Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1867-12-05

A stringent money market, fur
Their decline in gold, and several mer
camille failures have characterized
the past few days. These disturb
ances, says Hdrpers' Heekly, have
their origin in the prevailing uncer
tainty as to the probable action o
Congress upon the financial ones
ton and such mistrust and derange
ment must continue until q settlet
policy is reached. But prolonged
squabble without decisive result
would work greater mischief thar
the mere letting the matter drift as
it has hitherto done
One important part Of the Con
gressional business will be to deter
mine the duties of the present gen
Grafton respecting the reduction OF
the national debt.
While the war was in progress the
people freely emptied their purses
without stopping to count the cost,
for the unity Of the nation was para
mount to every other consideration.
They submitted to the severest ex-
actions, trusting to the Good Giver
and the future for ability to pay the
huge debt which they saw accumu-
lating. How this was to be accom-
plished was, of necessity, seeon-
Diary consideration then; but certain
" no one imagined that it could all
be paid by the present generation,
under any possible conditions, any
more than that the pyramids were to
be completed by those who laid the
first tier of bricks. Ten years ago
the payment of the mere interest
would have been deemed scarcely
practicable. Still, with the desire
and purpose to do al they could,
they permitted themselves, when the
war closed, to be taxed so heavily
that they have been overstrained in
the effort They did not realize how
much their available resources had
been diminished, nor how much the
country needed rest until it could
recuperate- They have now discov-
cred their mistake. They find that
the wear and tear is too great for
long endurance, and they demand
change of tactics, with measures of
relief Their burdens, instead Of be-
coming lighter every year, as should
be expected, have not sensibly di-
minished; or, il they are intrinsically
lighter. the people feel them more,
because the period of fictitious pros
perity is past, and fortunes no longer
come at their bidding. Under the
present policy, the people raise an
annual revenue ofS150, 1000, 900 more
than is needed for government ex-
penses and the interest on the debt
This surplus is supposed to be APP
piled to the reduction of the p.inci-
pal Of the debt. If there was any
overwhelming necessity why this
vast sun should be raised annually,
the people might still attempt it; but
what matters it whether our Obliga-
tons are paid in thirty or sixty
years? Why crush the industry and
enterprise of the country in the en-
deavOr? 1t is small satisfaction to
hear ofincreased economy in the De
partments and promised reduction of
expenditures every where, VIXEN the
people are to enjoy no relief there
from, when the amounts thus saved
are to go toward a still more rapid
reduction of the debt, and not into
the peoples pockets.
Individuals, if they are wise, regu-
late their expenses according to their
income. The Government regulates
its income according to its expenses.
1t sets out to raise a certain sum an
nually, or as much greater sum as
possible, and wears out the country
in the endeavor. 1t gives it no time
for rest, for repairing its working
tools, or inventing and obtaining i'm
proved ones 1t simply exhausts,
while it increases its demands. Its
error lies, not in an attempted re
duction of the debt (which should
always be an earnest national pur-