es
have adopted some declarations of independence in which, unlike the good
old one penned by Jefferson, they omit the words, "all men are created
equal." Why? They have adopted a temporary national constitution, in
the preamble of which, unlike our good old one signed by Washington,
they omit "We, the people," and substitute "We, the deputies of the
sovereign and independent States." Why? Why this deliberate pressing out
of view the rights of men and the authority of the people?

This is essentially a people's contest. On the side of the Union it is a
struggle for maintaining in the world that form and substance of
government whose leading object is to elevate the condition of men,--to
lift artificial weights from all shoulders, to clear the paths of
laudable pursuit for all, to afford all an unfettered start and a fair
chance in the race of life. Yielding to partial and temporary departures
from necessity, this is the leading object of the government for the
existence of which we contend.

I am most happy to believe that the plain people understand and
appreciate this. It is worthy of note that while in this, the
government's hour of trial, large numbers of those in the army and navy
who have been favoured with the offices have resigned and proved false
to the hand which had pampered them, not one common soldier or common
sailor is known to have deserted his flag.

Our popular government has often been called an experiment. Two points
in it our people have already settled,--the successful establishing and
the successful administering of it. One still remains,--its successful
maintenance against a formidable internal attempt to overthrow it. It is
now for them to demonstrate to the world that those who can fairly carry
an election can also suppress a rebellion; that ballots are the rightful
and peaceful successors of bullets; and that when ballots have fairly
and constitutionally decided, there can be no successful appeal back to
bullets; that there can be no successful appeal, except to ballots
themselves, at succeeding elections. Such will be a great lesson of
peace; teaching men that what they cannot take by an election, neither
can they take by a war; teaching all the folly of being the beginners of
a war.

_From his Message to Congress at its Regular Session. December 3, 1861_

Fellow-citizens of the Senate and House of Representatives, In the midst
of unprecedented political troubles, we have cause o