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LINCOLN THE UNKNOWN•105"Ambition has been ascribed to me," he said. "God knowshow sincerely I prayed from <strong>the</strong> first that this field of ambitionmight not be opened. I claim no insensibility to political honors;but to-day, could <strong>the</strong> Missouri Compromise be restored, and<strong>the</strong> whole slavery question replaced on <strong>the</strong> old ground of 'toleration'by necessity where it exists, with unyielding hostility to<strong>the</strong> spread of it, on principle, I would, in consideration, gladlyagree that Judge Douglas should never be out, and Ian office,so long as we both or ei<strong>the</strong>r, live.never in,"It makes little difference, very little difference, whe<strong>the</strong>rJudge Douglas or myself is elected to <strong>the</strong> United States Senate;but <strong>the</strong> great issue which we have submitted to you to-day is farabove and beyond any personal interests or <strong>the</strong> political fortunesof any man. And that issue will live, and brea<strong>the</strong>, and burn,when <strong>the</strong> poor, feeble, stammering tongues of Judge Douglasand myself are silent in <strong>the</strong> grave."During <strong>the</strong>se debates Douglas maintained that any State,anywhere, at any time, had a right to have slavery if <strong>the</strong> majorityof its citizens voted for it. And he didn't care whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>yvoted it up or down. His celebrated slogan was this: "Let eachState mind its own business and let its neighbors alone."<strong>Lincoln</strong> took directly <strong>the</strong> opposite stand."Judge Douglas's thinking slavery is right," he explained, "andmy thinking it wrong, is <strong>the</strong> precise fact upon which depends<strong>the</strong> whole controversy."He contends that whatever community wants slaves has aright to have <strong>the</strong>m. So <strong>the</strong>y have, if it is not a wrong. But if itisa wrong, he cannot say people have a right to do wrong."He cares as little whe<strong>the</strong>r a State shall be slave or free aswhe<strong>the</strong>r his neighbor shall plant his farm with tobacco or stockit with horned cattle. But <strong>the</strong> great mass of mankind differ withJudge Douglas: <strong>the</strong>y consider slavery a great moral wrong."Douglas went up and down <strong>the</strong> State, crying out time aftertime that <strong>Lincoln</strong> favored giving Negroes social equality."No," retorted <strong>Lincoln</strong>, "all I ask for <strong>the</strong> Negro is that, ifyou do not like him, you let him alone. If God gave him butlittle, let him enjoy that little. He is not my equal in many respects,but in his right to enjoy 'life, liberty, and <strong>the</strong> pursuitof happiness,' in his right to put into his mouth <strong>the</strong> bread thathis hands have earned, he is my equal and <strong>the</strong> equal of JudgeDouglas and <strong>the</strong> equal of every living man."In debate after debate Douglas accused <strong>Lincoln</strong> of wanting<strong>the</strong> whites to "hug and marry <strong>the</strong> blacks."