A Divided House cannot stand
Abraham Lincoln
Mr president and genltemen of theconvention, If we could first know where we are,and whither we are tending,wecould beter judge what to do,and how to do it.we are now far into the fifithyear since a policy was initated with the avowed object,and confidentpromise,of putting an end to slavery agitation.under the operation of thatpolicy,that agitation not only has not ceased,but also has constantlyaugmented.in my opinion,it will not cease until a crsis shall have been reachedand passed, “a house divided against itself cannot stand”ibelieve this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.i donot expect the union to de dissolved;i do not expect the house to fall.but i doexpcet that it will cease to be divided.it will become all one thing ,or allthe other.either opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it,andplace it where the public mind shall rest in belief that it is in the course ofultimate extinction;or its advocates will push it forward till it shall becomealike lawful in all states,old as well as new,north as well as south.have we notendency to the latter condition?let anyone who doubts carefullly contemplatethat now almost complete legal conbination-piece of machinery,so tospeak-compounded of the nebraska doctrine and the Dred scott decision.let himconsider notonly what work the machinery is adapted to do,and how welladapted,but also let him study the history of its constrution,and trace,if hecan,or rather fail,if he can to trace evidences of design and concert of actionamong its chief architects from the beginning.
家不和，則不立
主席先生和全體與會(huì)的先生們： 假如我們想更準(zhǔn)確的判斷該做什么，該怎樣做，我們就應(yīng)首先弄清楚自己身處何處，又將去往何處。5年前，我們就公開提出關(guān)于禁止煽動(dòng)奴隸制的目標(biāo)，并作出了明確承諾。 這項(xiàng)方針實(shí)施后，這種煽動(dòng)不但毫無(wú)收斂之勢(shì)，反而愈演愈烈起來(lái)。我認(rèn)為，除非我們遇到并度過(guò)某種危機(jī)，否則這種趨勢(shì)不會(huì)消失?！凹也缓停瑒t不立”我相信這個(gè)政府不會(huì)長(zhǎng)久地容忍這種半奴隸半自由的狀態(tài)。我不愿聯(lián)邦解體，更不愿這個(gè)家沒(méi)落；但我衷心盼望他結(jié)束這種分裂狀態(tài)。美國(guó)要么統(tǒng)一成這個(gè)樣子，要么統(tǒng)一成另一個(gè)樣子。以奴隸制而言，要么是反對(duì)它的人們阻止它繼續(xù)發(fā)展，直至最終依據(jù)民心把它納入最終消滅的軌道；要么是擁護(hù)它的人們推動(dòng)它繼續(xù)發(fā)展，直至它在所有無(wú)論新老，無(wú)論南北的各州都取得同樣合法的地位。我們難道沒(méi)有淪入后一中處境的勢(shì)頭嗎？如果有人懷疑這一點(diǎn)，那就請(qǐng)他再仔細(xì)的思索一下：現(xiàn)在幾乎所有司法機(jī)構(gòu)，都可算是體現(xiàn)著內(nèi)布拉斯加原則和德雷德·斯科特決議的精神。讓他不僅考慮這套機(jī)構(gòu)適合于何種工作以及適合的程度，而且研究它形成的過(guò)程，并且追尋（如果他做得到的話only what work the machinery is adapted to do,and how welladapted,but also let him study the history of its constrution,and trace,if hecan,or rather fail,if he can to trace evidences of design and concert of actionamong its chief architects from the beginning. 家不和，則不立 主席先生和全體與會(huì)的先生們： 假如我們想更準(zhǔn)確的判斷該做什么，該怎樣做，我們就應(yīng)首先弄清楚自己身處何處，又將去往何處。5年前，我們就公開提出關(guān)于禁止煽動(dòng)奴隸制的目標(biāo)，并作出了明確承諾。 這項(xiàng)方針實(shí)施后，這種煽動(dòng)不但毫無(wú)收斂之勢(shì)，反而愈演愈烈起來(lái)。我認(rèn)為，除非我們遇到并度過(guò)某種危機(jī)，否則這種趨勢(shì)不會(huì)消失?！凹也缓?，則不立”我相信這個(gè)政府不會(huì)長(zhǎng)久地容忍這種半奴隸半自由的狀態(tài)。我不愿聯(lián)邦解體，更不愿這個(gè)家沒(méi)落；但我衷心盼望他結(jié)束這種分裂狀態(tài)。美國(guó)要么統(tǒng)一成這個(gè)樣子，要么統(tǒng)一成另一個(gè)樣子。以奴隸制而言，要么是反對(duì)它的人們阻止它繼續(xù)發(fā)展，直至最終依據(jù)民心把它納入最終消滅的軌道；要么是擁護(hù)它的人們推動(dòng)它繼續(xù)發(fā)展，直至它在所有無(wú)論新老，無(wú)論南北的各州都取得同樣合法的地位。我們難道沒(méi)有淪入后一中處境的勢(shì)頭嗎？如果有人懷疑這一點(diǎn)，那就請(qǐng)他再仔細(xì)的思索一下：現(xiàn)在幾乎所有司法機(jī)構(gòu)，都可算是體現(xiàn)著內(nèi)布拉斯加原則和德雷德·斯科特決議的精神。讓他不僅考慮這套機(jī)構(gòu)適合于何種工作以及適合的程度，而且研究它形成的過(guò)程，并且追尋（如果他做得到的話不過(guò)更可能做不到），倘若能夠做到，那就讓他追尋他的首席設(shè)計(jì)師們一開始所設(shè)計(jì)和所采取的一致行動(dòng)的各種跡象吧！
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