Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1858-08-28
3 p f f @ II
HON. A b f. l. I N @ Q l. N ,
At Ottawa, Illinois,
NJ NOIIlI.AS

luiiy tWO-tuiruS vi tuc auuiShNS'
admitted by the Douglas men on the plat
form. 1t was some minutes before ne cou'"
make himself heard, even by those on 'h'
stand. At last he said:
MY FELLOW CITIZENS: hen u ,iia''
hears himself somewhat mlsrepreseni,co' Il
proyokes him-at least find 1t so Win my
self; but when the misrepresentation becomes
very gross and palpable, it is more apt tG
am1se him. Laughter. The first tmng
see fit to notice. is the fact that Judge Doug
las alleges. after running through the history
Of the Old democratic and old Wing parties,
that .Indce T,umbull ard myself made an ar
r1ncement in 1854, by which 1 was to have
the Mace of Gen. Shields in the United States
Senate and Judge Trumbull was to have the
Mace Of Judge Douglas. Now, all have to
saw mon that subject is, that think no man
NOT even Judge Douglas-can prove it, be-
cause it is ne true. lCheers.l l have no
donbt he is IL conscientious in saying it,
TLaughter.l As to those resolutions he took
such a length Of time to read, as being the
platform of the Republican party in 1854, !
saw | never had anything to do with them
and think Trumbull never had. Renewed
Laughter. Judge Douglas cannot show that
either one of us ever did have anything to dc
resolutions: There was call for conven-
ton to form Republican party at Spring
field, and think that my friend Mr. LoveJoy,
who is here upon this stand: had hand In IL.
| think this is true, and think if he will re-
member accurately, he will be able to recol-
lect that he tried to get me into 1t, and |
would not go in. Cheers and Laughter. j
l believe it is also true that went away
from Springfield when the convention was In
session, to attend court in Tazewell county.
1t is true they did place my name, though
without authority, upon the committee, ana
afterwards wrote me to attend the meeting
of the committee, but l refused to do 50, and
l never had anything to do with that organi-
cation. This is the plain truth about all that
matter of the resolutions.
Now, about this story Judge Douglas tells
of Trumbull bargaining to sell out the old
Democratic party, and Lincoln agreeing to
sell out the old Wing party, have the means
of knoping about that [laughter] Judge
Douglas cannot have; and know there is no
substance to it wha lever [Applause.] Yet
have no doubt he is conscientious " about
it. [Laughter.] know that after Mr.. Love
iov cot into the Legislature that winter, he
complained of me that had told all the old
Wings in his district that the old Wing par
ty was good enough for them, and some OF
them voted against him because | told them
so. Now l have no means of totally dis
proving such chaiges as this which the Judge
makes A man cannot prove negative, but
he has right to claim that when man
makes an affirmative charge, he must offer
some proof to show the truth of what he says
| certainly cannot introduce testimony to
show the negative about things, but have a
right to claim that if man says he knows a
thing, then he must show hoao he knows it
| always have right to claim this, and 1t Is
not satisfactory to me that he may be econ
scientious on the subject. lCheels and
laughter.
Now, gentlemen, hate to waste my time
on such things, but in regard to that general
abolition tilt that Judge Douglas makes, when
he says that | was engaged at that time in
selling out and abolitionizing the old Wing
party-I hope you will permit me to read a
part of printed speech that made at Peo-
ria. which will show altogether different
view of the position took in that contest of
1854.
Voice-Put on your specs.
Mr.. Lincoln-Yes, sir | am obliged to do
so. am no longer young man. Laugh
teri
"When Southern people tell US they are nc
more responsible for slavery than we are,
acknowledge the fact. When they say that
it is an existing institution, and there is no
way to get rid of it, assure them shall not
blame them for not knowing what to do. II
all earthly power were given me, would not
know what to do with it. My first impulse
would be to free them all and send them to
Liberia. their own native land, but mo-
ment,s reflection would convince me that
whatever of high hope there might be in this
its execution would be impossible. | reflect
that i: they were all landed there in day,
they would all perish in the next ten days,
and that there is not surplus money enough
in the world to accomplish it in many times
ten DAYS. Shall we free them and keep them
as underlings Are we quite sure this would
better their condition? l think would not
hold on in slavery at any rate, but my opin-
ION is not clear enough to denounce people
upon. Shall we free them, and make them
politically and socially our equals p
Let the Judge note this. now am among
men who have some abolition tendencies.
"Shall we free them and make them politi-
cally and socially our equals My own feel
ings will not admit of this, and if they would,
the feelings of the great mass of white people
would not. Whether this accords with strict
justice or not is the sole question. A univer-
sal feeling, whether we'll or i'll founded, can
not safely be disregarded. We cannot make
them our equals.
When they remind us of their constitutional
rights I acknowledge them fully and freely,
and would give them any legislation for the
recovery of their fugitives, which would not
be more likely in the stringency of its provi-
sions to take free man to slavery, than our
ordinary criminal laws are to hang an nno-
cent one" Loud applause.]
have reason to know that Judge Dougla as
knouS that l said this. l think he has the
answer here to one of the questions he put to
me. do not mean to allow him to catechise
me unless he pays back for it in kind. l will
not answer questio S one after another unless
he reciprocates but as ne made this inquiry
and have answered it before, he has got il
without my getting anything in return. He
has got my answer on the Fugitive Slave
Law.
Now gentlemen, don't want to read at
any greater length, but this is the true com
plexion of all | have ever said in regard tc
the institution of slavery and the black race
This is the whole of it, and anything that
argues me into his idea of perfect social and
political equality with the negro, is but a
specious and fantastic arrangement of words
by which man can prove horse chestnut to
be chestnut horse. Laughter.] 1 will
say here, while upon this subject. that have
no purpose directly or indirectly to interfere
with the institution of slavery where it exists
1 believe have no lawful right to do so, and
have no inclination to do so. I have no
purpose to introduce political and social
equality between the white and black races
There is a physical difference between the
two, which, in my judgment will probably
forever forbid their living together upon the
footing of perfect equality, and inasmuch as