File:The true Abraham Lincoln (1904) (14764171655).jpg

Identifier: trueabrahamlinc19044curt (find matches)
Title: The true Abraham Lincoln
Year: 1904 (1900s)
Authors: Curtis, William Eleroy, 1850-1911
Subjects: Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Slaves Presidents
Publisher: Philadelphia London : J.B. Lippincott
Contributing Library: Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection
Digitizing Sponsor: The Institute of Museum and Library Services through an Indiana State Library LSTA Grant

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nthe whites and the blacks, and in his speeches seldomfailed to evoke a roar of laughter by declaring that AbeLincoln and other abolitionists wanted to marry nig-gers. Lincoln paid no attention to this vulgar jokeuntil he saw that it was becoming serious, and thatmany people actually believed that the abolitionists wereproposing to do what Douglas had said. He attemptedto remove this impression by a serious discussion of thedoctrine of equality, and in one of his speeches declared, I protest against the counterfeit logic which concludesthat because I do not want a black woman for a slaveI must necessarily want her for a wife. In anotherspeech he said, I shall never marry a negress, but Ihave no objection to any one else doing so. If a whiteman wants to marry a negro woman, let him do it,—ifthe negro woman can stand it. At another time he said, If I saw a venomous snakecrawling in the road, any man would say I might seizethe nearest stick and kill it; but if I found that snake in 320
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ABRAHAM LINCOLN IN 1864From a photograph in the War Department Collection THE EMANCIPATION OF THE SLAVES bed with my children, that would be another question.I might hurt the children more than the snake, and itmight bite them. Much more, if I found it in bed withmy neighbors children, and I had bound myself by asolemn compact not to meddle with his children underany circumstances, it would become me to let that par-ticular mode of getting rid of that gentleman alone.But if there was a bed newly made up, to which thechildren were to be taken, and it was proposed to takea batch of young snakes and put them there with them,I take it that no man would question how I ought todecide. In his Cooper Union speech may be found his strong-est argument. If slavery is right, all words, acts,laws, and constitutions against it are themselves wrong,and should be silenced and swept away. If it is right,we cannot justly object to its nationality,—its univer-sality. If it is wrong, they cannot justly

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