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Writings of Abraham Lincoln, the — Volume 4: the Lincoln-Douglas debates by Abraham Lincoln
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approaching, I propose as the best means to prevent it that the Judge be
kept at home, and placed in the State Legislature to fight the measure. I
do not propose dwelling longer at this time on this subject.

When Judge Trumbull, our other Senator in Congress, returned to Illinois
in the month of August, he made a speech at Chicago, in which he made
what may be called a charge against Judge Douglas, which I understand
proved to be very offensive to him. The Judge was at that time out upon
one of his speaking tours through the country, and when the news of it
reached him, as I am informed, he denounced Judge Trumbull in rather
harsh terms for having said what he did in regard to that matter. I was
traveling at that time, and speaking at the same places with Judge
Douglas on subsequent days, and when I heard of what Judge Trumbull had
said of Douglas, and what Douglas had said back again, I felt that I was
in a position where I could not remain entirely silent in regard to the
matter. Consequently, upon two or three occasions I alluded to it, and
alluded to it in no other wise than to say that in regard to the charge
brought by Trumbull against Douglas, I personally knew nothing, and
sought to say nothing about it; that I did personally know Judge
Trumbull; that I believed him to be a man of veracity; that I believed
him to be a man of capacity sufficient to know very well whether an
assertion he was making, as a conclusion drawn from a set of facts, was
true or false; and as a conclusion of my own from that, I stated it as my
belief if Trumbull should ever be called upon, he would prove everything
he had said. I said this upon two or three occasions. Upon a subsequent
occasion, Judge Trumbull spoke again before an audience at Alton, and
upon that occasion not only repeated his charge against Douglas, but
arrayed the evidence he relied upon to substantiate it. This speech was
published at length; and subsequently at Jacksonville Judge Douglas
alluded to the matter. In the course of his speech, and near the close of
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