Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-10-21
TO Tax.P6yers, Produccrv, and Con.
ou0eFU.

therefore, few words Of plain CONVEX
sation with you.
The Democratic party point you to
our enormous National debt; They ask
you to consider the burdensome taxes,
which they kllege are consuming your
substance. They tell you that if this
war continues the nation will become
bankrupt, and therefore appeal to you to
vote against Mr.. Lincoln, under whose
administration this war has been incur
red, and for General Mcclellan. We
ask you to estimate our present debt at
81, OO0, O0O, 900, and consider the follow
ing suggestions The party which
placed Mcclellan before the people is in
favor of stopping this war and holding a
convention of all the States. What will
be the business Of that Convention P
Democrats say ito arrange the terms for
a reconstruction of the Union" What
think you the South will say to the
North, in that convention, relative to
our national war debt, which the De-
mocracy think SO oppressive? They
will say to us: "Your war debt was Gre
ated in an unjust attempt on your part
to destroy State rights and to subject US
to your will against our consent. You
have endeavored to deprive us 81 our
liberty and compel us to pay tribute to a
government we do not recognize and to
which we owe no allegiance. You have
made war upon us, and we can never
consent to assist in paying the expense
of such q war;" Is it unreasonable to
suppose that they would ask as condi-
ton precedent to peace and reconcilia-
ton that we repudiate our war debt p
Certainly not. Are you who hold gov
eminent bonds prepared to repudiate
them? Are you who are interested in
sustaining the present currency of the
country and preventing its depreciation
below the standard of worthlessness
prepared to repudiate the national debt?
Are you prepared to see the widows and
orphans made by this war driven from
the Pension Department, as they must
be if we repudiate our national debt >
The people of the loyal States will never
consent to repudiate their own debts
Reputation is creature Of Southern
birth, and has no friends in the North.
What then? There is but one other
alternative. We must either repudiate
our own debt or assume the rebel debt.
If we refuse to do the one Or the other
there can no peace come from conven-
ton of the States We think every
reasonable mind will agree with us thus
far.
You complain of heavy taxes, high
prices and deprecated currency. Are
you prepared to largely increase these
taxes, submit to still higher prices that
must follow further depreciation of
currency, by assuming the rebel war
debt? What is that debt: The last
estimate was $4,000, 000,0 00-as much as
our own. Ifyou consent to assume that
debt you. by one stroke of the pen,
double the present national taxes. What
assurances have yen from the Demo-
cratic party that it will not assume that
debt, when clothed with the authority ?
Not word: Are the holders of nation
al bonds prepared to see them iostled in
the market side by sidewith Confederate
bonds, and thereby suffer an unaccount-
able depreciation? Who can fail to see
the effect upon monetary affairs ii the
Confederate bonds are thrown upon the
market? Then, too, there is in cireuia
ton vast amount of Confederate scrip,
which, thrown into circulation, would
necessarily send greenbacks down and
the price of gold up. Then prepare for
high prices, which the consumer breads.
At no distant day this Confederate cur
rency must be redeemed, and the indus
try and enterprise of the free North
must bear the burden of redemption
Are you prepared for it,
Bat your trouble will not end here, il
you assume the rebel debt. All through
the South, as through the North, are
thousands upon thousands of MANNED
and crippled soldiers, war widows and
orphans. The South will never consent
that these shall be repudiated. Who,
then, in the reconstructed Union, shall
pay these sufferers the pension money
allowed by the Confederate government?
Will the Taxpayers Of the loyal States
ever consent to be taxed for the payment
of pensions to those who warred against
cur government, fought and slew their
SONS and brothers?
But again. As one of the natural
results of war. citie. aud towns have
been destroyed, houses and barns burn
ed, fences and grain laid waste, horses
and cattle seized and used. Our Federal
Constitution provides that . private
property shall not be taken for public
use without just compensation. y The
things We have enumerated were the
private property OF rebels, and were
taken and destroyed for the nations Use
and benefit, and in value amount to
many millions of dollars. Are the peo-
pie of the North prepared to pay just
compensation for the property OF
traitors: IF yau assume the rebel debt
YOU cannot avoid it:
Taxpayers, bond-holders, business
, men and capitalists, we appeal TO yor
to calmly consider the suggestions we
! have made, They are not as full anC
complete as your own minds, upon re-
, Election, will make them. But we dc
Insist that you carefully consider oul
main proposition, towit: that no peace
can flow from a cessation of hostilities
no reconstructed Union from conven
ton of States, unless we do one OF two
things-repudiate our national debt o.
! assume that of The rebels. We prefe!