Page:History of Delaware County (1856).djvu/420

 396 APPENDIX. from its Autobiography/' was established from considerations of policy, a "Tiet^^m^'' in politics; yet its editors, from tbe first, had been democrats of the old school, and whether the Gazette even under Mr. Sappan's supervision, did not fre- quently excite the watchful jealousy of leading whigs, we have not the data before us to infer, but it is certain that his suc- cessor, Mr. Johnson, could not long remain on neutral grounds, and the truth soon became obvious that the Grazette had become a decided organ of the interests of the democratic party. The first opponent to the Grazette was the Delaware Repub- lican, as appears from the following communication : " Delhi, February 5th, 1855. " J. Grould, Esq : — In our conversation yesterday I omitted, what I had previously mentioned, that the Delaware Journal was not the first paper started in opposition to the Grazette. The Delaware Republican was started, I should think, within the first two, or possibly three years of the Gazette. It seems to have been in existence during the election of 1822. The first mention of it in the Gazette is on the 11th of December, 1822, when it speaks as having been assailed for some weeks by the Republican. I find no notice in any file of the Gazette of its discontinuance. The Republican was first started by E. J. Roberts, but at the time I speak of, Wm. G. Hull sus- tained the relation of editor. The last mention of the Repub- lican, in the columns of the Gazette, was on the 19th of March, 1823, and I think it closed its existence a short time after. "Yours &c., A. M. Paine." The existence of the " Delaware Republican' ' is thus perti- nently alluded to in the " Autobiography of the Gazette." " On the 4th of July, 1821, a new candidate for popular