The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1867-03-27
Andrew Johnson on Reputation.

Our Northern exchanges are verv
nnch exercised ut a letter published in
tho New York Citizen of the 9Th in.
stant, written from Washington by its
editor, Gcn. I[alpine, T"Miles O. Rcily"I;
AND giving The particulars Of comvcr.
sation he had with the President on the
subject Of the national debt. Mr.. John
son holds that reputation is inevitable
IT the present policy Of Congress con
tlh''cS' but, on SO important topic,
we prefer TO give his own words:
We arc drifting towards reputation;
and tho moncycd arissoctacy OF the
national debt-the very men whose
Interests arc most jeopardized- are so
blind that they arc practically helping
to accelerate, not check, oar course in
Tins downward direction. Wenced the
industry and enormous possible products
Of the lately rcvolicd States to help us
III bearing our heavy burden. Wo
need confidence and calm-we need
internal harmony; and above all, we
lnocd return TO the uhqucs,ioncd sll-
prcmacy OF The civil laws and .constitu.
tional restraints, if our debt IS not to be
repa@liatcd within the next half.scorc Of
years.
"Noparty as yet and possible no
party Tor some ycars-wlll openly hoist
the banner of reputation. But a ma
jority ofthose Who shaped the lcgisla-
ton of the last Congress must know
unless they deceive themselves, or arc
too Ignorant 70 appreciate their own acts
that we are drifting i'll that direction,
and that it is by their votes we havo
been swung out into the downward
stream. Doubtless, some of them
would either be, or affect to feel, horrif.
cd if to-day braided as rcpudationists
Just as, in the infancy of the Fresoil
agitation, it was considered bitter.
slander if the Frccsoilcr' should bo sty.
led an 'Abolitionist.' There are steps
in everything, and the term ofroproah
to-day will ho worn as feather in the
cap somo years from now, unless the
true conservative wisdom Of the country
can be awakened land "ap,aiy-fron
asphyxiating dream that our national
debt is a national blessing
"And look at the effect of tie Re.
construction Bill just passed over MY
unavaising vetol [ mean its peculiar
effect as a step in the direction OF repu-
diation, and not Its general effect as a
hgh.hanaedI measure Of congressional
nsurpation, striking out Of existence so
many States, and establishing military
lcspotism over more than one third of
OR geographical Union. This bill
suddenly adds four millions of ignorant
and pengiless negroes to the voting
force oftlres conntry--an accession Of
Just so much strength to the party
whose interest is, and must incrcas.
'nSly become.to favor repudiation as a
policy. TO secure tho public credit
our effort should be--if that were possi-
blez.to.$reatrict, rather than to extend
Che right oEsnffrage /; for money rapidly
aggregsatesin few hands, and When.
ever tho men who have an interest in
sceing that our national debt is paid,
shall have become out of all proportion
few compared with those who have an
interest inits fepuaiatioh, tho votes Of
the many will carry it.; and the debt of
three thousand millions will be struck
out of existence by ballots, just as rap.
idly and utterly as the similar amount
invested in Southern negroes has been
abolished during the recent war under
showorsof bullets"
OF course the Radical press isiad,g.
nant. They cannot say that the Presi.