e nature of the
different States.

Not only so: I presume he insisted that this was a declaration of war
between the free and slave States, that it was the sounding to the onset
of continual war between the different States, the slave and free States.

This charge, in this form, was made by Judge Douglas on, I believe, the
9th of July, 1858, in Chicago, in my hearing. On the next evening, I made
some reply to it. I informed him that many of the inferences he drew from
that expression of mine were altogether foreign to any purpose entertained
by me, and in so far as he should ascribe these inferences to me, as my
purpose, he was entirely mistaken; and in so far as he might argue that,
whatever might be my purpose, actions conforming to my views would lead
to these results, he might argue and establish if he could; but, so far as
purposes were concerned, he was totally mistaken as to me.

When I made that reply to him, I told him, on the question of declaring
war between the different States of the Union, that I had not said that
I did not expect any peace upon this question until slavery was
exterminated; that I had only said I expected peace when that institution
was put where the public mind should rest in the belief that it was in
course of ultimate extinction; that I believed, from the organization of
our government until a very recent period of time, the institution had
been placed and continued upon such a basis; that we had had comparative
peace upon that question through a portion of that period of time, only
because the public mind rested in that belief in regard to it, and that
when we returned to that position in relation to that matter, I supposed
we should again have peace as we previously had. I assured him, as I now,
assure you, that I neither then had, nor have, or ever had, any purpose in
any way of interfering with the institution of slavery, where it exists. I
believe we have no power, under the Constitution of the United States, or
rather under the form of government under which we live, to interfere with
the institution of slavery, or any other of the institutions of our
sister States, be they free or slave States. I declared then, and I
now re-declare, that I have as little inclination to interfere with the
institution of slavery where it now exists, through the instrumentality of
the General Government, or any other instrumentality, as I believe we have
no power to do so. I accidentally used this