The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-05-30

JOdN L. JONEGo, OF GaBTdnSe
FOR SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION,
MILES ]. FLETCHER, of Putnam.
LtncOIm's RecOrd.--The old FRIsehOOd
RevAved.--The Enquirer ON AbOlI-
ttOnism!
We believe that the great mass of the
people desire to know the truth in politics,
as we'll as in all other matters. We believe
that if facts and principles are presented to
them fairly and fully, their decision in po-
litical matters will be correct and it is
one of the chief duties of the public press
of the country TO deal fairly ard fully and
honestly in the discussion of all political
questions The heat of partIzan contests
may at times lead us to err in Judgment
and prudence on the side of party associates
and leaders but it should never blind us to
we'll ascertained facts.
We are led to these remarks by an article
N yesterdays Enquirer headed " LncOia's
Record" which is so full of error, or, 10 be
more explicit, .falSehood, that it is truly as
tonishing that such brazen faced efrontery
Could show itself eUen an the Enquirer. The
article states that at the first Republican
convention ever held in Illinois, convened
at Springfield in 1854 called for the purpose
of organizing the new party, Messrs. Abra-
ham Lincoln. Farnsworth, and Codding were
pointed committee on resolutions, and
that the committee, through Mr.. Lincoln,
reported, rs the principles of the new party,
a series of resolutions, taking grounds in
favor of the repeal and entire dJrogatioH Of
the Fugitive Stare Lar the abolition Of slage-
~ in the District of Columbia !; and ag0ins {
the admission Of any more SlaUe States.
We want our readers to mark this: Mr.
Lincoln tcds not present at any such C0nCen-
ton, and therefore introduced no such res
oIltionS. And further, that the resolutions
acre neper passed at any Convention or
meeting that Mr.. Lincoln ever participated
in. We also say that the editors OF the
Enquirer, being fresh from the political con-
hicts In Illinois, and well acquainted with
its political history, kno1c that suck tcas the
case; if they did not, they are certainly
sadly ignorant OF the great campaign of
1858. In the first joint debate between
Lincoln and Douglas in 1858 at Ottawa
Douglas made the same charge, and, with
the gravity and dignity of Senator, read
the resolution which the Enquirer copies
together with several others, and without
any equivocation or reservation, stated them
as the bona fde resolutions of the ReDubli-
can State Convention, giving the date when
they were adopted. Mr.. Lincoln was taken
perfectly by suTprise-he knew nothing of
them, and all he could do at the time was
to pronounce the charge as it related to
himself st,aqual:tedly false.
Their next Joint debate was at Freeport.
and in the interim Mr.. Lincoln had ascer-
tanned that the whole charge ,0ds gross
fabrication. In this matter, as in many
others, we can see how the greatness of the
Senator diminishes into the littIeness of the
demagogue and the partizan ;rickster-
There are no better words To answer his
base charge than those of Mr.. Lincoln, who
does it fearlessly as an honest man, and with
not whit too much of severity OF Ian
gdage We hope readers win give it
tQelE careful ptTuShl NH Lincoln Satu.
81 do not now nor never did, recognize
any responsibility upon myself for that
set of resolutions. When | replied to him
at Ottawa, | assured him | never had any
thing to do with them. repeat here to-
day that never had anything to do with
that set of resolutions, 1t turns out | be-
heve, that those resolutions were never pass
ed IN any Convention held in Springfield
1t turns out that they were never passed at
any Convention or any public meeting that
had any part in. ! believe it turns out in
addition to all this that there was not. in
the fall of 1854, any Convention holding a
session in Springfield, calling itself a Re
publican State Convention yet it is true
there was a Convention, or assemblace of
men calling themselves a Convention, at
Springfield, that did pass some resolutions
But so little did know Of their proceedings
or what set of resolutions they had passed,
did not question that
For | could not bring myself to suppose
that Judge Douglas could say what he did
upon this subject without knorinq that it
was true. | cOntente myself, at Ottawa
with denying, as | truly could, all conpec-
ton with them, not denying or affirming
whether they We're passed at Springf
Now it turns out that he had got hold OF
or public meeting in Kane county
| allude to this extraordinary matter i'm