, 1860-03-15
LINCOLN IN CONNECTICUT,


PASSAGES FRes1 HIS NEW HAVEN
Fcn the Ns1 Havsn P~llatiur1, 1othl
Look at the magnitude Of this subject. One.
sl1th OF our population, in round numbers-not
qalle one"fi1th, und jet more than seyenth--
i Ut the whole population of the United States
are slases. Tic owners Of the slaves consider
them property. The effect upon the minds Of
sue owners Is that Of property, and nothing
else-lt induces them to insist upon all that will
| iasoFaoly Affect its value as property, to demand
la"S an'l institutions and public policy that
snall increase and secure its value aud make il
| durable, lasting and universal. The effect on
ne .he m1nds 9f the owners is to persuade thrn
thet thers9is no wrong in it. Tie Shareholder
aoes nGt Ike to- be considered a mean fe low,
/ ,or ho.ding that species Of property, and hence
ne has to struggle within himself aud sets about
arguing himself into the belief that slavery Is
| ltenL Ihe property influences his mind. The
~ Maa7sennng minister, who argued some theo!osi-
was always met with ths reply, ~ can't zee il
so. He opened the Bible and pointed him to
passage, but the orthodox munster replied, II
cant see il So" Then lo showed hun 4 s,uee
| word d-"C Tan you see that?" "Yes, see #.
| was the reply. The dissenter ia,d q guinea
LGie4t laughter.l So here Whether the own
Us u this species Of properly do really SEE it
rs 1t is, It is not for me - say, but If tcY do.
they see it as 1t is through $1,000, Out, ,oon and
tnat Is pretty thick coating. Laughter Ger
Lam It IS, 1heY do not sec it as tee it. Certain
II Is that this two thousand million OF dol.
!nrs invested in this species Of property, all 20
concentrated that the mind can grasp 1t ut ouce
Ibis immense pecuniary interest, Las its int1u-
enee upon their minds.
| But here in Connecticut md at the North
slavery does not exit, aud We see it through no
/ TN FfrfT
think that slaves ere human beings; us<n, not
property that some Of the things, at least ste-
ted about mtn III tbs Declaration Of Inde.end-
ence apply to item as well rs to us. ]Apptause,1
saT: We think most Of US, that this Charter OF
Freedom applies to the sluye Us t;eJl as to our
sstses. that TIC class Of arguments put forward
to batter donR n that ide' are also calculated to
break down the very idea OF q free government,
esen for white lnen, aud to undermine The rerr
foundations Of tree society. Continued ep-
| planse, We think siAyery g.eat mora wrong,
and "tllc we DO not claim the 1igh, to touch Il
Where 1t exists, We wish to treatit as rony in
| The Territories, 1here our votes will reach it.
| We think that respect for ourselves, a regard
| Tor iuture generations and fur the God that
| made US, require that we put down this .vron.
| where cur votes will properly reach ii. We
think that spe:tes Of Labor m injury to free
| white men-,n short, we think saresy great
moral, social and political evil, til l.rable ool+
| because, and 60 far as its actual existence
makes it necessary to tolerate it, and that be-
yond that, it ought to be treated as wrong.
40" these t~u ideas, the property idea that
slaTery is right, and the idea that it is wrong,
com come INTO collision, and do actually produce
that lrrepressible coz iflc. which r. Seward has
b=en so roundlg abused for mentioning. The
| two ldeas coLdtct. und must conflict,
| Agalo, III ita political aspect, does ANYTHING
endanger tho rerpstuity Of this Cuion but thai
single thing. s'.very? Many Of our adsersarie>
are an4sous +. claim that they ars specially de-
voted TO tae Caioo, and take pains 10 charge
upon lis hostility 10 the Union. Now we clas1n
tuat we are the only true Union men. and we
| put to them this Que propositions: What ever
endangered tlis Union, saYe md except slar-
| cry! Lid aoy other thing eyer cause mo-
ments fear: al men must agree that this
nlu= alene has ever endangered the perp@tuuy
Of the Union. But it it was threatened by any
other Influence, would not all men say tLe best
thing that could be doue, if we could not or
ought not 10 destroy it, would be least to keen
It from growing any larger: Can any man be-
ltese that the way 10 save the Cnou is to e1-
tend and increase ths only thing that tbreatcos
the Union. and to suffer It to grow bigger and
bigger? {Grcat applause.
whenever slila QUESTION shall be settled. it
must be settled OIL some phllost lllicsi ba.1s.
| No policy tnut does not rest upon some public
opinion can be permanently maintlinsd. And
| hence, there are but two policies in regard to
| FAAfN4 tAA% CAt1 NC III I'LL uAi0k1luGQ, IG&
hrst, based on the property view shat slavery
IS right, conforms to that idea throughout, and
demands that We shall do every thing for it that
We ouehtto DO II it were right. Wcmust sweep
| away I'll opposition, for opposition to tic r'sht
| is wrong; We must agree that slavery is 1i:ht,
and we must adopt the idea that property has
t persuaded tho owner to belieye-that slavery
Is morally right and socially elcya,ins. This
g1Tes philosophical basis Tor a permanent no.
| llcy OF encouragement.
| Tie other po'.cy i oue that squares With the
idea that Slavery is. wrong, and it consists in
doing everything that we ought to do if it is
wrong. Nov, Idon's wish to be misunderstood
nor to leave Eap down 10 he misrepreseu. d,
even. l don't mean that we ought TO aitu:k IT
| where 1t exists. To me it seems that if NC we're
| to form government anew, in view Of the act.
ual presonce VI slaTery, VIC should fluid it neccs-
sary to !rame just such 4 government as cur
fathers did; giving 10 the slas eholdcr the entire
| we possessed the power to restrain II from
going outside those limits. Applause.1 From
| the lecessities Of the case We should be oop.
pei cd to form just such government as our
| blessed fathers gave us; aud, surely. it they
have SO made Il, that adds aaother reason nhy
| wo shnu1d LEI EslE4.ry, alone where it exists.
II | saw q yenonlous snake crawling in the
road. any man would say might c;ze The near
est stick and Ail it; but If fonud that snake in
bed with my children, that would be anostyr
question. Laughter. might hurt tue cl,d-
ien more 'li.n the srake, and the snake might
it in bed with 1ny ncixhbot's children, and I,ol
| bound my:clf bS solemn compact not to med.
1:c with his children under any circumstances,
It would become ME to let that particular mode
| Of getting rid Of the gentleman uionc. FE1eat
laughter,1 Dut it th: sc Vas bed nswly made
up. TO whsch The chsldrep we're to be tuksp, anu
| 1t was proposed TO tzke batch Of Young snakes
aud put them there with them, | take il no man
would say there was any question how ought
to decide! Prolonged applause and cht ers
That Is juet The Gaze! fbe new Territories
are the newly made bed to which our chi dren
arc to 70, and il lies with tie nation to say
whether they shall hare snakes mixed up Hith
them or not. 1t does not seem as if there could
be much hesitation what our policy should be!
[Applause.l
NV. have spoken Of policy based on the
idea that slavery is wrong, anu u policy based
u:",r tie idea that /. is rignt. But an effort has
bcsn tnade for policy that eha1l treat it as
indifference. 1is leading adrocate has said, II
| don't care whether it be. voted up or down."
Laughter ~ Is merely matter of dollars
aud cents" "rhe Atu,i ;l,ty has drawn line
across this continent, on one side Of which alt
soil must tosescr be cultivated By slave labor,
] md on the ofher by tree" "When the strug-
| gle is between the white man and the negro,
am tor the white man; when it is be'ween the
| negro and the crocodile. l ann for the negto."
Its central id: is indifference. II holds lNas it
makes no more difference to US whether the
Territories become free or slave States, 1han
whether my neigh ghbor stocks his farm with
burned cattle or puts it into tobacco. All recog-
nize this policy, the plausible sugar coated
name Of which is !" Popular Sosertiqaty." tGreat
faughter.]
luis pulley chiefly stands in the way Of per-
naucnt settlement Of the question. | believe
there is no danger OF its becoming the pesmu-
nent policy Of the country, for it is based on
public Indifference There is nobody that *'don't
care" ALL THE PEOPLE DO CARE! cDe way or
the other. lGreat appl@use.] I DO not charge
| that its author, when he says he !" don't cure"
states bis individss4l opinion; he only exprt sscs
| his policy for tie government. | understand
TINT he has nerer said. Is au individual, whether
| ho thought slavery right or wroug-aud he is
| the only man il the nation that has not! Nor
such policy may hare q temporary run; it
may spilnE up as necessary to sh. political
prospects Of come 6cutlemen; but j. Is utterly
ba>eiees; the p op;e are not ind hrrent; aud il
cuu therefore hare no durability Or permsuence.
But suppose it could: Then it could be main~
tained only br ao.pa6llc opinion Tut shalt kay
VIC jou't care" There must be change in
public opinion, the public mind must be 50 far
ael'suched as 10 square with this policy Of car
ing not 1t all. The people must come to coil
slider this as '.1aere'y question Of dollars aud
ceots," and t. hetise that in some places the
Almighty has made slavery necessarily eternal
IulS tpIjcy can Ec brought to prevail if siIe