over；　every　man　with　a　rope　around　his　neck；　that　halter　being
  held　by　Judge　Douglas。　　That　is　the　question。　　If　Republican　men
  have　been　in　earnest　in　what　they　have　done；　I　think　they　had
  better　not　do　it；　but　I　think　that　the　Republican　party　is　made
  up　of　those　who；　as　far　as　they　can　peaceably；　will　oppose　the
  extension　of　slavery；　and　who　will　hope　for　its　ultimate
  extinction。　　If　they　believe　it　is　wrong　in　grasping　up　the　new
  lands　of　the　continent　and　keeping　them　from　the　settlement　of
  free　white　laborers；　who　want　the　land　to　bring　up　their　families
  upon；　if　they　are　in　earnest；　although　they　may　make　a　mistake；
  they　will　grow　restless；　and　the　time　will　come　when　they　will
  come　back　again　and　reorganize；　if　not　by　the　same　name；　at　least
  upon　the　same　principles　as　their　party　now　has。　　It　is　better；
  then；　to　save　the　work　while　it　is　begun。　　You　have　done　the
  labor；　maintain　it；　keep　it。　　If　men　choose　to　serve　you；　go　with
  them；　but　as　you　have　made　up　your　organization　upon　principle；
  stand　by　it；　for；　as　surely　as　God　reigns　over　you；　and　has
  inspired　your　mind；　and　given　you　a　sense　of　propriety；　and
  continues　to　give　you　hope；　so　surely　will　you　still　cling　to
  these　ideas；　and　you　will　at　last　come　back　again　after　your
  wanderings；　merely　to　do　your　work　over　again。
  We　were　often；more　than　once；　at　least；in　the　course　of　Judge
  Douglas's　speech　last　night；　reminded　that　this　government　was
  made　for　white　men；　that　he　believed　it　was　made　for　white　men。
  Well；　that　is　putting　it　into　a　shape　in　which　no　one　wants　to
  deny　it；　but　the　Judge　then　goes　into　his　passion　for　drawing
  inferences　that　are　not　warranted。　　I　protest；　now　and　forever；
  against　that　counterfeit　logic　which　presumes　that　because　I　did
  not　want　a　negro　woman　for　a　slave；　I　do　necessarily　want　her　for
  a　wife。　　My　understanding　is　that　I　need　not　have　her　for　either；
  but；　as　God　made　us　separate；　we　can　leave　one　another　alone；　and
  do　one　another　much　good　thereby。　　There　are　white　men　enough　to
  marry　all　the　white　women；　and　enough　black　men　to　marry　all　the
  black　women；　and　in　God's　name　let　them　be　so　married。　　The　Judge
  regales　us　with　the　terrible　enormities　that　take　place　by　the
  mixture　of　races；　that　the　inferior　race　bears　the　superior　down。
  Why；　Judge；　if　we　do　not　let　them　get　together　in　the
  Territories；　they　won't　mix　there。
  ＇A　voice：　〃Three　cheers　for　Lincoln〃。　The　cheers　were　given
  with　a　hearty　good…will。＇
  I　should　say　at　least　that　that　is　a　self…evident　truth。
  Now；　it　happens　that　we　meet　together　once　every　year；　sometimes
  about　the　4th　of　July；　for　some　reason　or　other。　　These　4th　of
  July　gatherings　I　suppose　have　their　uses。　　If　you　will　indulge
  me；　I　will　state　what　I　suppose　to　be　some　of　them。
  We　are　now　a　mighty　nation；　we　are　thirty　or　about　thirty
  millions　of　people；　and　we　own　and　inhabit　about　one　fifteenth
  part　of　the　dry　land　of　the　whole　earth。　　We　run　our　memory　back
  over　the　pages　of　history　for　about　eighty…two　years；　and　we
  discover　that　we　were　then　a　very　small　people　in　point　of
  numbers；　vastly　inferior　to　what　we　are　now；　with　a　vastly　less
  extent　of　country；　with　vastly　less　of　everything　we　deem
  desirable　among　men；　we　look　upon　the　change　as　exceedingly
  advantageous　to　us　and　to　our　posterity；　and　we　fix　upon
  something　that　happened　away　back；　as　in　some　way　or　other　being
  connected　with　this　rise　of　prosperity。　　We　find　a　race　of　men
  living　in　that　day　whom　we　claim　as　our　fathers　and　grandfathers；
  they　were　iron　men；　they　fought　for　the　principle　that　they　were
  contending　for；　and　we　understood　that　by　what　they　then　did　it
  has　followed　that　the　degree　of　prosperity　which　we　now　enjoy　has
  come　to　us。　　We　hold　this　annual　celebration　to　remind　ourselves
  of　all　the　good　done　in　this　process　of　time；　of　how　it　was　done
  and　who　did　it；　and　how　we　are　historically　connected　with　it；
  and　we　go　from　these　meetings　in　better　humor　with　ourselves；　we
  feel　more　attached　the　one　to　the　other；　and　more　firmly　bound　to
  the　country　we　inhabit。　　In　every　way　we　are　better　men　in　the
  age　and　race　and　country　in　which　we　live；　for　these
  celebrations。　　But　after　we　have　done　all　this　we　have　not　yet
  reached　the　whole。　　There　is　something　else　connected　with　it。
  We　havebesides　these；　men　descended　by　blood　from　our
  ancestorsamong　us　perhaps　half　our　people　who　are　not
  descendants　at　all　of　these　men；　they　are　men　who　have　come　from
  Europe；　German；　Irish；　French；　and　Scandinavian；men　that　have
  come　from　Europe　themselves；　or　whose　ancestors　have　come　hither
  and　settled　here；　finding　themselves　our　equals　in　all　things。
  If　they　look　back　through　this　history　to　trace　their　connection
  with　those　days　by　blood；　they　find　they　have　none；　they　cannot
  carry　themselves　back　into　that　glorious　epoch　and　make
  themselves　feel　that　they　are　part　of　us；　but　when　they　look
  through　that　old　Declaration　of　Independence；　they　find　that
  those　old　men　say　that　〃We　hold　these　truths　to　be　self…evident；
  that　all　men　are　created　equal〃；　and　then　they　feel　that　that
  moral　sentiment；　taught　in　that　day；　evidences　their　relation　to
  those　men；　that　it　is　the　father　of　all　moral　principle　in　them；
  and　that　they　have　a　right　to　claim　it　as　though　they　were　blood
  of　the　blood；　and　flesh　of　the　flesh；　of　the　men　who　wrote　that
  Declaration；　and　so　they　are。　　That　is　the　electric　cord　in　that
  Declaration　that　links　the　hearts　of　patriotic　and　liberty…loving
  men　together；　that　will　link　those　patriotic　hearts　as　long　as
  the　love　of　freedom　exists　in　the　minds　of　men　throughout　the
  world。
  Now；　sirs；　for　the　purpose　of　squaring　things　with　this　idea　of
  〃don't　care　if　slavery　is　voted　up　or　voted　down；〃　for　sustaining
  the　Dred　Scott　decision；　for　holding　that　the　Declaration　of
  Independence　did　not　mean　anything　at　all；　we　have　Judge　Douglas
  giving　his　exposition　of　what　the　Declaration　of　Independence
  means；　and　we　have　him　saying　that　the　people　of　America　are
  equal　to　the　people　of　England。　　According　to　his　construction；
  you　Germans　are　not　connected　with　it。　　Now；　I　ask　you　in　all
  soberness　if　all　these　things；　if　indulged　in；　if　ratified；　if
  confirmed　and　indorsed；　if　taught　to　our　children；　and　repeated
  to　them；　do　not　tend　to　rub　out　the　sentiment　of　liberty　in　the
  country；　and　to　transform　this　government　into　a　government　of
  some　other　form。　　Those　arguments　that　are　made；　that　the
  inferior　race　are　to　be　treated　with　as　much　allowance　as　they
  are　capable　of　enjoying；　that　as　much　is　to　be　done　for　them　as
  their　condition　will　allow；what　are　these　arguments？　　They　are
  the　arguments　that　kings　have　made　for　enslaving　the　people　in
  all　ages　of　the　world。　　You　will　find　that　all　the　arguments　in
  favor　of　kingcraft　were　of　this　class；　they　always　bestrode　the
  necks　of　the　people　not　that　they　wanted　to　do　it；　but　because
  the　people　were　better　off　for　being　ridden。　　That　is　their
  argument；　and　this　argument　of　the　Judge　is　the　same　old　serpent
  that　says；　You　work；　and　I　eat；　you　toil；　and　I　will　enjoy　the
  fruits　of　it。　　Turn　in　whatever　way　you　will；　whether　it　come
  from　the　mouth　of　a　king；　an　excuse　for　enslaving　the　people　of
  his　country；　or　from　the　mouth　of　men　of　one　race　as　a　reason　for
  enslaving　the　men　of　another　race；　it　is　all　the　same　old
  serpent；　and　I　hold；　if　that　course　of　argumentation　that　is　made
  for　the　purpose　of　convincing　the　public　mind　that　we　should　not
  care　about　this　should　be　granted；　it　does　not　stop　with　the
  negro。　　I　should　like　to　know；　if　taking　this　old　Declaration　of
  Independence；　which　declares　that　all　men　are　equal　upon
  principle；　and　making　exceptions　to　it；　where　will　it　stop？　　If
  one　man　says　it　does　not　mean　a　negro；　why　not　another　say　it
  does　not　mean　some　other　man？　　If　that　Declaration　is　not　the
  truth；　let　us　get　the　statute　book；　in　which　we　find　it；　and　tear
  it　out！　　Who　is　so　bold　as　to　do　it？　　If　it　is　not　true；　let　us
  tear　it　out！　　＇Cries　of　〃No；　no。〃＇　Let　us　stick　to　it；　then；　let
  us　stand　firmly　by　it；　then。
  It　may　be　argued　that　there　are　certain　conditions　that　make
  necessities　and　impose　them　upon　us；　and　to　the　extent　that　a
  necessity　is　imposed　upon　a　man；　he　must　submit　to　it。　　I　think
  that　was　the　condition　in　which　we　found　ourselves　when　we
  established　this　government。　　We　had　slavery　among　us；　we　could
  not　get　our　Constitution　unless　we　permitted　them　to　remain　in
  slavery；　we　could　not　secure　the　good　we　did　secure　if　we　grasped
  for　more；　and　having　by　necessity　submitted　to　that　much；　it　does
  not　destroy　the　principle　that　is　the　charter　of　our　liberties。
  Let　that　charter　stand　as　our　standard。
  My　friend　has　said　to　me　that　I　am　a　poor　hand　to　quote
  Scripture。　　I　will　try　it　again；　however。　　It　is　said　in　one　of
  the　admonitions　of　our　Lord；　〃As　your　Father　in　heaven　is
  perfect；　be　ye　also　perfect。〃　　The　Savior；　I　suppose；　did　not
  expect　tha