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the writings-3-第30部分
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place; 〃It will be seen by these clauses in the Lecompton
Constitution that they are identical in spirit with this
authoritative article。〃 By whose authority;who do you mean to
say authorized the publication of these articles? He knows that
the Washington Union is considered the organ of the
Administration。 I demand of Judge Douglas by whose authority he
meant to say those articles were published; if not by the
authority of the President of the United States and his Cabinet?
I defy him to show whom he referred to; if not to these high
functionaries in the Federal Government。 More than this; he says
the articles in that paper and the provisions of the Lecompton
Constitution are 〃identical;〃 and; being identical; he argues
that the authors are co…operating and conspiring together。 He
does not use the word 〃conspiring;〃 but what other construction
can you put upon it? He winds up:
〃When I saw that article in the Union of the 17th of November;
followed by the glorification of the Lecompton Constitution on
the 18th of November; and this clause in the Constitution
asserting the doctrine that a State has no right to prohibit
slavery within its limits; I saw that there was a fatal blow
being struck at the sovereignty of the States of this Union。〃
I ask him if all this fuss was made over the editor of this
newspaper。 It would be a terribly 〃fatal blow〃 indeed which a
single man could strike; when no President; no Cabinet officer;
no member of Congress; was giving strength and efficiency to the
movement。 Out of respect to Judge Douglas's good sense I must
believe he did n't manufacture his idea of the 〃fatal〃 character
of that blow out of such a miserable scapegrace as he represents
that editor to be。 But the Judge's eye is farther south now。
Then; it was very peculiarly and decidedly north。 His hope
rested on the idea of visiting the great 〃Black Republican〃
party; and making it the tail of his new kite。 He knows he was
then expecting from day to day to turn Republican; and place
himself at the head of our organization。 He has found that these
despised 〃Black Republicans〃 estimate him by a standard which he
has taught them none too well。 Hence he is crawling back into
his old camp; and you will find him eventually installed in full
fellowship among those whom he was then battling; and with whom
he now pretends to be at such fearful variance。
THIRD JOINT DEBATE; AT JONESBORO;
SEPTEMBER 15; 1858
Mr。 LINCOLN'S REPLY。
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:There is very much in the principles that
Judge Douglas has here enunciated that I most cordially approve;
and over which I shall have no controversy with him。 In so far
as he has insisted that all the States have the right to do
exactly as they please about all their domestic relations;
including that of slavery; I agree entirely with him。 He places
me wrong in spite of all I can tell him; though I repeat it again
and again; insisting that I have no difference with him upon this
subject。 I have made a great many speeches; some of which have
been printed; and it will be utterly impossible for him to find
anything that I have ever put in print contrary to what I now say
upon this subject。 I hold myself under constitutional
obligations to allow the people in all the States; without
interference; direct or indirect; to do exactly as they please;
and I deny that I have any inclination to interfere with them;
even if there were no such constitutional obligation。 I can only
say again that I am placed improperlyaltogether improperly; in
spite of all I can saywhen it is insisted that I entertain any
other view or purposes in regard to that matter。
While I am upon this subject; I will make some answers briefly to
certain propositions that Judge Douglas has put。 He says; 〃Why
can't this Union endure permanently half slave and half free?〃 I
have said that I supposed it could not; and I will try; before
this new audience; to give briefly some of the reasons for
entertaining that opinion。 Another form of his question is; 〃Why
can't we let it stand as our fathers placed it?〃 That is the
exact difficulty between us。 I say that Judge Douglas and his
friends have changed it from the position in which our fathers
originally placed it。 I say; in the way our father's originally
left the slavery question; the institution was in the course of
ultimate extinction; and the public mind rested in the belief
that it was in the course of ultimate extinction。 I say when
this government was first established it was the policy of its
founders to prohibit the spread of slavery into the new
Territories of the United States; where it had not existed。 But
Judge Douglas and his friends have broken up that policy; and
placed it upon a new basis; by which it is to become national and
perpetual。 All I have asked or desired anywhere is that it
should be placed back again upon the basis that the fathers of
our government originally placed it upon。 I have no doubt that
it would become extinct; for all time to come; if we but
readopted the policy of the fathers; by restricting it to the
limits it has already covered; restricting it from the new
Territories。
I do not wish to dwell at great length on this branch of the
subject at this time; but allow me to repeat one thing that I
have stated before。 Brooksthe man who assaulted Senator Sumner
on the floor of the Senate; and who was complimented with
dinners; and silver pitchers; and gold…headed canes; and a good
many other things for that featin one of his speeches declared
that when this government was originally established; nobody
expected that the institution of slavery would last until this
day。 That was but the opinion of one man; but it was such an
opinion as we can never get from Judge Douglas or anybody in
favor of slavery; in the North; at all。 You can sometimes get it
from a Southern man。 He said at the same time that the framers
of our government did not have the knowledge that experience has
taught us; that experience and the invention of the cotton…gin
have taught us that the perpetuation of slavery is a necessity。
He insisted; therefore; upon its being changed from the basis
upon which the fathers of the government left it to the basis of
its perpetuation and nationalization。
I insist that this is the difference between Judge Douglas and
myself;that Judge Douglas is helping that change along。 I
insist upon this government being placed where our fathers
originally placed it。
I remember Judge Douglas once said that he saw the evidences on
the statute books of Congress of a policy in the origin of
government to divide slavery and freedom by a geographical line;
that he saw an indisposition to maintain that policy; and
therefore he set about studying up a way to settle the
institution on the right basis;the basis which he thought it
ought to have been placed upon at first; a
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