His fairness of statement and generosity of admission had long been proverbial.

For these intellectual duels with Douglas, he possessed a power of analysis that easily outran and circumvented the "Little Giant's" most extraordinary gymnastics of argument.

But, disdaining mere quibbles, he pursued lines of concise reasoning to maxims of constitutional law and political morals.

Douglas was always forcible in statement and bold in assertion; but Lincoln was his superior in quaint originality, aptness of phrase, and subtlety of definition; and oftentimes Lincoln's philosophic vision and poetical fervor raised him to flights of eloquence which were not possible to the fiber and temper of his opponent.
It is, of course, out of the question to abridge the various Lincoln-Douglas discussions of which the text fills a good-sized volume.

Only a few points of controversy may be stated.