He never let his hearers lose sight of the
great. underlying moral fact. "Slavery," he said, "is founded in
the selfishness of man's nature; opposition to it in his love of
justice." Even Senator Douglas was not prepared to admit that
slavery was right. He knew that if he said that he could never be
President, for the whole North would rise against him. He wished
to please both sides, so he argued that it was not a question for
him or for the Federal Government to decide, but one which each
State and Territory must settle for itself. In answer to this
plea of his that it was not a matter of morals, but of "State
rights"--a mere matter of local self-government--Mr. Lincoln
replied, "When the white man governs himself that is
self-government; but when he governs himself and also governs
another man, that is more than self-government--that is
despotism."
It was on these opposing grounds that the two men took their
stand for the battle of argument and principle that was to
continue for years, to outgrow the bounds of the State, to focus
the attention of the whole country upon them, and, in the end, to
have far-reaching consequences of which neither at that time
dreamed. At first the field appeared much narrower, though even
then the reward was a large one. Lincoln had entered the contest
with no thought of political gain; but it happened that a new
United States senator from Illinois had to be chosen about that
time.
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