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.

STATE PAPERS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 67
The bill that went into his (Mr. Douglas's) hands had the provision in it
for a submisaon of the Constitution to the people; and I say its language
amounts to an express provision for a submission, and that he took the
provision out. He says it was known that the bill was silent in this
particular; but I say, Judge Douglas, it was not silent when you got it.
It was vocal with the declaration, when you got it, for a submission of
the Constitution to the people. And now, my direct question to Judge
Douglas is, to answer why, if he deemed the bill silent on this point, lihe
found it necessary to strike out those particular harmless words. If he
had found the bill silent and without this provision, he might say what
he does now. If he supposes it was implied that the Constitution would
be submitted to a vote of the people, how could these two lines so encumber the statute as to make it necessary to strike them out? How
could he infer that a submission was still implied, after its express provision had been stricken from the bill? I find the bill vocal with the provision, while he silenced it. He took it out, and:lthough he took out
the other provision preventing a submission to a vote of the people, I ask,
why did you first put it in? I ask him whether he took the original
provision out, which Trumbull alleges was in the bill? If he admits that he
did take it out, I ask him what he did it for? It looks to us as if he had
altered the bill. If it looks differently to him-if he has a different reason
for his action from the one we assign him-he can tell it. I insist upon
knowing why he made the bill silent upon that point, when it was vocal
before he put his hands upon it.
Mr. Douglas, it is needless to say, could not parry this
home thrust. In his efforts to do so (for Mr. Lincoln gave
him several opportunities subsequently to explain his
position), he invariably lost his temper.
In view of the discussions now in progress in many
parts of the country, the following passage from Mr. Lincoln's final rejoinder to Mr. Douglas, in this debate at
Charleston, possesses peculiar interest.
Judge Douglas has said to you that he has not been able to get from
me an answer to the question whether I am in favor of negro citizenship.
So far as I know, the Judge never asked me the question before. He
shall have no occasion to ever ask it again, for I tell him very frankly
that I am not in favor of negro citizenship. This furnishes me an occasion for saying a few words upon the subject. I mentioned in a certain
speech of mine which has been printed, that the Supreme Court had
decided that a negro coul4-not possibly be made a citizen; and without saying what was my ground of complaint in regard to that, or
whether I had any ground of complaint, Judge Douglas has from that