Daily national Democrat., 1860-06-21
Setting Great Men Aside.

The tendency Of political conventions, OF
late years, has been to put aside the great
men of the different parties for ones of lesser
note. Imagining that such is the path Of
success, the Republican Convention at Chi
cago has committed the egregious folly OF
nominating Abraham Lincoln for the Presi-
dency, in place of VIM. II. Seward, the great
leader of the Republican party and embodi-
ment Of Republican principles. We see it
contended, now, by several would be very
sapient newspapers, calling themselves Dem
ocratic, that Mr.. Douglas is too prominent a
man in the ranks of his party to be trusted
with the nomination at Baltimore. lie has
too many opposers, say they, in his own
party, and too many bitter enemies on the
outside, Let some man, they contend, Of
negative character with regard to the great
issues before the country, be nominated
some upon whom all the elements of the
Democracy can unite.
Well, the country is becoming sick of these
negative nominations. The Democracy es
peeially is sick of it, having tried it in the
one notable instance of James Buchanan to
their hearts content lie was nominated in
1856, for 10 other reason under Heaven than
that he was absent from the country at the
time of the passage of the Kansas Nebraska
Bill and totally disconnected from any par
/ ticipation in the tumultuous events which
attended and which followed it. 1t was
thought that he would carry, by sort of
negative strength, many votes which Doug
las would lose. Perhaps he did, but there is
no record Of the many positive votes which
he lost on the same account. What was the
result of putting this negative man into the
Presidential Chair2 Why, he no sooner was
there than he became positive, as against the
most sacred principles of his party, and be-
trayed the confidence of the men who gave
him his nomination. Further than this, he
set the whole machinery of the party, not to
say of the government, into wild disorder
and mad confusion, and still pursued his
course Of ruin until the very bonds of the
Union itself were threatened with disruption
Let us have no more such political negations,
is the almost universal cry of the Democra
ey from the Atlantic to the Pacific
As for the policy of nominating positive
man, it is certainly to our mind wise one.
True, there are ultra men who will bolt the
nomination of Douglas, but they are few and
far between as compared with the bulk and
substance of the Democratic party. No
man in the country could raise such storm
of enthusiasm as he No one man has such
host of determined friends each host with
in himself, when it comes to working for the
man of his choice. Positive will be the bat
tie and positive will be the victory. Neither
Wilt be, as the foes of Douglas would rep
resent it, battle for "squatter sovereignty"
but battle for Non Intervention. Stephens,
of Georgia, does not agree with Douglas on
the abstract question of Territorial sove-
reignty, but he does agree with him in the
! policy of non-intervention, and thousands OF
other Democrats stand in a like position.
The nOn-interventionists, all over the eoun-
try, will stand by the nomination OF Douglas,
and they can afford to let the seceders from
the party, few and struggling as they will be
/ go their ways They are not badly needed