truth of the premises, the conclusion, so far as I have capacity at all
to understand it, follows inevitably. There is a fault in it as I think,
but the fault is not in the reasoning; but the falsehood in fact is a
fault of the premises. I believe that the right of property in a slave is
not distinctly and expressly affirmed in the Constitution, and Judge
Douglas thinks it is. I believe that the Supreme Court and the advocates
of that decision may search in vain for the place in the Constitution
where the right of property in a slave is distinctly and expressly
affirmed I say, therefore, that I think one of the premises is not true
in fact. But it is true with Judge Douglas. It is true with the Supreme
Court who pronounced it. They are estopped from denying it, and being
estopped from denying it, the conclusion follows that, the Constitution
of the United States being the supreme law, no constitution or law can
interfere with it. It being affirmed in the decision that the right of
property in a slave is distinctly and expressly affirmed in the
Constitution, the conclusion inevitably follows that no State law or
constitution can destroy that right. I then say to Judge Douglas and to
all others that I think it will take a better answer than a sneer to show
that those who have said that the right of property in a slave is
distinctly and expressly affirmed in the Constitution, are not prepared
to show that no constitution or law can destroy that right. I say I
believe it will take a far better argument than a mere sneer to show to
the minds of intelligent men that whoever has so said is not prepared,
whenever public sentiment is so far advanced as to justify it, to say the
other. This is but an opinion, and the opinion of one very humble man;
but it is my opinion that the Dred Scott decision, as it is, never would
have been made in its present form if the party that made it had not been
sustained previously by the elections. My own opinion is, that the new
Dred Scott decision, deciding against the right of the people of the
States to exclude slavery, will never be made if that party is not