Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1860-07-20
T. RASsEY, Seq

The Piqua Enquirer, for many years the
Democratic organ of Miami county, last week
run up the names of Lincoln and Hamin as
its candidates for President and Vice Presi-
dent. and is now battling noby for Republi-
can principles. The Editor, Mr.. FLEMING,
was until recently an ardent Douglas man.
His reasons for abandoning the fortunes of
that gentleman and severing his connection
with the party which sustains him, are thus
clearly and forcibly stated in the number Of
his paper which announces the change
1t has been known here for years that we
have demanded pure Popular Sovereignty
Platform and candidates honestly identified
with that doctrine, as a guarantee for our sup
port OF the nominees of the Baltimore Conven-
ton, aud that could not, in any event sup
port any gentleman for either President or
Vice President who held to the doctrine that
the Constitution protected slavery in the Ter
ritories. This has not only been our position,
but it has been the position of all the leading
Democrats i'll this city, and we were not pre-
pared to see this great principle sacrificed to
appeasc the demands of Southern delegates
our support of the Charles tom Baltimore NOM
inees, that the platform adopted should recog-
nze the great doctrine OF popular sovereignty.
After hoping against hope, this principle was
repudiated by both wings of the party to
which we had for long years given cordial
support. the one boldly avowing the doctrine
that the Congress of the United States were
bound to enact laws for the protection of slay-
cry in the Territories, and the other accom-
plishng the same purpose by making the Dred
Scott decision part of their political creed.
On these two platforms are placed nominees,
and our support demanded.
The position we have occupied for years on
his question has been familiar to our quon-
dam political associates. We have openly a.
vowed our most unqualified opposition to the
principle that. the Constitution recognized or
protected slavery in the Territories, and to
that other more modern political heresy
Slave Code, in no unmeasured terms. We de-
manded the most perfect freedom to the people
in the Territories with the right guaranteed to
them not only to regulate their own affairs in
their own way, but to elect all their officers
from Governor down, thus giving them Popu-
lar Sovereignty i'll the truest sense of the term;
but we have got neither, and are now required
to swallow Breckenridge and Lane with Slave
Code, or Douglas and johnson and the Dred
Scott decision with the Southern interpreta-
tion, or go out of the party to which we have
ever belonged. We have chosen the latter.
We find ourselves without political sympa-
thies with our former political associates We
are driven to the necessity of seeking new and
we find in casting our eye over the political
field, an honest man entertaining honest senti-
ments, uncontaminated by contact with po-
litical tricksters and lifelong struggle for the
Presidency, representing all the generous feel
ings of his party in favor of free Territori.e.-
We find him representing the sentiments which
we have in vain sought to make the sentiments
of the party to which we have belonged we
therefore place the name the name of Abra-
ham Lincoln at our masthead and proclaim
him as our choice for President of these Unit
ed States believing that generous public
will sustain us in thus adopting the right.