The life and public services of Abraham Lincoln ... together with his state papers, including his speeches, addresses, messages, letters, and proclamations, and the closing scenes connected with his life and death. By Henry J. Raymond. To which are added anecdotes and personal reminiscences of President Lincoln, by Frank B. Carpenter.

52 TIIE LIFE, PUBLIC SERVICES, AND
was probably carefully prepared. I admit that it was.
I am not a master of languatge. I have not a fine education; I am not capable of entering into a disquisition
upon dialectics, as I believe you call it." In the address
thus alluded to, Mr. Lincoln struck the key-note of the
campaign. Its exposition of his political creed, and his
statement of the important points at issue, is so succinct
and complete that we reproduce it here. It is as follows:
MR. PRESIDENT, AND GENTLEMEN OF THE CONVENTION:-If we COuld
first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could better
judgl(e what to do, and how to do it. We are now far into the fifth year
since a policy was initiated with the avowed object, and confident promise, of putting an end to slavery agitation. Under the operation of that
policy that agitation has not only not ceased, but has constantly augmented. In my opinion, it will not cease until a crisis shall have been reached
and Ipassed. "A house divided against itself cannot stand." I believe
this (;overnetiint ciannot endurie permanently half slave and half free. I do
not c.Xl)et the Union to be dissolved, I do not expect the house to fall.
but I (o exlpect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing,
or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further
spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief
that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push
it ftlrwardl till it shall become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as
new, North as well as South.
Have we no tendency to the latter condition?
Let any one who doubts carefilly contemplate that now almost corn
plete lergal combination —piece of machinery, so to speak-compounded
of the Nebraska doctrine and the I)red Scott decision. Let him consider
not only what work the machinery is adapted to do, and how well adapted; but also let him study the history of its construction, and trace, if he
can. or rather fail, if he can, to trace, the evidences of design and concert
of action among its chief architects from the beginning.
The news year of 1854 found slavery excluded from more than half the
St:ates by State Constitutions, and from most of the national territory by
Congressional prohibition. Four days later commenced the struggle
which ended in repealing that Congressional prohibition. This opened
all the national territory to slavery, and was the first point gained.
But so far Congress only had acted; and an indorsement by the people,
real or apparent, was indispensable, to save the point already gained and
gi X-e chance for more.
This necessity had not been overlooked, but had been provided for, ls
well as might be, in the notable argument of "squatter sovereignty,"