The Portland daily press., 1901-02-14

II
hauseibis fund whioh ne had scoumnlsted
lin MIS- western home In this way ne
won the attention ana interest," OF bis
hearers at once. Then unfolding another
papsr he read . criticism OF quotation
from q spssoh made by him at spring
field, IN, June rs, 1855, II which he had
announced his belief that this govern
menb could not endure permanently ban
slave and half free. by that statement,
| ne said, he still stood. Referring 20 the
context In which tnese words wers Ut
tered. he went on to snow that IN refer.
enca to the question Of slavery he ans
the great PARTY to which he belonged, oc-
cupied the ground held BY ths founders
of the government; and wish mnu@
historical anaiysis OF sns .Oa,,s scs.on ~ ursier
fathers IN framing the government unues
which we live, he vindicsted himseH ~
the Ke2u bfican pa,tY from charges tnse
| had falsely been made.
/ This was the thought wtth wnion Nc
onened nia famous C0oper lnstituts Rd-
drsgs In New York the night before. In
/ fact throughout, after the opsping REFER
ence TO the comments OF the troVioence
papers, his words were repetition oil tine
thoughts embodied In that crest address
Tnere was no mere story telling, ncF was
there any need OF witticisms to arouse the
| tagging interest II bis hearers, There
was abstract reasoning, there was the
dry appeal TO the facts Of history, there
was argument close and noloriess, but
4 iEnAr0
| and the words chosen as the vehicle OF
| she truth presented were so direct and
| simple, yet so strong, foroeful, niastsrIui,
| shat the speaker held the closest atten-
tion OF his hearers until the last ssnsence
was spoken.
words with which tue address CLOSED
They illustrate Mr.. Lincolns thought
and style as well, perhaps, as any Worus
that could be selected from his p1bIisned
Iorations They were addressed 70 tno
members OF hi4 own party; lev
IipaIy desirable that all parts sof THIS
great confederacy shall be at peacs ana IN
HARMONY one WITH another. Let as lie
pubIicsns do our part TO have ie 80 Even
though much provoked, let us do nothing
Through passion and u-temper. Even
though the Southern people Will not so
much as listen to us, lat US calmly con-
slider their demands, and yield TO tnam
II. in our deliberate view OF duty. we
possibly can, Judging by all tney say
and do, and by the subject and nasurs Oh
their controversy with US iet US uesst
mins, II we can, what VIII satisfy them.
"WilI they be satisfied II the terrioories
be Internationally surrendered TO sneml
We know they win not. In all their
present. complaints against us the terri-
tori % are scarcely mSntioned. Invasions
and instructions are the rage now. VIII
it satisfy them II, In the fnture, we nave
nothing to do with invasions and insur-
Feottons; and yet this total ADstaining
does not exempt us from the charge snd
the denunctation.
them9 Simply this: we must not only
let them alone, but we must, somehow
convince them that we do let them alone.
This, we know by experience. Is no easy
task We have been so trying to convincs
them from the very beginning OF our or
ganiz ltion, but with no success. In all
our platforms and speeches we have con-
stantIy protested our purpose 60 let them
alone; but this has had no tendency to
convince them. Alike unavailing 60 con-
vince them IL the fact that they have
never detected a man OF as In any at
! tempt to disturb them.
"These natural and apparently adequate
means all failing, what Will convince
thsmf This, and this only Cease TO
call slavery wrong, and join them IN
calling it right. And this must bs done
thoroughly-done IN acts az well as IN
words silence will not be tolerated.. we
must place ourselves avoweuly with them
Senator Douglas new sedition law must
be enacted and enforced, suppressing ali
declarations that slavery Ii wrong, wheth-
er made in politics. In presses, In pnipits,
or In private. We must arrest and rs
turn their fugitive slaves with greedy
pleasure. We must pull down our free
stats constitutions. Ths whole atmos-
1
OF opposition t1 slavery before they VIII
csnse to believe that all their troubles
proceed from us.
"I am quite aware they do not state
their case precisely in this way. Most OF
them would probably say to US; Let us
lalone, do nothing TO us, and say what
you please about slayeryi' But We do let
them aIons-have never disturbed them;
so that, after all, it Ia what we say which
dissatisiies them. They Will centinne 70
accuse of doing unless we osass saying.
81 am also aware they have not as yet,
in terms. demanded the overthrow of our
free state constitutions, yet these oonsti-
tutions declare the wrong OF slavery, with
more solemn emphasis than 10 all other
. sayings against IL, and when all these
other sayings shall have besn siienced,
the overthrow OF these constitutions VIII
De demanded and nothing be left 60 resist
the demand. 1t Is nothing TO the con-
trary tias they do not demand the whole
OF this Inst now. Demanding what they
40, ana for the reason they DO. they can
voluntarily stop somewhere short of this
contamination. Holding. as they do
that slavery isenoraIiy right, and socially
Ieievating, they cannot cease to dsmand
full national recognition of it, as Legal
right and social blessing.
"Nor can we justifiabiy withhold this
on any ground, save our conviction that
slavery fs wrong. II slavery is right, all
words, acts, laws ana constitutions
against it are themselves wrong, and
4 should bs silenoed and swept away. Ii
is is right, we cannot justly object 60 It's
nationaiity-iss universality; IL it ID
wrong. thsy cannot Justly inaist upon It's
extenslnn-tts enlargement. All they AJAX
we c8uld readily grant, II we thought
slavery right; all we ask they could as
readily grant, II they thought IL wrong.
Their thinking 1t right and our think
ing 1t wrong, 10 the precise act upon
which depends the whole controversy.
Thinking II right. as they do, they are
mot to blame for desiring its full rscognt-
tion, as being right, but thinking u
, wrong, as we do, can we yield 20 them
Can we cast our votes with their view
and against our ownf In view OF our
moral, social and political RESPONSIBILITIES.
can we do thisY
"Wrong as we think slavery is, we can
yet afford TO let it alone where 10 Is, because
that much 10 due to the necessity arising
from It's actual presence In the nation; /;
! but can we, while our votes will prevent
Iie allow it to spread into the national