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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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