Baton Rouge tri-weekly gazette & comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1865-18??, 1868-03-05

and when debt and Liberty came in
conflict, they did not hesitate, but
expunged the debt at once. We cam
not be wrong when initiating their
iIlustrious example. But how differ
ent the two cases Their debt rep
resented the honest efforts of brave
people struggling for Liberty; our
debt, on the contrary, is the repre-
sentative of fraud, is rotten with
moral drpravity and is reeking with
corruption. We should not pay such
a debt if we could; we cannot if We
would. Already has it swollen to
such monstrous proportions that its
interest eats out our substance, par
alyzes our industry and flches from
honest toll all the rewards of its ia
tigue. And its tendency is to con-
slant increase. The policy of the
knavish conspirators who now rule
aud ruin the country seeks to fund
this debt and make it perpetual as a
means Of accomplishing that very
revolution which has been the chief
end of their insidious schemes from
the first. They well know, what all
history teaches, that a system of
taxation such as this debt necessi-
tates, operates as a perpetual mort
gage upon the property, the lives
and the toll Of the people, and,
as a necessary consequence, converts
them into practical slaves-the slaves
OF the bond holders. We are there
fore in the precise condition of our
Revolutionary Fathers; we must de-
eide, as they decided between debt
with slavery, Or reputation and
Liberty. If the world has justified
them, in repudiating their honest
debt, shall we not be justified in dis
owning debt which is the hideous
product of unwhipped knavery and
Of plumber patronized by usurped
authority?
BY disowning this debt we strike
at the root Of al! existing political aud
commercial evils. We shall di>arm
the pe'jured traitors, who now sway
their usurped authority, of the most
formidable weapon which they use
against Public Liberty. Debts and
taxation are The citadel Of their power !;
these are the mans by which they
expect to convert The white men Of
America Into the tollng slaves of a
privileged order of bondhoIders, who,
ike the iusauate daughters OF the
horse leecb, cry give! give! This
citadel, founded in fraud and con-
structed OF debt and paper bonds, can
be swept from existence by one breath
Of an aroused and indignant people.
And besides. we should thus teach
the world lesson it needs to learn,
namely that a great people will not
be cheated out Of their Constitutional
Liberties by combination Of money
sharks, thieves and usurpers, who,
with hands polluted with corruption,
yvnaIiy aud fraud, have the assu'.
aoce to talk about honor!
But how came this debt upon us 7
The ruling party said to the people !;
GIVE US your bonds, by which to
realize the necessary money, and We
will restore the Uuion We will re.
establish the Southern States in the
Union, with all tn ir rights and Dig
mites unimpai'ed" The bonds were
furnished the ruling party got all
the money they wanted for the war,
besides n still larger sum pocktted by
thieves. But have they fulfilled their
part of the agreement Have they
restored the Southern States to the
Union with all their rights and digni-
ties unimpaired Have they not, on
the contrary, wantonly. pprve'sely and
maIici usIy k-pt the Union asunder,
when they might have restored it in
an hour9 They have thus repudiated
their part Of The contract, and now
un lertake to tel us that honor de-
mands we sha|I sanction their fraud
and becomr p'rti, ipants in their
crime. W. ,apIy. never ! never
never Is cnurt of conscience, be.
fore E. d 4, nsn, we plead fraud and
a tot4 titurr 4 consideration. We
can ""t, ~e viii not ratify so stupen-
doas = raul by even seeming to lend
il 4 public antion. We should dis
regard the great principles of justice
and truth we should be the foes of
Constitutional Liberty and consent to
i. The enslavement of our American race
ii we assentpd to the ratification of
this unreasonable fraud, represented
by which is falsely called national
Debt
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