The Commens Dictionary
Quote from ‘On the Natural Classification of Arguments’
…every argument has, as portion of its leading principle, a certain principle which cannot be eliminated from its leading principle. Such a principle may be termed a logical principle.
An argument whose leading principle contains nothing which can be eliminated is termed a complete, in opposition to an incomplete, rhetorical, or enthymematic argument.
Since it can never be requisite that a fact stated should also be implied in order to justify a conclusion, every logical principle considered as a proposition will be found to be quite empty. Considered as regulating the procedure of inference, it is determinate; but considered as expressing truth, it is nothing.
In 1893, Peirce modified the last part of this quote as follows: "Since it can never be requisite that a fact stated should also be implied in order to justify a conclusion, every logical principle considered as an assertion will be found to be quite empty. The only thing it really enunciates is a rule of inference; considered as expressing truth, it is nothing." (CP 2.467)