Abraham Lincoln (1897) (14777712835)

Identifier: abrahamlincol1479coff (find matches)
Title: Abraham Lincoln
Year: 1897 (1890s)
Authors: Coffin, Charles Carleton, 1823-1896 Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Sovereign Grand Lodge
Subjects: Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Presidents
Publisher: New York : Harper & Brothers
Contributing Library: Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection
Digitizing Sponsor: The Institute of Museum and Library Services through an Indiana State Library LSTA Grant



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more than self- 146 LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. government—it is despotism. No man is good enough to govern aiiolher man withoutthe others consent. . . . Shivery is founded on the selfishness of mans nature ; opposi-tion to it is his love of justice. These principles are in eternal antagonism. ... I objectto the Nebraska Bill, because it assumes there can be moral riglit in the enslaving of oneman by another. . . . Little by little, but as steadily as mans march to the grave, wehave been giving up the old for the new faith. Nearly eighty years ago we began bydeclaring that ail men are created equal ; but now we have come to the other declara-tion : that for some men to enslave others is a sacred right of self-government. Theseprinciples cannot stand together; they are as opposite as God and Mammon. Cheers rent the The building shook with the stamping of feetair; women w^aved their handkerchiefsThrough the long debate in Congress the falsity of his position never Douglas was confounded.
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KKPUESENTATIVES CH.XMJJER. (The hall in which Lincoln made his Cret speech in opposition to Douglas. liad been so clearly lield up before the.public. Never before had theimmorality of the Xel)raska measure been so exposed. Lincoln hadspoken four hours, but Douglas was so stung that he spoke for twohours in a vain endeavor to break tlie force of Lincolns argument. Douglas went to Peoria, and was followed by Lincoln. As the treesare swayed by the winds, so the great audience there was moved by thetlirilling words spoken in behalf of freedom. In the debate at Washing-ton no Senator had oiven utterance to sucli fundamental truths as fell CONFLICT BETWEEN FREEDOM AND SLAVERY. 147 from his lips. Douglas had intended to travel through the State andmake speeches in the principal towns to vindicate his course, but aban-doned the plan. He frankly said the arguments of Lincoln gave himmore trouble than any presented in Congress. If Douglas or the slave-holders thought there would be no discus-si