Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1860-08-16

demanded the overthrow OF onr free
State Constitutions.
Yet those Constitutions declare the
wrong of slavery with more solemn
emphasis than 10 all sayings against
il; and. when all these other sayings
shall bave been silenced, the over
throw of these Constitutions viii be
demanded. and nothing be left to re-
sist the demand. Its nothiug to the
contrary that they 10 not demand the
whole of this Just now. Demanding
what they DO. and for the reason they
do. they can voluntarily stop nowhere
short of this contamination. Hold
ing as they 10, that slavery Is moral
lv right and socially elevating. they
can not cease to demand a iull nation
al recognition of it as legal right
and social blessing. Nor can We
iustiGaJly withhold. this on any
ground save our conviction that slavery
is wrong.
If slavery is right. all words. acts
laws and Constitutions against it are
themselves wrong, aud should be
silenced and swept away. If it Is
right, we can not justly object to It's
nationality-its universally, il it Is
wrong. they can not lastly insist upon
its extension-its enlargement. All
they ask we could readily grant. il we
thought slavery right; ;.all we ask they
could as readily grant if they thought
it wrong. Their thinking it right,
aud our thinking it wrong, is Hle pre-
else fact upon which depends the
whole controversy. Thinking it right
as they do, they are not to blame for
desiring its full recognition, as being
right: but thinking it wrong. as we 10.
can we yield to them? Can we cast
our votes with this view, and against
our own? In view of our moral, So
cial and political responsibilities. can
we do this? Ono, no."
Wrong as we think slavery is. we
can yet afford to let it alone where il
Is, because that much Is due TO the ne
ccssity arising from its actual presence
in the nation; but can we, while our
votes will prevent it, allow it to
spread into the national Territories
and to overrun us here in these Free
States? If our sensel of duty forbids
this, then let us stand by our duty,
fearlessly and effectively. Let us be
diverted by none of those sophistical
contrivanccs wherewith we are so in
dustriously piled and belabored-con-
trivances which are cropping for some
middle ground between the right and
wrong, vain as the search for a man
who should be neither a living man
nor a dead man-such a policy OF
don't care on question about which
all true men care-such as Union APP
peals beseeching true Union men to
Weld To disunionists, reversing the lii
vine rule, and calling. not the sinners,
but the righteous to repentance-such
as invocations of Washington. implor-
ing men to unsay what Washington
said, and undo what Washington did
Neither let us be slandered'from ou
duty 10y false accusations against us,
nor frightened from it by menaces OF
destruction to our government nor ol
dungeons to ourselves. Let us hav,
faith that right makes might; and il
that faith, let rs, to the end. dare t.
do our duty, as we understand it.
Mr.. Lincoln then bowed, and re
tired amid the loud ana uproarous ap
plause of his hearers-nearly ever,
man rising spontaneously and cheer
ing with the iull power Of his lungs