One of the political doctrines of Mr. Douglas was called "Squatter Sovereignty." It meant that in the new territories and states being added to the Union, that if they wanted slavery there, the people could vote to have it or they could vote not to have it. Mr. Lincoln was opposed to this, and wanted no more slave states added to the Union. He challenged Mr. Douglas, as the representative of Illinois in the United States senate to a joint debate. Mr. Douglas finally agreed, and they held seven wonderful debates in different parts of the state. Great crowds came from far and near to hear them. They were drawn by the fame of Mr. Douglas, who rode on special trains and had bands of music, and cannons fired off when he entered the town. Mr. Lincoln often rode in the caboose of a freight train or was hauled over-land in the wagon of some farmer friend. The people, when they had heard these debates, went home and talked them over, and it was seen that two wonderful men had met in the political battlefield. Mr. Douglas seemed just as able as Mr. Lincoln, and they said so; but they saw Mr. Lincoln was right, and standing by a principle, while Douglas was wrong, and compromising with a principle. Mr. Douglas did receive the Democratic nomination for president although his party split. These debates and Mr. Lincoln's right stand made him suddenly famous. His fame spread rapidly over the whole country east and west. He was asked to go and speak in New York city in Cooper Institute, and delivered a wonderful address there and at other places in the East. He came to Bloomington, Illinois and delivered a speech in which he said: "As long as Almighty God reigns and the school children read, this foul, black lie of African slavery shall not continue; it shall not remain half slave and half free." Mr. Seward, of New York, a great statesman, who was the author of the famous "irrepressible conflict" expression was thought to be the man who would be nominated for president by the Republican party which had taken the place of the Whig party and was standing stronger against slavery. There were several others, like Mr. Chase, of Ohio, and Mr. Stanton, who it was thought might also receive the nomination. Some were advocating Mr. Lincoln for vice president; but he said he would not have that. The Illinois state convention met at Decatur, and in the midst of it, some men came in carrying a banner supported by two fence rails on which was this: "Abraham Lincoln, the rail candidate for president in 1860. Two rails from a lot of three thousand made in 1830 by Thomas Hanks and Abraham Lincoln, whose father was the first pioneer of Macon county." This created a wonderful excitement, and the vote of Illinois became in favor of Lincoln as the nominee for president.