But you will not abide the election of a Republican President!  In that supposed event, you say, you will destroy the Union; and then you say, the great crime of having destroyed it will be upon us!  That is cool.  A highwayman holds a pistol to my ear, and mutters through his teeth, “Stand and deliver, or 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.

But the most impressive, as well as the most valuable, feature of Lincoln’s address was its concluding portion, where, in advice directed especially to Republicans, he pointed out in dispassionate but earnest language that the real, underlying conflict was in the difference of moral conviction between the sections as to the inherent right or wrong of slavery, and in view of which he defined the proper duty of the free-States.

A few words now [said he] 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.  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?