I defy anyone to show that any living man in the whole world ever did,
prior to the beginning of the present century (and I might almost say
prior to the beginning of the last half of the present century),
declare that, in his understanding, any proper division of local from
Federal authority, or any part of the Constitution, forbade the
Federal Government to control as to slavery in the Federal
Territories.
To those who now so declare, I give, not only 'our fathers who framed
the government under which we live,' but with them all other living
men within the century in which it was framed, among whom to search,
and they shall not be able to find the evidence of a single man
agreeing with them.
I do not mean to say we are bound to follow implicitly in whatever our
fathers did. To do so would be to discard all the lights of current
experience, to reject all progress, all improvement. What I do say is,
that if we would supplant the opinions and policy of our fathers in
any case, we should do so upon evidence so conclusive, and argument so
clear, that even their authority, fairly considered and weighed,
cannot stand; and most surely not in a case whereof we ourselves
declare they understood the question better than we.
Let all who believe that 'our fathers, who framed the government under
which we live,' understood this question just as well, and even
better, than we do now, speak as they spoke, and act as they acted
upon it.
It is exceedingly desirable that all parts of this great confederacy
shall be at peace, and in harmony, one with another. Let us
Republicans do our part to have it so. Even though much provoked, let
us do nothing through passion and ill-temper.
Even though the Southern people will not so much as listen to us, let
us calmly consider their demands, and yield to them if, in our
deliberate view of our duty, we possibly can. Judging by all they say
and do, and by the subject and nature of their controversy with us,
let us determine, if we can, what will satisfy them.
Wrong as we think slavery is, we can yet afford to let it alone where
it is, because that much is due to the necessity 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 sense of duty forbids this, then let us stand by our duty,
fearlessly and effectively. Let us be diverted by none of those
sophistical contrivances wherewith we are so industriously plied and
belabored--contrivances such as groping 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 as a policy of 'don't care'
on a question about which all true men do care; such as Union appeals
beseeching true Union men to yield to Disunionists, reversing the
divine rule, and calling, not the sinners, but the righteous to
repentance; such as invocations to Washington imploring men to unsay
what Washington said, and undo what Washington did.
Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us,
to the end, dare to do our duty, as we understand it.