He said he had carefully examined that speech,—­when, he did not say; but there is no reasonable doubt it was when he was in New York preparing his plan of campaign.  I am glad he did read it carefully.  He says it was evidently prepared with great care.  I freely admit it was prepared with care.  I claim not to be more free from errors than others,—­perhaps scarcely so much; but I was very careful not to put anything in that speech as a matter of fact, or make any inferences, which did not appear to me to be true and fully warrantable.  If I had made any mistake, I was willing to be corrected; if I had drawn any inference in regard to Judge Douglas or any one else which was not warranted, I was fully prepared to modify it as soon as discovered.  I planted myself upon the truth and the truth only, so far as I knew it, or could be brought to know it.

Having made that speech with the most kindly feelings toward Judge Douglas, as manifested therein, I was gratified when I found that he had carefully examined it, and had detected no error of fact, nor any inference against him, nor any misrepresentations of which he thought fit to complain.  In neither of the two speeches I have mentioned did he make any such complaint.  I will thank any one who will inform me that he, in his speech to-day, pointed out anything I had stated respecting him as being erroneous.  I presume there is no such thing.  I have reason to be gratified that the care and caution used in that speech left it so that he, most of all others interested in discovering error, has not been able to point out one thing against him which he could say was wrong.  He seizes upon the doctrines he supposes to be included in that speech, and declares that upon them will turn the issues of this campaign.  He then quotes, or attempts to quote, from my speech.  I will not say that he wilfully misquotes, but he does fail to quote accurately.  His attempt at quoting is from a passage which I believe I can quote accurately from memory.  I shall make the quotation now, with some comments upon it, as I have already said, in order that the Judge shall be left entirely without excuse for misrepresenting me.  I do so now, as I hope, for the last time.  I do this in great caution, in order that if he repeats his misrepresentation it shall be plain to all that he does so wilfully.  If, after all, he still persists, I shall be compelled to reconstruct the course I have marked out for myself, and draw upon such humble resources, as I have, for a new course, better suited to the real exigencies of the case.  I set out in this campaign with the intention of conducting it strictly as a gentleman, in substance at least, if not in the outside polish.  The latter I shall never be; but that which constitutes the inside of a gentleman I hope I understand, and am not less inclined to practice than others.  It was my purpose and expectation that this canvass would be conducted upon principle, and with fairness on both sides, and it shall not be my fault if this purpose and expectation shall be given up.