He also states that "it was under that principle that one half of the slaveholding States became free (.) we have grown to be the majority of States of the whole Union, with the power to control the House of Representatives and Senate (.) to elect a President by Northern votes without the aid of a Southern State" (Douglas, 7th Debate Speech).This last quote makes clear what lies beneath the issue of slavery, which goes further than exercising sovereignity and respecting others" decisions as a way to maintain peace and preserve the Union. Respecting the existence of slavery in Southern states meant that they still had some political agency, even though they were a minority in Federal institutions, and they were not dependent on Northern states" will.
On the contrary, Lincoln believed that "this Government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free" (Lincoln, Springfield Speech cit. on 7th Debate). As a fact to support his argument, during his speech at Alton, Lincoln mentions how ever since slavery became a topic of public debate, the agitation that surrounds it has not ceased but has progressively increased, as a way to confirm that as long as States" continue being divided, the conflict will still prevail and worsen. Lincoln, in respect to this, says: "I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other" ((Lincoln, 7th Debate Speech);he expresses a point of view different from Douglas", for him, the preservation of the Union depends upon the homogenization of States" policy, either in favor or against slavery. Lincoln did not see any violation to State's sovereignity on that matter because his conception of slavery as a wrong justifies its extermination (no State can long for what is not a good), but he do claims keeping new territories free from slavery, to avoid its spreading, as a peaceful solution (Lincoln, 7th Debate Speech). His point of view on this last issue is the real controversy held between Douglas and him, because Lincoln, in fact, believed that "States they have the right and the power to do as they please" (Lincoln, 7th Debate Speech).
