I shall kill you, and then you will be a murderer!”
To be sure, what the robber demanded
of me—my money—was my own; and
I had a clear right to keep it; but it was no more
my own than my vote is my own; and the threat
of death to me, to extort my money, and the threat
of destruction to the Union, to extort my vote,
can scarcely be distinguished in principle.
A few words now to Republicans. It
is exceedingly desirable that all parts of this
great Confederacy shall be at peace and in harmony,
one with another. Let us Republicans do our part
to have it so. Even though much provoked,
let us do nothing through passion and ill temper.
Even though the Southern people will not so much as
listen to us, let us calmly consider their demands,
and yield to them if, in our deliberate view of
our duty, we possibly can.[38] Judging by
all they say and do, and by the subject and nature
of their controversy with us, let us determine,
if we can, what will satisfy them.
Will they be satisfied if the Territories
be unconditionally surrendered to them? We
know they will not. In all their present complaints
against us, the Territories are scarcely mentioned.
Invasions and insurrections are the rage now.
Will it satisfy them, if, in the future, we have
nothing to do with invasions and insurrections?
We know it will not. We so know, because we know
we never had anything to do with invasions and
insurrections; and yet this total abstaining does
not exempt us from the charge and the denunciation.
The question recurs, what will satisfy
them? Simply this: We must not only
let them alone, but we must, somehow, convince them
that we do let them alone. This, we know
by experience, is no easy task. We have been
so trying to convince them from the very beginning
of our organization, but with no success.
In all our platforms and speeches we have constantly
protested our purpose to let them alone; but this
has had no tendency to convince them. Alike
unavailing to convince them, is the fact that
they have never detected a man of us in any attempt
to disturb them.
These natural, and apparently adequate
means all failing, what will convince them?
This, and this only; cease to call slavery wrong,
and join them in calling it right.
And this must be done thoroughly—done
in acts as well as in words. Silence
will not be tolerated—we must place
ourselves avowedly with them. Senator Douglas’s
new sedition law must be enacted and enforced, suppressing
all declarations that slavery is wrong, whether
made in politics, in presses, in pulpits, or in
private. We must arrest and return their
fugitive slaves with greedy pleasure. We must
pull down our Free State constitutions. The
whole atmosphere must be disinfected from all
taint of opposition to slavery, before they will cease
to believe that all their troubles proceed from
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