Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-04-10
Shall We be Boug mt u ith our Own Money :

We have already called attention to th
fragrant injustice done to North Carolln1an
IN the reputation of public debts con
tracted between 1861 and 1865 and the VIC
lent resumption of the payment OF 1ntereS
on State bonds dated before and after ina
time, when, by reason of continuous bat
seasons. and unreliable system of labor ant
q general prostrat;on in every branch
business, the State and the people are
utterly bankrupt. The repudiated deb
was held at home-was the means OF sup
port provided by individuals, corporations
and counties for the poor widows ana or
phans of the gallant men who lalo oo"H
their lives in our defence. NhaG county
in the State had not, in some form or othef,
nrovided for these wards OF the State .
Inv means Of some of these repudlated
debts The other debt is owned mainly
at the North, having been bought, the bulk
of it. probably for fifty cents IN the dollar,
thus insuring twelve per cent. interest to
these Northern creditors. Such spectacle
was never before exhibited in civilized
age The starving widow stands waiting
and piteously begging her miserable pit
lance to buy bread for her famished chill,
dren, at the door of the treasury of that
State in whose defence and at whose com
mand her husband laid down his life. She
waits and begs in vain, while the sleek,
shrewd. cunning Yankee, well fed and
well clothed, brushes rudely by her, enters
the door, presents his bond, is paid, and
comes out talk ng SIMULTANEOUSLY about
the virtue of paying debts and the sin OF
rebellion.
But the taking the bread out Of the
mouths of the widow and the orphan to
pay Northern creditors is not all the wrong
done or attempted TO be done by this In
famous Convention. Having by this out
rage made our bonds saleable, they imme
diately, with profuse hand, showered
them in every direction. All the IN
finished roads in the State came in for
a share, no matter that nothing more
than q preliminary survey has been
made~ask and you shall receive was the
word. IHey haze made @ ba3'efaced attem.pttO
6yi6e tie people eCiM their otCao money!
In behalf Of one Of the appropriations, that
to the Mt. Airy Road, Mr.. Tourgee, from
GuiIford, the stranger boy" who has up
set the whole judicial system of the State,
openly and shamlessly declared that the
passage Of the btE eCouId make four thousand
Republican, gOte7's. After such conclusive ar
gument in favor of the road, the bill passed
the Convention without difficulty. And so 1t
may be safely assumed that the value Ofeach
appropriation in Republican votes was
duly ascertained. Can it be possible that
our people will allow themselves to be
bought and sold thus shamelessly and with
their own money, too We are very cred
ulous Of the capacity Of our Northern
brethren for cuteness." and though we
have been taught from our infancy to look
upon them as the personifcation of the
genius of trade, we yet have very serious
doubts Of the success Of this operation.
We do not believe that any respectable
white man, so-called, will, vote for this
Constitution because the Convention made
an appropriation to railroad in his sec
ton. We do not believe that any respec-
table white man will consider that there is
any gratitude or obligation due for an ap-
preparation Of moneys already his own.
The bonds are ours and the roads are ours.
If the Convention had built every foot of
every road, they would have done nothing
more nor less than bald our own roads
with our own money, for which we owe
them nothing. Shall we for such reason
as this vote for Constitution that sacri-
fees the best interest of the people and
State ? IF WE ARE To BUY OUR RAILRo ADS
AT THE PRICE OF NEGRO EQUALITY FOR OUR
POORER WHITE BRETHREN, WE SAY LET THE
ROADS PERISH.