American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-10-10

trines of reputation are in the attitude of open
rebellion against their country and its laws;
that they have renounced their allegiance, and
that they are to be watched with the same Wig
lance by the police and magistracy of the
country as any other foes that might be lurking
amongst us. 1t is the undoubted duty Of the
government to adopt a rigorous course of leg
lsaton, not onl y that taxes may be levied and
gathered in sufficient amounts to meet the in
tercst on our debt, but prescribing such penal
ties and punshmcntS for offences against our
revenue laws-hinderihg, molestng or embar-
| RAISING the assessors or collectors, by threats,
combinations or other moral or physical! inter
ruptions, will secure speedy and punctual re-
turn to the treasury of its legitimate revenues.
Some there are who arc SO hardened and re-
solute in their course, as to attempt to sustain,
by published arguments, the course of repudia-
ton; and TO refer, with exultaton, to precedents
upon the records of history affirm that there
is no example upon record, OF a people, or le-
gal government deliberately disowning its debt.
| care not for such examples Of personal robbie
ry as that of Charles the second in closing the
doors of the exchcquer upon the money of the
London merchants Even that dssolute and
desperate prince was compelled by the moral
sense of the times, TO acknowledge tho debt
He paid the interest on it, as we are informed
by Hume, regularly, TO the end of his reign
| Nor need we refer to the confused questions of
public Indebtedness that existed in some half
dozen of the inferior kingdoms Of Europe in
the early part of the present century. They
arose out of the great wars of Napoleon. In
the vast arrangements of his campaigns he
moved the smaller soyereigns about as pawns
upon the chess board, and the difficulty was for
people to know their prince, or Il prince his
people, at any given point OF time, When
ships were burned in the bays of Naples or Ca
dir, the difficulty never was whether proper
indemnity became public debt, but to asccr-
tain who was the king of Naples, or Of Spain
and the Indies, at the time of the aggression.
In these inquiries kings and princes might
sometimes be repudated, but debts never were.
AS soon as it was ascertained that the person
upon the throne was not a tortious usurper, but
had the faculty of contracting debt or incuTring
responsibility, the enquiry ceased. The public
exchequer became fixed with the claim, and the
last quarter OF century has seen all those
claims fully and honorably adjusted. But if it
be conceded for moment, that the examples
of Reputation contended for actually existed,
they surely could form no part of legitimate
argument any more than the numerous exam
piles of treason and felonies upon record could
be adduced in Justification of those crimes
Examples OF CRIME can never sustain crime.
! They are held up to warn the evil doer, not to
invite him to imitation. The public debt of
Maryland is as much the debt of each indivl-
dual citizen, to the extent of his property, as if
he himself had signed and sealed tho bond.
And SO our people generally view it, for they
are of a Just and generous temper, and are as
ready to give fairness and plain dealing their
applause as trick and artifice their censure.
When reused to anger by the appearance of
oppression or the insolence of public frauds,
they are most difficult to be appeased;-on the
other hand, where do we find any conspicuous
deed Of PATRIOTISM or service to the State, more
certain of its reward?
! A truly happy community can only be found
where its members live in .tate of dependen
cy upon each other,-each helping each. The
rich, whether their wealth has been acquired by
the toll of their fathers, or laid up by their own
prudence or frugalIty-expendins it for the be-
nefit of the poor, in paying wages, rewardng
merit, unfolding virtue and sustaining the laws
and frames Of society. The poor, on their part,
contributing to the public welfare and strength,
by rendering labor for wages, protecting pro-
perty and endeavoring to acquire it for them
selves, sustaining order and rational and calm
exercise of all their political privileges. These
principles and elements of strength and pros
perity, together with the closest observance of
order and an absolute devotion to the public
faith, are peculiarly essential in community
compacted like ours, under government like
ours; for here the arm of authority derives its
vigor from the public will, the establishments
of law, their responsibility from the public vr-
tue contracts their force and sanctity from the
public word. Enfeeble these sanctions, dry up
these sources of strength, and you demolish the
fabric, for it has not the arm OF princes to sus-
| tain it.
! a.. ,bo
| pie the siet pro ralione roittntaS, has no place
in our code In this view, how preposterous is
/ it for republic to talk Of reputation! Let
reputation come and it makes all void The
least it will do is to PROSTATE the fabric that has
! been reared. Whether its leperous stain would
not disqualify the disbanded and degraded mass
es for any further usefulness, above the condl-
ton of slaves, is the only question, /
! | have before referred to several published
arguments protesting to be grounded upon ex-
amplcs in history Of governments aud states
repudatng their debts; and | have denied the
facts as well as the force and perinency OF the
reasons deduced from them. But there are
brought to my mind two incidents in the annals
Of heather states full of moral beauty and in
structon; the one upon the head that might
does not make right, the other intoxicating that
the duty of the patriot is only to be limited by
the wants of his county Herodotus informs
US that when, after the victory of Saams, the
allies of Athens had brought their fleet into
port of that republic, for Iepose, 'rhemistocle.
conceived the design of burning it, by night,
that the superiority Of Athens, at sea- might be
the better established. In public speech he
informed his fellow citizens that he meditated
an act that would suddenly make them much
greater than their allies, but which, though i'll
required Their sanction, required also secrecy,
and was not fl to be made known TO them all. |
Upon which, he was desired to reveal it to
Afistides, and if he approved it, to carry it in
10 immediate execution. Aristdcs heard the
plan, and returning to his countrymen address