Abraham Lincoln: “When the conduct of men is designed to be influenced, persuasion, kind, unassuming persuasion, should ever be adopted.”

Grant that he desires the elective franchise, will he not attain it sooner by saving the already advanced steps towards it, than by running backward over them?

Important principles may and must be inflexible.

I believe that it is not only possible, but in fact easier, to do this without deciding or even considering whether these States have ever been out of the Union, than with it.

As a general rule I abstain from reading the reports of attacks upon myself, wishing not to be provoked by that to which I cannot properly offer an answer.