Where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocricy

A quite wonderful letter, Letter to Joshua Speed by Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln is by turns crafting an argument, finding common ground, and maintaining both a linkage and civility while recognizing a profound disagreement between himself and slave-owning Joshua Speed. I can think of nothing comparable among our politicians or nattering class today who seek to stir profound emotions over near-trivial issues through factual dishonesty, dissimilation, and incendiary rhetoric. No, its not quite right to say that the issues are all near-trivial. They become trivial by such treatment by their advocates.

Here Lincoln is forthright in acknowledging differences, seeks common ground, hopes to find a way to bring divergent views into some sort of agreement, while never abandoning his commitment to an ideal of common human dignity.

His penultimate paragraph.

I am not a Know-Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor or degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we began by declaring that "all men are created equal." We now practically read it "all men are created equal, except negroes" When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty -- to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocracy [sic].

Would that we could resurrect such productive forms of respectful dispute and return to the Enlightenment goal of "all men are created equal" and dispense with protected classes and favored groups and crony capitalism.