Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1860-06-30
LINCOLN ON SNAKES

The following is one Of Liucoln's Illustrations
made in q speech in Now Haven, Conn. SpeaE-
ing Of the right and wrong of slavery, he said
The other policy is one that squares with the
idea that slavery is wrong, and it consists in doing
everything that we ought TO do If it is wrong. Now
/ done wish to be misunderstood, nor to leave a
gap down to be fnisrepresehtod, even. l don't
cay we ought to attack it where it exists. To
me /. seems that if we were to form a government
anew, in view Of the actual presence of slavery,
we should find il necessary to frame just such q
government as our fathers did, giving to the slave
holders the entire control whore the system is o..
.td61ished, while we possessed the power to restrain
it from going outside those limi 8. [Applausel
From the necessities of the case we should be
compelled to form just such a government as GU.
blessed fathers gave us; and, surely, if they have
go made it, that adds another reason why we
should let slavery alone where it exists.
IF saw a venomous snake crawling in the
road, any man would soy l might seize the near
es. stick and kill 1t; but if l found that snake in
bed with my children, it would be another qucs-
ton. Laughter, l might hurt the children
moro than the snake, and the snake might bite
them. lApplluse. Much moro, if l found it in
bed with my neighbours children, and l had bourd
myself by o solemn compac. not TO NEEDLE with
his children under any circumstances. it would
become me to let that particular mode Of killing
the gentleman alone. lGreat Laughter. But il
:here is a bed newly made up, to which the chill
dren are to be taken, and it was proposed to take
a batch Of young snakes and put them 10 with
them, l take it, no man would say there was q
question how ] ought to decide. prolonged ap-
plause and cheers.
That is Just the case The new Territories
are the newly made bed to which our children are
to 60, and it lays with the nation to say whether
they shall have the snakes mixed up with them or
not. 1t does not seem as if there could be much
hesitation what our policy should be. lap
plsuse.
The above has been going the rounds of the Re
publican papers, and from it we infer
First, That Lincoln hates snakes.
Second, That his hatred of snakes is sectional.
Third, That he has agreed 30 let snakes crawl
into tther peoples beds and bite other people,
children.
Fourth, That while opposing the introduction
of snakes into a certain bed in Kansas, he mata.
tains the right Of the people to have them crawl
ing among the children in fifteen other beds.
Fifth, That inasmuch as our blessed fathers
consented to let snakes come into the house and
occupy all the beds except those in Tho North
West chamber, if he was called upon to make new
household regulations, why seeing that snake,
were left in the house along with the children BY
our blessed fathers he would protect them il
the possession of their fifteen beds.
Sixth, That Lincoln's hatred Of snakes is regu
lated by constitutional limitations, held in sub
lection to the laws Of the Union, and modled af
ter the pattern furnished by our blessed fathers