Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1866-12-15

-. y. BsECE1AaDnON, ESisasr.
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SATURDAY EvISIS9.. $685.. DEC. Is.
Payment er the National Debs.
Nine tenths q those who thecrixs con-
corning the payment Of our public debt
overlook some Of the most important Ec,s
involved. War diverted labor from its L..
climate channels and .lcssencd tho produces
ton Of the country. at the came time that II
increased consumption and necessitascd Al
absolute destruction OF material wealth. In
brief, the nation 10 in the condition Of an
individual who has bssn for ysars living b.
yond his means. Increased rscsipts and
lessened expenditures ere Ne snly avenues
Of escape from The cesssqusocss. The Tor
mer can only b. attained ~ Sssssriag the
productive interests u a The States. Bot
production Il result Of unhsopsrsd indu'-
try and an aet;vs and unrsstsicted enplcy-
msnt Of capital. and these again ore depend
en-, upon public order and pssesss security
to property in every portion Of the republic.
Ten States Of the Uuion arc to-day With
ont the security necessary to encourage the
investment Of laber and capital within their
bcrders. They are BY reason Of this inss>
curity unable to produce enough to supply
the wants Of their own inhabitants Until
this insecurity 10 removed by wholcsoos leg.
islation they can never contribute materially
70 the payment Of tho public debt
When tho representatives, from these
States shall have been admitted 10 congress
law and order thereby restored 10 their PEG.
pie. and the increased production incident
10 this security TO properly added to the
sum total Of our national wealth, the Ans
important stop viii have been taken towards
lcssenins taxes and estinguishing our ns-
t'onal liabilities. Then, and not till then,
will the current value Of . paper dollar -
proximats the value Of dollar in gold, our
national securities advance to per At home
and abroad. and the tax gs,herer bs CONF
PEELED to loosen his grasp.
--~sGD~-
A. "uacaaens" sf the Reussss~.
There is ono paragraph in the recent man.
'festo Of Horace Greeley which ought %
have rescued him from the oblivion with
which he Is threatened BY the radical lead :
ers. lie says:
We have been engaged ia fierce, des-
pcratc, psotractcd struggle for The very egg
,stencc Of the republic, whereof he eonsti.
tuition Ia but an incident. II kuov there
were those nominally on our side Who ssid
ehey fought Tor the constitution; but never
heard OF their hurting anybody.) In tho
progress Of the struggle Il became necessary
to call the blacks 10 the rescue Of the i'm.
pcrilcd nation. We we're cot WVrst.
ed; wc did not compromise or eod the war
~ treaty; We we're entirely and absolutely
triumphant; end bold it moral obligation
thence resulting tina. We shall guarantee
and secure their absolute and perfect Free
dom. To prove unfaithful to this obljRa.
ton is to bury ourselves in pertldy and en-
during shamc. And this responsibility
kprinsng directly from the national rescue
~
letter IF The Consultation.
The entire number OF negroes killed in
battle during tho war Is alleged to have been
less than the number Of white men killed in
some single regiments. Bnt this Is neither
here nor there. The doctrine taught BY
Grcelcy 's, Tint tho constitution Of the
United States is mere incident of the re-
public. and that there is Q law or some in.
tang iblc and imaginary rule OF action, orig.
mating somewhere and supposed By him to
exist somewhere. which is Of higher obliga-
t'on than the supreme law, and in compar-
'son with which the constitution 10 utterly
dead letter. l, Is tins variable, imaginary,
india rubber rule Of action one thing ono
day and another thing another day--which
tho republican party has actually adopted
Tor its guidance, not only ~ to the negro.
bu, rs to all other subjects Of legislation
within its reach.
II would be squandering tho Kings Eng
lish TO attempt any serious coniutation OF
position 90 obviously originating in either
the 'anaticsm or imbecility Gifts advocates.
The great question in which tho republic 10
interested today is whether the masses of
thc people possess sufficient intelligence TO
perceive the gross cri,ninality Of this as
sumption, and sufficient manliness and
courage to resist its natural results Is the
existence Of the republic institutions an in
cidcnt Of the constitution, or is the constitu.
tuition an incident of,hc republic to be obsy.
cd and dsobcycd, honorcd and dish ,nored.
according to the convenience Of those living
under 1t In brief. have We any eonstisu-
ton at all superior to obligations recognized
by any partisan caucus accidently and tenn.
porar'Iy representing one or all the branches
Of the Federal Government
The principle Of &C ion nov so boldly id.
vocatcd and avowed BY the Radical leader.
is precisely the sort Of Law prevalent in
Mexico. and is both the parent end child
Of public disorder. The Constitution Of
Aexiro ceased to possess virtue lust q that
point when Il was regarded - . mere loci.
dent Of the lie Of the repubaic, - a shas
in Mexican history the life itself Of Ne n
public became On incident Of armies and
partisan factions. until Nszics has ,sors
lives than a cat and every rowing haadis
boasts superiority to Law. *N
TINE NEWS.
The Michigan State Teachsss' Institute
has been summoned to meet &C Kslamasoo.