The Placer herald., 1857-08-29
From the Pacific Sentinel.
The State Debt.

| .Jo
going; and if that agent went on with the
business and in doing so made debt which
the farmer knew of but said nothing and let
people buy the notes which the agent issued
in the farmers name, until a large sum was
out and then denied for the first time his
agents power, it would be fair sample of
our State Debt-with only this difference.
the Courts could summon the farmer before
them and on proof tina he knew of the debts
being contracted and that he received the
proceeds he would be compelled to pay not
outstanding his power of attorney to the
agent was couched in doubtful terms and de-
MED the power to the agent-for the farmer
could not receive the benefit, and then re-
fuse the BURDEN; but the State cannot be
sued and so cannot be compelled to act
honest y-but the matter is left to the great
jury-the people-to say if the State shall
likewise pay.
Now perhaps each juryman, in the course
of twenty years, will save ten dollars by de-
clding not to pay, and there being this self
interest at stake, each one ought to be very
careful that he does not without due conside-
ration sell himself to render an unrighteous
and mercenary verdict. Suppose some one
without authority has hired hands TO cut and
thrash my wheat and after it is stored in
my granary | refuse to pay the men, on
law quibble, that did not hire them and
that the man who did was not empowered
by me to do so. | may have the advantage
in law, but all the laborers who cut my wheat
and to whom have paid nothing will Justly
believe me rascal. Or suppose hire la
borers to work fer me a long time and give
my notes for the pay, and buy the tools and
imp lements in the same way for my notes
but the notes becorae due and do not pay
but put off my laborers f. om time to time
until the statutes of limitation outlaw the
notes and they cannot be coIlected-and
then refuse to pay on the ground that am
not legally bound.
Will | not then be as bad as a thief al
though the law is on my side!
Now this is practically and really the
position of ;he State Deot as the Supreme
Court says: We are not bound by lar to pay
it; but our otlicers-whom we elected-in-
Cured the debt for our benefit and 1t has
stood tor some years, and we have made
part payments, and treated our State Bonds
as good property, and have induced people
to buy them, and have paid our debts with
them, and we have pretended to be decent
civilized people, and shall we at last plead
that we are not legally bound not to be
thieves.
Your officers were rascals were they-ad-
init 1t true to some extent-you elected them
for honest men, and told the world they were
worthy of your and their confidence; now
ouOhf fn aht
caused? OF course you ought-and ought
also to beware hereafter whom you elect to
official position.
Extreme cases prove and test rule. Now
if all the large ranch holders and all the
bankers refuse, and escape, paying taxes one
year so that the State treasury has no money
to pay the Sherihs for taking prisoners to
San Quentin-wiII it be unconstitutional the
next year, when money comes in, to pay the
Sheriff his fees! Part of our State Debt is
precisely of this kind.
If the taxes are collected but the Sherins
steal the money and run away--will it be
wrong to pay Judges salary, when other
money is collected. This too is part of the
present. debt.
If plent> of money gets into the State
treasury and the Treasurer Ia Ia Rowe) sinks
1t and before any more comes in, debts have
grown up for salaries f Governor, Judges,
etc, and for clerk and rent of oilices-shall
not sucl, debts be held constitutional, homo
rable and payable? This is exactly the stua-
ton o. some of the debt in question Shall
a thing be constitutional and right to day,
and 10 morrow be rascaly merely because
a thief has stolen your money?
And who does not know that those who
plundered the State took the money and
made the honest creditors of the State take
Bonds-payment of which is now refused
because they were not at first paid in cash?
That is; because you did not get your pay
some time past, we will not pay YOU at all.
Nearly half million dollars in Stat
Warrants were received for school lands,
and the interest upon these warrants, is the
money that has been distributed to Common
Schools. Reputation robs the schools of
all this and leaves us with nothing to educate
the children of the State-so be tiff our
education and culture has taught us to re
pudiate-the sooner it is all los: the better.
The rough nobleman of nature untaught in
schools you'd scorn such teachings of dis
honor.
The amount Of State Debt owing to the
school fund is $47O, 900 and its loss will ruin
our schools for the present, and it is diff
cult to see whence that amount will again
come into the fund.
We find in the S. F. Bulletin an argument
for reputation as follows
'Hurrah for Reputation.
Others may desire to call it by another
name, but they are sneaks; and | protest
against being c!assed with them. 'Repudia-
ton" is good word, it is already applied by
all the newspapers in Europe and America
to the act which we propose to do, and let
us not be accused of dodging the plain word.
We may be charged with scoundrelism, but