Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1859-09-29
SPEECH OF
HON. ABRAHAM LINCOLN,

bled 10 listen TO hlm, SAID.
Ny fcIIow-citizens Of the State o
Ohio: This is the first time in N,
life that / have appeared before an au
dience in so great a city as this.
thcrefore-thongh | am no longer {
Young man-make this appearance
under some degree of embarrassment
But, have found that when one j
embarrassed, usually the shortest way
to get through with it is to quit talk
ing or thinking about it, and so a
something else.
understand that you have had re
Gently with YOU, my very distinguish
eel friend. Judge Douglas. of Illinois
and | understand, without having hat
an opportunity. (not greatly sought tc
be sure, of seeing a report OF the
speech, that he made here, that he dld
me the honor to mention my humble
name. | suppose that he did so fol
the purpose OF making some objection
to some sentiment at some time eX-
pressed by me. should expect, 1t Is
true. that Judge Douglas had remind
ell you, or informed you, if you. had
never bcfor heard it, that / had once
in my life declared it as my opinion
that this government cannot "endure
permanently half slave and half free
thata house divided against itself can
not stand" and, as / had expressed it,
did not expect the house to fall; that
did not expect the Union to be dis
solved; but, that / did expect that II
would cease to be divided, that it would
become all one thing or all the other,
that either the opponents OF SlaTery
would arrest the further spread of 1t,
and place it where the public mind
would rest in the belief that it was in
the course of ultimate extinction; oil
the friends of Slavery will push it for
ward until it becomes alike lawful IN
all the States, old or new, Free as well
as Slave. | did. fifteen months ago, ex
press that opinion, and upon many oc-
casions Judge Douglas has denounced
it, and has greatly, Intentionally or
unintentionally, misreprcsented my
purpose in the expression of that opin-
ion.
i presume, without having seen q
report of his speech. that he did so
here. j presume that he alluded alsC
to that opinion in different language
having been expressed at subsequent
time by Gov. Seward of New York
and that he took the two in lump and
denounced them. that he tried to poin
out that there was something couchec
in this opinion which led to the max
ing of an entire uniformity of the loca
institutions of the various States tn,
Union, in utter disregard Of the differ
ences of climate, soil and situation O
the various States of the Union il
utter disregard of the differences o
climate, soil and situations of tn
different States, which in their natur,
would seem to require a variety o
institutions, ard variety of law, con
forming to the differences i'll the natur,
of the different States.
Not only so; presume he insisted
that this was declaration of war be
tween the Free and Slave States
that it was the sounding to the onse
of continual war between the diiferen
States. the Slave and the Free States
This charge, in this form, was mad
! liy Judge Douglas, ON, | believe, tn
oh of July, 1888, in Chicago, in m,
hearing. On the next evening mad
some reply toit. informed him tina
many of the differences he drew from
that expression ofmine were altogethe
foreign to any purpose entertained b.
me, and in SO far as he should ascrib
those inlerenccs to me, as my purpose
he was entirely mistaken; and in so ia
as he might argue that whatever NIGH
bc my purpose, that actions conform
ing to this. would lead to these results
. he might argue and establish if h
could; but, so far as purposes were con
ccrned, he was totally mistaken as t
me.
When / made that reply to him
when told him, on the question {
declaring war between the diilcren
States of the Union, that had not sal
that | did not expect any peace upo
this question until Slavery was termi
mated; that | had only said that | ex
pccted peace when that institution wa
put where the public mind should res
in the belief that it was in course OF ultl
mate extinction; that | believed tina
from the organization OF our govern
ment, until very recent period G
time, the institution had been place
and continued upon such basis; tina
we had had comparative peace upo
that question through portion of tina
period of time. only because the pull
lie mind rested in that belief in regar
to it. and that when we returned I
that position in relation to that mat
ter. | supposed we should again hsv
peace a. we previously had. j assure
!.
him, as / now assure you, that l nci
ther then had, nor have, or ever had
any purpose of in any way interfering
with the institution of Slavery whey
it exists. believe we I've no power
under the Constitution of the Unite
States, or rather under the form @
government under which we live, t
interfere with the institution of SLAYER
or any other of the institutions of on
sister States, he they Free or Slav
States. / declared then, and | no,
re-declare, that | have as little inclina
tion To so interfere with the institution
Of Slavery where it now exists, the in
strumentaliiy of the general Govern
ment. or any other instrumcntality, a
| believe we have no power to DO sc
accilently used this expression: ha