Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1864-02-27
From the Constitutional Union
Our Debt and its Consequences.

Our DeDL duu LIS consequences
The following picture of the paupersism
in England is the origin from which a
photograph may be taken OF the condition
to which we are fast vorging under the /
impulsive force Of accumulating debt, Mr.,
Chasc's fuanciering skill. Mr.. Stanton 5
extravaganza, and Mr.. Welles' reckless
ness. The debt OF Great Britain was
created after tie glorious revolution"
when Dutch Billy supplanted his father
in-law, James the Second in 1858, and
iucre asing continuously under the expan.
sive power Of continental wars, maintained
almost uninterruptcdly, and tho liberal
sudsizeE supplied to foreign powers to cid
in their prosecution scarcely doubles, in
century and half, the amount our ''fast
young men" have contriSed to lavish in
less than three years. But the stoppage
of specie payments led to printing; and
the two war secretaries being literally
supplied with greenbacks and other evil
dences Of debt, became in a short time,
like all other spcndthrfts, careless in
their expenditures, caring little whether
the "Amsies' went into the pockets
books Of hired agcnts-whether they
vanished as regular "knock down" or
were openly paid as a premium for pre-
tended services.
But the increase in the prices Of all
ARTICLES OF necessary consumption, the
hopel0ssnoss of the resumption of specie
payments, the rapid accumulation of the
national debt, have aroused the spirit o!
inquiry 30 ascertain the means Of meeting
payments of interest and providing for the
snal lqidatiou Of the principal.
The plan of Thurlow Weed, though
olaboratcly argued, is by no means salts.
factory. He proposes the repeal Of the
= Homestead law. and the restoration OF the
public lands 10 the Government, the pro.
ceeds to be exclusively reserved as sccur
ity for meeting the interest at least of oul
liabilities. Suppose the law repealed
$ and we should be supplied for disease
= under which the nation has been brough
t 10 a collapse, with remedy comminute(
Q to microscopic atomity which would
( satisfy the most scrupulous homeop othist
) He omits to notice that, ip past years
g the public lands after the expenses of sur
C vey and the payment of the five per cen
to the States, have not nettod sufficient oil
d an average to pay ten per cent on the in
Y torest Of our present debt, which nov
= reaches-within a small fracton-S3, 900
!. 100000 Besides the income from tha
Il source must continue tho downward scale
y which it commenced some years ago
It The lavish grants for bounty lands ant
c for building railroads, threw long since
gigantic tracts CT the most valuable land
4 into the hands Of spectators; bounty
d lands are yet to be granted to the count
n less soldiers, mustered into the presen
8 war, and TO the helpless negro, who is nov
II the object of the war--he must be provid
IS cd for, How can Congress perform tina
d duty more consistently with the cherished
u views of the President, than By votini
i. him grant Of land as it does 10 the sol
!. der,
/, But We have wandered from our pur
= pose, which was merely tc show tha W
% are fast following, in our accumulation c
It debt and paper currency the example {
England, where plethoric arstocracy
g, few in number, enjoy all the, luxures
r wealth, while lha masses, the people, a