Lincoln on Democracy

" 'HE TREMBLED FOR HIS COUNTRY' "

132 LINCOLN ON DEMOCRACY " 'HE TREMBLED FOR HIS COUNTRY' " Extracts from the Lincoln-Douglas Debates: From Lincoln's Reply, Fifth Debate, Galesburg, Illinois [OCTOBER 7, 18 58] Some fifteen thousand spectators attended the fifth joint debate at Knox College in Galesburg in west central Illinois, the largest crowd of the Lincoln-Douglas confrontations. Lincoln again took the offensive, arguing the natural right ofNegroes to enjoy the blessings ofthe Declaration of Independence, with Douglas insisting that its authors meant only "white men . . . of European birth, and European descent, when they declared the equality ofall men. " Lincoln's reply included the following. The Judge has alluded to the Declaration of Independence, and insisted that negroes are not included in that Declaration; and that it is a slander upon the framers of that instrument, to suppose that negroes were meant therein; and he asks you: Is it possible to believe that Mr. Jefferson, who penned the immortal paper, could have supposed himself applying the language of that instrument to the negro race, and yet held a portion of that race in slavery? Would he not at once have freed them? I only have to remark upon this part of the Judge's speech, (and that, too, very briefly, for I shall not detain myself, or you, upon that point for any great length of time,) that I believe the entire records ofthe world, from the date ofthe Declaration ofIndependence up to within three years ago, may be searched in vain for one single affirmation, from one single man, that the negro was not included in the Declaration of Independence. I think I may defy Judge Douglas to show that he ever said SO, that Washington ever said SO, that any President ever said so, that any member of Congress ever said so, or that any living man upon the whole earth ever said SO, until the necessities of the present policy of the Democratic party, in regard to slavery, had to invent that affirmation. [Tremendous applause.] And I will remind Judge Douglas and this audience, that while Mr. Jefferson was the owner of slaves, as undoubtedly he was, in speaking upon this very Lincoln and the House Divided, 1858 133 subject, he used the strong language that "he trembled for his country when he remembered that God was just;" and I will offer the highest premium in my power to Judge Douglas if he will show that he, in all his life, ever uttered a sentiment at all akin to that of Jefferson. [Great applause and cries of "Hit him again," "good," "good."] Now a few words in regard to these extracts from speeches of mine, which Judge Douglas has read to you, and which he supposes are in very great contrast to each other [the "electric cord" speech in Chicago July 10, and the Charleston debate speech September 18-eds.]' Those speeches have been before the public for a considerable time, and ifthey have any inconsistency in them, if there is any conflict in them the public have been able to detect it. When the Judge says, in speaking on this subject, that I make speeches of one sort for the people of the Northern end of the State, and of a different sort for the Southern people, he assumes that I do not understand that my speeches will be put in print and read North and South. I knew all the while that the speech that I made at Chicago and the one I made at Jonesboro and the one at Charleston, would all be put in print and all the reading and intelligent men in the community would see them and know all about my opinions. And I have not supposed, and do not now suppose, that there is any conflict whatever between them. ["They are all good speeches!" "Hurrah for Lincoln!"] But the Judge will have it that if we do not confess that there is a sort of inequality between the white and black races, which justifies us in making them slaves, we must, then, insist that there is a degree of equality that requires us to make them our wives. [Loud applause, and cries, "Give it to him;" "Hit him again."] Now, I have all the while taken a broad distinction in regard to that matter; and that is all there is in these different speeches which he arrays here, and the entire reading ofeither ofthe speeches will show that that distinction was made. Perhaps by taking...