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Writings of Abraham Lincoln, the — Volume 4: the Lincoln-Douglas debates by Abraham Lincoln
page 60 of 108 (55%)
having attempted any double-dealing anywhere; that upon one occasion I
may say one thing, and leave other things unsaid, and vice versa, but
that I have said anything on one occasion that is inconsistent with what
I have said elsewhere, I deny, at least I deny it so far as the intention
is concerned. I find that I have devoted to this topic a larger portion
of my time than I had intended. I wished to show, but I will pass it upon
this occasion, that in the sentiment I have occasionally advanced upon
the Declaration of Independence I am entirely borne out by the sentiments
advanced by our old Whig leader, Henry Clay, and I have the book here to
show it from but because I have already occupied more time than I
intended to do on that topic, I pass over it.

At Galesburgh, I tried to show that by the Dred Scott decision, pushed to
its legitimate consequences, slavery would be established in all the
States as well as in the Territories. I did this because, upon a former
occasion, I had asked Judge Douglas whether, if the Supreme Court should
make a decision declaring that the States had not the power to exclude
slavery from their limits, he would adopt and follow that decision as a
rule of political action; and because he had not directly answered that
question, but had merely contented himself with sneering at it, I again
introduced it, and tried to show that the conclusion that I stated
followed inevitably and logically from the proposition already decided by
the court. Judge Douglas had the privilege of replying to me at
Galesburgh, and again he gave me no direct answer as to whether he would
or would not sustain such a decision if made. I give him his third chance
to say yes or no. He is not obliged to do either, probably he will not do
either; but I give him the third chance. I tried to show then that this
result, this conclusion, inevitably followed from the point already
decided by the court. The Judge, in his reply, again sneers at the
thought of the court making any such decision, and in the course of his
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