n the
District of Columbia. In relation to that I have my mind very
distinctly made up. I should be exceedingly glad to see slavery
abolished in the District of Columbia. I believe that Congress
possesses the constitutional power to abolish it. Yet, as a
member of Congress, I should not, with my present views, be in
favor of _endeavoring_ to abolish slavery in the District of
Columbia, unless it would be upon these conditions: _First_, that
the abolition should be gradual; _second_, that it should be on a
vote of the majority of qualified voters in the district; and,
_third_, that compensation should be made to unwilling owners.
With these three conditions I confess I would be exceedingly glad
to see Congress abolish slavery in the District of Columbia; and,
in the language of Henry Clay, 'sweep from our capital that foul
blot upon our nation.'

"In regard to the fifth interrogatory, I must say here that, as
to the question of the abolition of the slave-trade between the
different States, I can truly answer, as I have, that I am
_pledged_ to nothing about it. It is a subject to which I have
not given that mature consideration that would make me feel
authorized to state a position so as to hold myself entirely
bound by it. In other words, that question has never been
prominently enough before me to induce me to investigate whether
we really have the constitutional power to do it. I could
investigate it, if I had sufficient time, to bring myself to a
conclusion upon that subject; but I have not done so, and I say
so frankly to you here, and to Judge Douglass. I must say,
however, that if I should be of opinion that Congress does
possess the constitutional power to abolish slave-trading among
the different States, I should still not be in favor of the
exercise of that power unless upon some conservative principle as
I conceive it, akin to what I have said in relation to the
abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia.

"My answer as to whether I desire that slavery should be
prohibited in all territories of the United States, is full and
explicit within itself, and cannot be made clearer by any
comments of mine. So, I suppose, in regard to the question
whether I am opposed to the acquisition of any more territory
unless slavery