aminfavorofhavingthesuperiorpositionassignedtothewhiterace。IsayuponthisoccasionIdonotperceivethatbecausethewhitemanistohavethesuperiorposition，thenegroshouldbedeniedeverything。IdonotunderstandthatbecauseIdonotwantanegrowomanforaslave，I

mustnecessarilywantherforawife。MyunderstandingisthatIcanjustletheralone。Iamnowinmyfiftiethyear，andIcertainlyneverhavehadablackwomanforeitheraslaveorawife。Soitseemstomequitepossibleforustogetalongwithoutmakingeitherslavesorwivesofnegroes。IwilladdtothisthatIhaveneverseen，tomyknowledge，aman，woman，orchild，whowasinfavorofproducingperfectequality，socialandpolitical，betweennegroesandwhitemen。IrecollectofbutonedistinguishedinstancethatIeverheardofsofrequentlyastobesatisfiedofitscorrectness，andthatisthecaseofJudgeDouglas’soldfriendColonelRichardM。

Johnson。IwillalsoaddtotheremarksIhavemade(forIamnotgoingtoenteratlargeuponthissubject，thatIhaveneverhadtheleastapprehensionthatIormyfriendswouldmarrynegroes，iftherewasnolawtokeepthemfromit；butasjudgeDouglasandhisfriendsseemtobeingreatapprehensionthattheymight，iftherewerenolawtokeepthemfromit，IgivehimthemostsolemnpledgethatI

willtotheverylaststandbythelawoftheStatewhichforbidsthemarryingofwhitepeoplewithnegroes。"

There，myfriends，youhavebrieflywhatIhave，uponformeroccasions，saiduponthissubjecttowhichthisnewspaper，totheextentofitsability，hasdrawnthepublicattention。Inityounotonlyperceive，asaprobability，thatinthatcontestIdidnotatanytimesayIwasinfavorofnegrosuffrage，buttheabsoluteproofthattwice——oncesubstantially，andonceexpressly——Ideclaredagainstit。Havingshownyouthis，thereremainsbutawordofcommentuponthatnewspaperarticle。Itisthis，thatIpresumetheeditorofthatpaperisanhonestandtruth—lovingman，andthathewillbegreatlyobligedtomeforfurnishinghimthusearlyanopportunitytocorrectthemisrepresentationhehasmade，beforeithasrunsolongthatmaliciouspeoplecancallhimaliar。

TheGianthimselfhasbeenhererecently。Ihaveseenabriefreportofhisspeech。Ifitwereotherwiseunpleasanttometointroducethesubjectofthenegroasatopicfordiscussion，Imightbesomewhatrelievedbythefactthathedealtexclusivelyinthatsubjectwhilehewashere。Ishall，therefore，withoutmuchhesitationordiffidence，enteruponthissubject。

TheAmericanpeople，onthefirstdayofJanuary，1854，foundtheAfricanslavetradeprohibitedbyalawofCongress。InamajorityoftheStatesofthisUnion，theyfoundAfricanslavery，oranyothersortofslavery，prohibitedbyStateconstitutions。Theyalsofoundalawexisting，supposedtobevalid，bywhichslaverywasexcludedfromalmostalltheterritorytheUnitedStatesthenowned。Thiswastheconditionofthecountry，withreferencetotheinstitutionofslavery，onthefirstofJanuary，1854。Afewdaysafterthat，abillwasintroducedintoCongress，whichranthroughitsregularcourseinthetwobranchesofthenationallegislature，andfinallypassedintoalawinthemonthofMay，bywhichtheActofCongressprohibitingslaveryfromgoingintotheTerritoriesoftheUnitedStateswasrepealed。Inconnectionwiththelawitself，and，infact，inthetermsofthelaw，thethenexistingprohibitionwasnotonlyrepealed，buttherewasadeclarationofapurposeonthepartofCongressneverthereaftertoexerciseanypowerthattheymighthave，realorsupposed，toprohibittheextensionorspreadofslavery。Thiswasaverygreatchange；forthelawthusrepealedwasofmorethanthirtyyears’standing。FollowingrapidlyupontheheelsofthisactionofCongress，adecisionoftheSupremeCourtismade，bywhichitisdeclaredthatCongress，ifitdesirestoprohibitthespreadofslaveryintotheTerritories，hasnoconstitutionalpowertodoso。Notonlyso，butthatdecisionlaysdownprincipleswhich，ifpushedtotheirlogicalconclusion，——Isaypushedtotheirlogicalconclusion，——woulddecidethattheconstitutionsoffreeStates，forbiddingslavery，arethemselvesunconstitutional。Markme，Idonotsaythejudgessaidthis，andletnomansayIaffirmthejudgesusedthesewords；butIonlysayitismyopinionthatwhattheydidsay，ifpressedtoitslogicalconclusion，willinevitablyresultthus。

Lookingatthesethings，theRepublicanparty，asIunderstanditsprinciplesandpolicy，believesthatthereisgreatdangeroftheinstitutionofslaverybeingspreadoutandextendeduntilitisultimatelymadealikelawfulinalltheStatesofthisUnion；sobelieving，topreventthatincidentalandultimateconsummationistheoriginalandchiefpurposeoftheRepublicanorganization。Isay"chiefpurpose"oftheRepublicanorganization；foritiscertainlytruethatiftheNationalHouseshallfallintothehandsoftheRepublicans，theywillhavetoattendtoalltheothermattersofnationalhouse—keeping，aswellasthis。ThechiefandrealpurposeoftheRepublicanpartyiseminentlyconservative。Itproposesnothingsaveandexcepttorestorethisgovernmenttoitsoriginaltoneinregardtothiselementofslavery，andtheretomaintainit，lookingfornofurtherchangeinreferencetoitthanthatwhichtheoriginalframersoftheGovernmentthemselvesexpectedandlookedforwardto。

ThechiefdangertothispurposeoftheRepublicanpartyisnotjustnowtherevivaloftheAfricanslavetrade，orthepassageofaCongressionalslavecode，orthedeclaringofasecondDredScottdecision，makingslaverylawfulinalltheStates。Thesearenotpressingusjustnow。Theyarenotquitereadyyet。Theauthorsofthesemeasuresknowthatwearetoostrongforthem；buttheywillbeuponusinduetime，andwewillbegrapplingwiththemhandtohand，iftheyarenotnowheadedoff。TheyarenotnowthechiefdangertothepurposeoftheRepublicanorganization；butthemostimminentdangerthatnowthreatensthatpurposeisthatinsidiousDouglaspopularsovereignty。Thisistheminerandsapper。WhileitdoesnotproposetorevivetheAfricanslavetrade，nortopassaslavecode，nortomakeasecondDredScottdecision，itispreparingusfortheonslaughtandchargeoftheseultimateenemieswhentheyshallbereadytocomeon，andthewordofcommandforthemtoadvanceshallbegiven。Isaythis"Douglaspopularsovereignty"；

forthereisabroaddistinction，asInowunderstandit，betweenthatarticleandagenuinepopularsovereignty。