Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-08-02
THE WILMINGTON JOURNAL
WILMINGTON. n. c..
FRIDAY. AUGUST L. 1867.
Reputation.


springing up at the North in political Con
ventions and being engrafted on party
platforms, is that of taxing the bonds OF
the United States, and some papers and
public men go so far as to openly advocate
the reputation of the public debt of the
General Government When we see men
like Senator WADE, occupying the second
official position under the Government,
openly advocating a spirit Of agrarianism
and giving the weight Of his great lntlu-
ence and official position to the fell spirit
of laVlessness, which seems about to spread
over the country like bosom of destruc-
ton and engulf in common ruin every en-
terprise and all industry, We crenot surprised
to see his words finding an echo in others,
who think the easiest way to begin the great
work of reform is by Kidding themselves of
the onerous weight of the public debt.
Among the numerous articles we find
from many quarters upon this subject, we
give the following characteristic extract
from Pomeroy's Lacrosse Democrat:
The Government, which was intended by the
trainers thereof to protect the people, has woven
its war debt into the hearts OF its supporters not
for the perpetuation of liberty but for the enrlch
ment of an aristocracy The people gave blood
money and life to restore the Union. The war
was a miserable failure in FL, save the enrich
lnent of spectators. The war IS ended, at least
for time, but the people have lost moro than
they gained in liberty, wealth and happiness.
The Union is not restored, peace does not pre-
vail the sword is still the abit"r III the South
even after the people lately In honest feDe4lon
have given up i'll good faith
The rights OF citizens everywhere were guaran-
teed by the Constitution, which sad taxation
should be equal On that Constitution was all That
makes America great erected. The republican
party declared it league with mel! and covenant
with death and destroyed it, In dong this 1t de-
stroved the walls which supported the fabric.
Tthe Constitution is not binding the ddn1iniS-
t1ation erIcict created The acdr debt the debt crea-
ted by the authority OF the mock KING clearly
in violation of the right and the bond OF states
hood is not binding on the people and IS so pclnS
considered.
The war debt was conceived in sin, brought
forth in wickedness, nurtured by false smiles and
augmented ive-fold to benefit the leeches, profi-
gates spectators, thieves, perJur rs and sWlnd-
lers Who under protection OF radlcallsm tatten
upon the people,
We respect the open enemy more than the one
who stea from those arhO fight And this sums up
the history of the United States Bonds
One year since III behalf of the people, not Tor
the Democratic party alone, we asked for equal
taxation or Reputation.
You sneered at the idea. Congress met and
adjourned first adding to the load OF taxation al
ready too grievCus tor & willing, working people.
AS you refused, SO do we now iHcrea the demand
and this time it is openly fO.' reputation. and
Won NAV make the most IF it. The little crowd Is
growing. The paper which first dared to point a
pen to the heart Of the evil which Is stranSiInS
American prosperity, has now circulation OF
more than fifty thousand copies per Week.
The people are with us.
The sons of toll with u.s.
The millions who by legislation were made slaves
of bondholding anstocracy are marching with
us to wipe out that debt.
You cut through the Constitution under cover
Of military necessity.
Necessity.
Lincoln won glory by emancipatjng the back
who toiled to support an aTistocracy lie ran liz
pen through the Constitution to write EnldnctP0
ton.
And we propose to emancipate whites anc
blacks by running pen through the same hole
to write in plain old Roman capltals-REPuDlA
TION.
And if Lincoln was the saviour OF his countr!
for emancpating from toll those who by labor adj
ded to the wealth of others. how much more IS ht
saviour who would emancipate all who toll
black and white.
The war was failure. The Bonds are q ours
and drag to the wheels o. progress
The bondholdeTs are arlstoCTats exempt iron
taxation and tyrants who fatten on the sweat o
the people.
Dor and those who hold bonds may lock them VI
in American bastiles, or in few years stack then
like hay cocks on the prairles, and no one Will nc
lest them.
and cayil-threaten and den0unce-if you DO no
care for those who toll, why should they care 10
YOU And you who talk against it, please ansWe
if you can the arguments we shall use from wee
to week in this tcOrk for the poor Let those VIII
are coward close their mouths and labor on to ii
the guZzlers and Gorgers who are exempt fror
taxation while we, with the spikes Of reason, ma
still higher the neutrality-suspicious.
And let those who would not fight for thel
country protect the Bonds they stole if they can
The other matter, founded in equity an
Justice and upon an honest desire that til
property of the country should pay its pr
rata share of the public expenses, possibly
however, leadingin the same road which til
La Crosse Democrat SO plainly blazes out,
the fact that in all the Democratic and Con
sentative conventions recently held, thel
has been an open demand of taxes bein
imposed upon United States Bonds, and i
at least one Republican convention, that {
MAINE, this same position is intimated, /
O. resolution declaring that taxation on n
tional bonds and stocks should lee a,
iusted at once by Congress on constit
tional principles of equality.
We cannot see how the Republican part
can meet the housekeeping it is OF
of the question. Those of MAINE who a
tempt to avoid it by their indefinite refe
ence of it to Congress, awkwardly NANTES
their fears of it, and the unanimity wit
which their opponents endorse 1T, shoy
that it is to be made one of the great issu
of the coming campaigns. The gist Of Il
question is contained in the following res
luton, which is the leading plank of Il
Democratic and Conservative platform
MAINE
&c Resolued That the United States bonds oug
to be taxed that the exemption from taxation
about third part of the entire wealth of I
country, in the shape OF Government securi;ie
is an outrage upon the rights OF the people ; tn
it is in violation of every principle OF justice, al
hostile to the welfare of the country that it
subversive of the very foundation principles
our government established by our fathers !;
tends to foster and protect the rich capitalists al
bondholders at the expense of the laboring clas
casting the heavy burden of taxation from t
favored protected few upon the back of the u
protected poor man, whose life and strength a
being constantly exhausted to pay the deficit
taxes resulting from this injustice
1t certainly looks as if the workil