that he made this charge before I said a word about Trumbull's. He
brought this forward at Ottawa, the first time we met face to face; and
in the opening speech that Judge Douglas made he attacked me in regard to
a matter ten years old. Is n't he a pretty man to be whining about people
making charges against him only two years old!

The Judge thinks it is altogether wrong that I should have dwelt upon
this charge of Trumbull's at all. I gave the apology for doing so in my
opening speech. Perhaps it did n't fix your attention. I said that when
Judge Douglas was speaking at place--where I spoke on the succeeding day
he used very harsh language about this charge. Two or three times
afterward I said I had confidence in Judge Trumbull's veracity and
intelligence; and my own opinion was, from what I knew of the character
of Judge Trumbull, that he would vindicate his position and prove
whatever he had stated to be true. This I repeated two or three times;
and then I dropped it, without saying anything more on the subject for
weeks--perhaps a month. I passed it by without noticing it at all till I
found, at Jacksonville, Judge Douglas in the plenitude of his power is
not willing to answer Trumbull and let me alone, but he comes out there
and uses this language: "He should not hereafter occupy his time in
refuting such charges made by Trumbull but that, Lincoln having indorsed
the character of Trumbull for veracity, he should hold him [Lincoln]
responsible for the slanders." What was Lincoln to do? Did he not do
right, when he had the fit opportunity of meeting Judge Douglas here, to
tell him he was ready for the responsibility? I ask a candid audience
whether in doing thus Judge Douglas was not the assailant rather than I?
Here I meet him face to face, and say I am ready to take the
responsibility, so far as it rests on me.

Having done so I ask the attention of this audience to the question