The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1865-09-23

have become entitled by this vilainous war
q Appropriate 100000, 600 to pay the
damages done to loyal men North and South
by the rebellion.
3. Pay the residue being 5000, oo0,O DOC
toward the payment Of the National debt.
What loyal man can object to this? Look
around you, and everywhere behold your
neighbors, some with an arm, some with a
leg, some with an eye carried away by rebel
bullets. Others horribly mutilated in every
form. And yet numerous others wearing
the weeds which mark the death of those on
| whom they leaned for support. Contem-
plate these monuments of rebel perfidy, and
of patriotic suffering, and then say if too
much is asked for our valiant soldiers.
Look again, and see loyal men reduced to
poverty by the confscations by the Confed,
crate States, and by the rebel States-see
Union men robbed of their property, and
their dwellings laid in ashes by rebel raiders,
and say if too much is asked for them. But
above all, let US inquire whether imperative
duty to the present generation and to pos
terity does not command US to compel the
wicked enemy to pay the expenses of this
unjust war. In ordinary transactions he
who raises a false clamor and prosecutes an
unfounded suit, is adiudged to pay the costs
on his defeat. We have seen that, by the
law OF nations, the vanquished in an unjust
war must pay the expense.
Our war debt is estimated at from three
to four billions of dollars. In my judgment
when all is funded and the pensions CAPT
talized, it will reach more than four billions.
The interest at 6 per cent. only
(now much morel, $40, 900, 900
The ordinary expenses of our
Government are 800, 900, 900
For some years the extraordi-
nary expenses of our army
and navy will be 10000, 900
$4,000, 900
-Four hundred and seventy millions to be
raised by tayation-our present heavy taxes
will not in ordinary years produce but little
more than half that sum. Can our people
bear double their present taxation? He
who unnecessarily causes it will be accursed
from generation to generation. 1t is fash.
lonabe to belittle our public debt, lest the
people should become alarmed, and political
parties should suffer. | have never found
it wise to deceive the people. They can
always be trusted with the truth Capital
lists will not be affected for they cannot be
deceived. Confde in the people, and you
will avoid reputation. Deceive them, and
lead them into false measures, and you may
produce it.
We pity the poor Englishmen whose ma
tional debt and burdenaomc taxation we
have heard dcplorcd from err chidhood.-
The debt of Great Britain is Just about as
much as ours, 100000, 900 four billions.
But in effect it is but hall as large,-it bears
but three per cent. interest. The current
year the Chancellor of the Exchequer tells
us the interest was Sl3l, SGf, 800, ours, when
all shall be funded, will be nearly double.
The plan we have proposed would pay at
least three tourths of our debt The balance
could be managed with our present taxation.
And yet to think that even that is to be per-
petual is sickening. If it is to be doubled,
as it must be, if restoration" instead of
" reconstruction is to prevail, would to
God the authors of it could see themselves
as an execrating public and posterity will
see them.
Our new Doctors of National law, who
hold that the " Confederate States were
never out of the Union, but only insurgents
and traitors, have become wiser than Gro
thus and Puffendorf and Rutherford and
Vattel, and all modern publicists down to
Haleck and Philimore. They all agree
that such a state of things as has existed
here for four years is public war, and con
stitutes the parties Independent belligerents,
subject to the same rules of war as the
foreign nations engaged in open warfare.
The learned and able Professor of Law in
the Cambridge University, Theophilus Par
sons, lately said in public speech
&" AS we are victorious in war we have q
right to impose upon the defeated party any
terms necessary for our security. This right
is perfect. 1t is not only in itself obvious,
bu: 1t is asserted IN every book on this sub
ject, and is illustrated by all the wars of his
tory. The rebels forced war upon us; it
was long and costly and bloody war and
now that we have conquered them, we have
all the rights which victory confers"
The only argument of the Restorationists
is, that the States could not and did not 20
out of the Union because the Constitution
forbids it. By the same reasoning you could
prove that no crime ever existed. No man
ever committed murder, for the law forbids
it. He is Il shallow reasoner who could
make theory overrule fact!
prefer to believe the ancient and modern
publicists; and the learned Professors of
legal science, to the extemporzed doctrines
of modern Sciolists.
If" Restoration" as it is now properly
christened, is to prevail ove.' Reconstruc-
tion" will some learned pundit of that
school inform me IN what condition slavery
and the slave laws are? assert that upon
that theory not Slave has been liberated
not Slave law has been abrogated; but on
the Restoration " the whole Slave code is
in legal force. Slavery was protected by
our Constitution in every State in the Union
where it existed. While they remained
under that OrOtectiOn no mower in the Fed