One perilous question to national unity which for nearly three-quarters of a century had been the subject of repeated compromise by patriotic statesmen; the apple of discord producing sectional antagonism, whose shadow had darkened our national pathway from the beginning,--was now for weal or woe to find determination.
Stevenson discusses the long-standing issue of sectional conflict over slavery and its implications for national unity.
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In the presence of such majestic power we can only stand awed and silent.
Unless curbed it will sap the foundation of civilized society.
From the establishment of the Government the question of human slavery was the one perilous question,--the one constant menace to national unity, until its final extinction amid the flames of war.
We are here to erect this statue to his memory because of the unnumbered blessings to America and to the people of every race and clime which have followed his discovery.