On the recordMarch 4, 1861
Unanimity is impossible; the rule of a minority, as a permanent arrangement, is wholly inadmissible; so that, rejecting the majority principle, anarchy or despotism in some form is all that is left.
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gutenberg.orgAbraham Lincoln: “Unanimity is impossible; the rule of a minority, as a permanent arrangement, is wholly inadmissible; so that, rejecting…”
Editor's note · Context
In his first inaugural address, Lincoln argued that without the majority principle, the only remaining options for governance are anarchy or despotism.
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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.
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