New-York daily tribune., 1843-11-24
From the London Morning Chronicle.
The Rev. Sydney Smiths Letter to the
PennsyIyanians.


mine to the American Congress for the repay
ment OF a loan made by me, in common with
many other unwise people, to the State Of Penn
sylvanla. For that petition | have been abused
N the grossest manner by many Of the American
papers. After some weeks reflection. | see no
reason to alter my opinions, or to retract my e1-
| pressOns. What | then SAID was not Wild de-
clamaton, but measured truth. | repeat again.
that no conduct was ever more protlgate than
that Of ile State of Pennsylvania. History can
not pattern it; and let no deluded being imagine
that they will ever repay single farthlng-thelr
people have tasted Of the dangerous luxury
Of dishonesty, and they will never be brought
back to the homey rule of right. The money
transactions of the Americans are become by
word among the nations of Europe In every
grammar school of the whole world ad GrGchs
| Cdlendas is translated-the American dividends.
am no enemy to America. loved and adj
mired honest America when she respected the
laws of pounds, shillings and pence; and l
thought the United States the most magnificent
picture of human happiness; | NEEDLE now IN
these matters because | hate fraud-because l
pity the misery it has Observation-Disclosures l
mourn over the hatred it has excited against free
! institutions.
Among the discussions to which the moral
lubricities of this insovent people have given
birth, they have arrogated to themselves the
right of sitting in judgment upon the property OF
their creditors-of deciding who among them IS
rich, and who poor, and who are proper objects
of compassionate payment but IN the name OF
Mercury the great god of thieves, did any man
ever hear of debtors alleging the wealth OF the
lender as reason for eludlng the payment OF the
loan Is the Stock Exchange place for the
tables of the money lenders or is it a school for
moralists, who may amerce the rch, e1alt the
poor and correct the inequalities OF fortune Is
Bddle an instrument in the hand Of Providence
to exalt the humble, and send the nch empty
away? Does American Providence work with
such instruments as Blddle
But the only good part Of this bad morality IS
not acted upon. The rich robbed, but the
poor are not paid they growl against the dlvl-
derds Of Dives, and don lick the sores OF Laza-
rus. They seize with loud acclamatlons, on the
money bags Of JONES' Lloyd, Rothschlld, and Bar
ing, but they do not give back the plttance OF the
widow, and the bread of the child. Those knaves
of the setting may call me rich Tor nave
twentieth part OF the income of the Archbishop OF
Canterbury but the curate Of the next parlsh Is
wretchcd soul, bruised by adversely; and the
three hundred pounds for his children, which 1t
has taken his life to save, is eaten and drunken by
mean men of Pennsvlvania-by men who are al
ways talking of the virtue and honor OF the Uni
ted States-bv men who soar above others IN what
thev saw and sink below all nations IN what they
do-who, after floating on the heaven OF declam-
alton, fall down to feed on the otfal and garbage
Of the earth.
Persons who are not in the secret are inclined
to consider the abominable conduct OF the rePu-
dating States to proceed from exhaustion" lhey
don't pay because they cannot pay :" whereas,
from estimates which have just now reached this
country this is the picture Of the finances OF the
insovent States: Their debts may be about 2oO
millions ofdollars; at an interest OF SIX per cent.
this makes an annual charge OF twelve millions
of dollars which is little more than one per cent.
Of their income in lS40, and may be presumed 10
be less than one per cent of their present income
but if they were all to provide funds Tor the
puncua payment of interest, the debt could readily
be converted into four or hve per cent STOCK
and the excess, converted INTO sinking lund,
would discharge the debt in less than thirty years
The debt of Pennsylvania, estimated at forty mil.
lions of dollars, bears, at five per cent, an annual
interest of two millions. The income OF this
State was, in 1910, l3l millions of dollars and is
probably at this time not less than lou millions
net revenue ofonly II per cent. would produce
the two millions required. So that the prlce OF
national character in Pennsylvania is per cent.
on the net income and if this market price OF
morals were established here, gentleman OF a
thousand year would deliberately and publicly
submit to infamy for tl5 per annum; and poor
man, who by laborous industry had saved one
hundred wear would incur general dlsgraceand
oppr rbrium for thirty shillings by the year There
really should be lunatic asylums for nations as
well as for individuals.
But they begin to feel all this; their tone Is
changed they talk with bated breath and WINS
pering apology, and allay with some cold drops oi
modesty their stripping spirit. They strutted INTO
this miserable history, and begin to think ol
sneaking out.
And then the subdolus press OF America con-
tends that the English under similar clrcuh-
stances would act with their own DEBT IN Tue
same manner but there are many English con
stituencies where are thousands not worth snl-
ling, and no such idea has been broached among
them, nor has any petition to such effect been
presented to the Legislature. But what II they
did act in such manner would Ii be conduct
less wicked than that of the Americans Is
there not one immutabc law of justice lis 1t
not written in the book Does it not beat IN the
heart? Are the great guide-marks of lie to De
concealed by such nonsense as this deny lls
fact on which the reasoning is founded and II the
| facts were true, the reasoning would be talse.
never meet Pennsylvanian at LONDON
dinner without feeling disposition TO selze anu
divide HIM to alot his beaver to one sutlefef
and his coat to another-to appropriate ms Poche'-
handkerchief to the orphan, and to comfort INC
widow with his silver watch, Broadway fliigS'
and the London Guide, which he always carries
| in his pockets. How such man can set hlulseii
down at an English table without feeling tnal ne
owes two or three pounds to every man IN the
company am at loss to conceive me
has no more right to eat with honest men thaii
q eper has to eat with clean men. If ne has d