His voice is carrying even though it pipes. He has
endurance, too, and courage and fighting will. But Douglas has made it
very difficult for him; indeed he has brought Lincoln to his terms on
nearly everything--all but the 'house divided against itself' doctrine;
and the right and duty of Congress to keep slavery out of the
territories. These are issues between him and Douglas still; but is this
the real issue after all? He is nearly through. He has been going on as
if he were making a statement of a case. It is interjected with
argument; but it is largely statement of positions. It is declaratory
and follows the form of a poem, not an argument. It assumes premises; he
says "I think so." It has reason back of it, but it is the reason of
things proven. It is fortified by matters of general acceptance. It has
logic, but the logic of things existing inherently, not made. And at
last, more earnestly than before, he says:
"On the point of my wanting to make war between the free and the slave
states, there has been no issue between us. So too when he says that I
am in favor of introducing a perfect social and political equality
between the white and the black races. These are false issues upon
which Judge Douglas has tried to force the controversy. There is no
foundation in truth for the charges that I maintain either of these
propositions.
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