It is a grave question for lovers of the Union, whether the final destruction of the Missouri Compromise, and with it the spirit of all compromise, will or will not embolden and embitter each of these, and fatally increase the number of both.
In his Peoria speech, Lincoln poses a critical question to those who cherish the Union, regarding the destructive impact of abandoning compromise.
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If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business.
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.
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?
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