Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1841-07-22
K ICH MOND
THURDhY MORNING. JULY "a
The Public Fd:,h.

ne FhoHc Fdth.
MIR. Calhoun remarked in the Senate, Monday
tina, he considered himself under no obligation !,
make provision for the deficit in the Treasury. II
other words, that the p,ghied faith of the N,tior
was of no consequence, aud the debts " the Gov.
eminent had no moral and binding force.
To hear such sentiment from any man, in any
walk of life, would he b,d enough; bu, from Ar
American Senator who, whatever he may Le now
has had the credit Of honorable distinction, is shock
Ing to the moral senSib,iy OF every honest man in
the Republic. Ii is an insult TO the whole people
OF the country, for 1t is based upon the suppoSon
that they are wanting IN common hones,y-tha,
they viii no: pay their honest debts-the smai!es,
eSe-iIon of honesty 10 the man who is abe. Such
sentiments, from one in public life, is a reproaeh
to the Republic; holds US up to the Nations ofthe
Earth, as plundcrers and thieves-eaces to grasp all
wecan lay our hands upon, and denying all moral
obligation to restore it. |; is one of those s,iemas,
which, ii not erased or Indignantly resented, will
taini and eorroie the body 10 which i, is applied,
aud make 1t in the end what at fret it was not, the
foul and ro.lu;ei thing II WAS represented to oe.
IL would lie hum.iliing 10 the National charac-
ter for even Benton TO indulge such an aspsrs.on,
although it would not be surprising; for his early
essays IN d.s7esardins the laws Of Arsn aud ii,urr
would -admouish US OF his d.sposiion-on the
principle Of the fox who had lost his tail-,o reduce
al. others TO his own STANDARD Of Botany Bay mo-
ralIIy. Blu: coming from Southern gentleman
and Z. ). Senator, we repeat such an impu;a.
ton Is enough TO make sense Of shame tirge
through the veins Of every honest man m the con-
federaey. The odious and dc,ss,abIe character OF
the Charge cannot be mi,igaed by referene, 10 the
causes which led to the National debt. We may
concur with Mr. Calhoun, in rsproGans those
causes-injesd, we 90 beyond him, for we. never
like him, so-operated with tile pdrty-,he Swar.
,wouis, the Boyds, the Inns, < Co., whose DE-
predltiors upon the public Treasury have invo.
we'd the Governmen, in debt. /, is enough 10 know
that the debt eNsts-taat j, was contracted by the
authorized agents OF the peoplc-roguejsh though
they proved themselves TO be. The mode in which
or the agents by whom, the deb, was made does
not affcc; the question. The innocent cred tors
have the same c.alm and the same moral and legal
obligations rest upon the debtor. F.imsy preiex;s
to evade them, Wi. but cover US with shame and
infAmy.
II II were permissible to argue the policy or hon
esty OF NJ. Cahoun's sSScr.ion-that there is no
obligation To pay the national dues-the question
m shI he tested JY reference 10 what would have
been Genera Washins,on's sentiments respecting
such a proposition. Let each man imagine what
the Father OF his Country would have thought
how his honest cheek would have mantcd with
shame and indignation at the bare iu,na,ion Of the
degrading and insulting idea. With wha. horror
he would have sPurned i. from his presence, and
with what noble and Indignant patriotism lie would
have invoked his honest coun;rymen to initiate his
example!
Every days observation increases the apprchcn-
sion, that honesty (which in Itself is no virtue
but simple duty) is becoming rarer and rarer,
until i is well nigh, from its very rar.,y, the mos,
precious Of virtues. BI! vii, 10: yet surrender
the belief notwithstanding all that is said and pas,
notwithstanding the dcluge Uf corruption which
Inundated the land through the agency OF the Jack
son and Van Buren, Dynas,y-we viii not abandon
the conviction that the great mas. Of the American
People are sound to the core, and vii. honestly paw
every far,hing they owe-a.lhoueh imposed uron
them by knavish agents. They will s,y to Mr.
Calhoun and his aters and nJe,:ors, who would
seLuce them irom their integrity "Gd behind me.
SaisT' They will discharge al. their obligations
fully and to The .cl,sr-they will preserve their cha
racier for honcsly-lhs brightest heritage they can
to their children, and they will maintain
the national faith.