Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1845-10-04
REpnnlATlON.

this odIous doctrine IL founded, At bcs
upon legal quibblog, and sheer lcohnic
-lallIes Of law, because our State govern
=. mont failed to comply with all lhe minu
tost iormallios required by tho consllu
ton in he creation and sale Of Tho TN
on Bank bonds, It Is urged by tho fepudI
alon that those omissions N any con
stlulo fall aud complete roloosomoni o.
tho State from all liability, and operate n
bar to the claims Of tho innocent ant
unsuspcctoa purchasers to whom the,
we're sold This ground, and It is the
only one that has any plausibilily OF
?. foundation in fact, that tho ropudialors
occupy, places our state in the deploGa
Bile and disrcputable attitude Of taking
advantage Of a torong perp'trdted By tscU
on its o,On constitution, TO avoid the pay.
mehR Of money obtained on bonds bear.
ing the broad seal Of tho states sove-
reignty, and issued TO the world, and pla-
ced in the markets Of the world, by the
State, as bonds, for the redemption Of
which the faith of the State was solemn.
ly Plighted. Even supposing the consti-
tuition of the State Of Mississippi was vi
olated in the creation and issuance Of
these bonds-supposing the constitution
had been clearly violated from their first
inception 10 their perfection, issuance
and sae--we Should, before we repudia.
ted them, have asked--wHo WERE THE
vIoLAToRs ? Who committed this fla
grant outrage upon our constitution? Did
he unsuspecting purchasers, who advan-
Iced US their money, with implicit conf
dence in the plighted faith and honor Of
Mississippi, VIOLATE THE CONSTITUTION OF
MISSISSIPPI BY so DOING ? This is ques-
ton that comes home to every man; it is
clear to the dulIest apprehension. 1t
should have been asked long before repu-
diation was thought oC-much less put in
to practical operation. If aOe have viola
Ted the provisions Of our own consttu.
ton, and by such violation obtained mo-
ney from innocent third parties, in the
name Of the spiri: Of honesty which
once had an abiding place in the land, is
it right, just, or honest, that we should
take advantage Of our oacn Uiolation of our
o'c''' Const Sutton, and refuse the payment
Of just debt which has been thus crea-
ted? Yet this is the main ground occu-
pied by the regulators, and it is upon
this alleged violation Of the Constitution
that the defence Of reputation mainly
rests. The purchasers of our bonds per,
formed their part Of the contract in good
faith-they trusted to the honor Of Mis-,
sissippi--they thought the government Of
would not violate its own con-
and they had no idea ola sove-
reign State attempting to obtain money
under false pretences. Is it not disrepu-
table in the highest degree TO now set up
the plea Of violation Of our own constitu-
lion, by ourselves, and refuse payment
1t is. The civilized world has rendered
its verdict against US, and our sister states
look with shame and modification upon
The furnished fame Of our once honorable
and chivalrous State. If this plea of the
repudiators be good in lao, il is not in
morals. In the language Of a sturdy old
farmer who resides iE the northern por-
ton of the State, we say " If we got out
of our own constitution in getting other
peoples money, in Gods name, let's stay
out until sue pay 1t backm
But, to take another view of the case.
Is not reputation injurious to The morals,
and detrimental TO the prosperity of our
State? We think there can be no ques
ton of that. Those who recollect the
spontaneous sensation ofdisgust and alb
horrence which manifested itself in every
portion Of the State when the subject of :
reputation was first preached, will not I
question the truth of the proposition.- t
But like all fungus excrescenses, which Il
operate alike on the body physical and Z
The body polite, it has covered the whole 4
political system Of our state. Hardly I
had the people succeeded in swallowing k
he nauseous dose of public reputation, h
before reputation appeared under new t,
)ha CO and in n nou o,,,ulo II,