takes on dignity, and calls people liars. Why, sir, there is not a word
in Trumbull's speech that depends on Trumbull's veracity at all. He has
only arrayed the evidence and told you what follows as a matter of
reasoning. There is not a statement in the whole speech that depends on
Trumbull's word. If you have ever studied geometry, you remember that by
a course of reasoning Euclid proves that all the angles in a triangle are
equal to two right angles. Euclid has shown you how to work it out. Now,
if you undertake to disprove that proposition, and to show that it is
erroneous, would you prove it to be false by calling Euclid a liar? They
tell me that my time is out, and therefore I close.




FIFTH JOINT DEBATE, AT GALESBURGH,

OCTOBER 7, 1858

Mr. LINCOLN'S REPLY.

MY FELLOW-CITIZENS: A very large portion of the speech which Judge
Douglas has addressed to you has previously been delivered and put in
print. I do not mean that for a hit upon the Judge at all.---If I had not
been interrupted, I was going to say that such an answer as I was able to
make to a very large portion of it had already been more than once made
and published. There has been an opportunity afforded to the public to
see our respective views upon the topics discussed in a large portion of
the speech which he has just delivered. I make these remarks for the
purpose of excusing myself for not passing over the entire ground that
the Judge has traversed. I however desire to take up some of the points