Divided House cannot stand
Abraham Lincoln
Mr president and genltemen of the convention, If we could first know where we are,and whether we are tending,we could better judge what to do ,and how to do are now far into the fifith year since a policy was initated with the avowed object,and confident promise,of putting an end to slavery the operation of that policy,that agitation not only has not ceased,but also has constantly my opinion,it will not cease until a crsis shall have been reached and passed, “a house divided against itself cannot stand”i believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.i do not expect the union to de dissolved;i do not expect the house to i do expcet that it will cease to be will become all one thing ,or all the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it,and place it where the public mind shall rest in belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction ;or its advocates will push it forward till it shall become alike lawful in all states,old as well as new,north as well as we no tendency to the latter condition ?let anyone who doubts carefullly contemplate that now almost complete legal conbination-piece ofmachinery,so to speak-compounded of the nebraska doctrine and the Dred scott him consider not only what work the machinery is adapted to do,and how well adapted,but also let him study the history of its constrution,and trace,if he can,or rather fail,if he can to trace evidences of design and concert of action among its chief architects from the beginning
Abraham Lincoln
Mr president and genltemen of the convention, If we could first know where we are,and whether we are tending,we could better judge what to do ,and how to do are now far into the fifith year since a policy was initated with the avowed object,and confident promise,of putting an end to slavery the operation of that policy,that agitation not only has not ceased,but also has constantly my opinion,it will not cease until a crsis shall have been reached and passed, “a house divided against itself cannot stand”i believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.i do not expect the union to de dissolved;i do not expect the house to i do expcet that it will cease to be will become all one thing ,or all the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it,and place it where the public mind shall rest in belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction ;or its advocates will push it forward till it shall become alike lawful in all states,old as well as new,north as well as we no tendency to the latter condition ?let anyone who doubts carefullly contemplate that now almost complete legal conbination-piece ofmachinery,so to speak-compounded of the nebraska doctrine and the Dred scott him consider not only what work the machinery is adapted to do,and how well adapted,but also let him study the history of its constrution,and trace,if he can,or rather fail,if he can to trace evidences of design and concert of action among its chief architects from the beginning
