Doing this I deem to be only a simple duty on my part; and I shall perform it so far as practicable, unless my rightful masters, the American people, shall withhold the requisite means, or in some authoritative manner direct the contrary.
From his first inaugural as the secession crisis deepened, he affirmed his commitment to his presidential duties, acknowledging the ultimate authority of the citizenry.
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More from Abraham Lincoln
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?
If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything.
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.
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