The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-03-21
CH Ar LES TON
rHr7RsDAY MORNING, MARCH 81, 1867.
.vDREw JOHNSON ON REPUTATION.

Orr Northern exchanges are very macn eAeioio.
ed at q letter published in the New YORK csse'' oi
tbe 9th instant, written from Washington py lts
editor Gen. HA1PrNE, [''A1iles oReileyl; ana gas-
ING the particulars Of conversation ne nao "i'n
the President on the subject of the national oeo..
Mr. JOHNSON holds that reputation is inevitable II
the present policy Of Congress continues. put
on so important topic, we prefer to give MS o"n
words
We are drifting toward repudiatlon; ana tiae tSe
moneyed aristocracy of the national de9!-Sne
very men whose interests are most leopaloteon 20 a.
are 80 blind that they are practically helPmg 10 ~
celorate not check, our course IN TINS domn"a.u
direction. We need the industry ana etataa ~
nossible products of the lately revoted States 70
help us in bearing our heavy burden: we 0 nseu an.
confidence and cam-we need internal harmony;
and above all, we need return to the unquesh9ned
supremacy of the civil laws ana Within
strans "gs dsos Of Is yeoss gor 10 Do
s.No paity as yet-and possibly no party for some m
years-wil openly hoist the banner OF repudla!i9n'
But majority Of those who shaped the iegtssla, sa
ton Of this last Congress must ~ Sac
ate their own acts.-that We are drifting IN tnaS
direction, and rnat it is by their votes we nave
been swung out into the DOWNWARD strealn; 4;
Doubtless, some Of them would either be, or aHecs
to feel Mortified if to-day branded as repudlaaon
@ vos 9 considered bitter slander If the Free
so;Ier' should be STYLED an Abohtionlst. IneIe
are steps in everything, and the term OF Ieploaoa
to-day will be worn as feather IN tne caP sono
wears from now, unless the true conservative WIS R
dom of the country can be aWakened-ana laPluaf
from its asphyxiating dream that our natlonal
debt is national blessing
aAnd look at the effect Of the Reconsrucuon
Bill Just passed over my unavailing veto mean ,,
its peculiar effect as step in the direction OF repg
d;afion. and not it's general effect as high-hand-
ed measure of Congressional usurpation, strlk!ng
out of existence many States, and esta 1henn II;
military despotism over moro IT tnan oEetnna Sdo -
onr' Geographical Union. This Bill suddenly ADDS
four millions of ignorant and penniless negroes 70
tho voting force Of the country-an accession OF
inst so much strength to the party whose interest,"
It is, and must increasingly become, to favor repn
diation as policy. TO secure the P9pnc creuv' n
our effort should be-if that were posslble-to res
trict rather than to extend the right OF sqtrag e
for money rapidly aggregates in few hands, ana
whenever the men who have an interest," IN seelIlg
that our national debt is paid, shall have become
have an interest in its repudaton the votes Of the
many will carry it; and the debt Of three tnogsano
millions will be struck out OF existence by Dalots,
lust as rapidly and utterly as the similar amount
invested in Southern negroes has been a9olis1eo h
during the recent war under showers OF bullets
Of course the Radical press is indignant They
cannot say that the President is wrong either in
his premises or in his conclusions but still it is
contended he ought not to give utteranoe to such
views: as If his commenting on 80 stupendous
fact could make the slightest difference in the
course of events. Instead of needing his warning
voice. he is abused as wilful and malicious
nronhet Of evil. The New York Tribune of the
18th says:
We protest against the Presidents imputaton on
the morality and honor of the negroes. Many OF
them may be ignorant; yet they know that the
national debt is the price Of their freedom Ihere
may possibly be found low caste negro e mere n ana
ing fer reputation; but no colored person who mas
any sefrespect or regard for his reputation would
associate with or countenance such scandal 10
his race. IL :.
earnest the national debt will be found to resem-
high, so that it was higher after it fell down than
before To repudiate is to destroy the value Of all
the money in every mans pocket, Wheth or green
back or national bank, all the deposits 10 savings
roads, &C., sc. There are not five legal voters IN
each hundred that would not be impoverished by
the bare attempt The mere suspicion. that they
might attemptit it if fully in power, will consider
ably help to keep the Copperheads in the minority
for many years to come.
The Tribune is doubtless correct in assuming
that Reputation of the national debt would swamp
moneyed men everywhere; but it should remember
that the number Of those who have nothing to
lose is always greater in every society than those
who have. Taxes are onerous under all circum-
stances, and when they become oppressive and
there is any apparent way Of escape demagogues
are very apt to find it out, and use such fact to
thoir advantage. 1t is Of course to be hoped that
the colored voters will take the advice given in the
above extract from the New York tribune, as also
the advice rendered the Virginia negroes few
days ago in the journal to follow Gov. PErR-
POINTS counsels rather than Mr.. HUNNICUTr's.