Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-12-23
Demoe-aIt &c Avyakeuiug

! Mr.. William Mungen, of Ohio, made
a speech in the House on Thursday fol
the reputation of the public debt The
occasion was embraced by eight Eastern
Democrats to disclaim Mr.. Mungen'.
doctrine and to declare themselves fol
maintaining the public faitl, according
| to the contract. The Republicans look.
ed with curious interest on this Demo.
cratic love feast. A resolution introduc-
ed by Gai field, declaring Nungen's pro.
position unfit, had but one dissenting
voice out of vote of more than half the
House, aud that one was Jones, oi
Kentucky, and he boggled at something
about not desiring to censure Mr.. Mum
gen. The New York World applauds
the thing in a double loaded editorial a.
a vindication of the position of the
Democratic party on the national debt
and also takes this occasion to accuse
Stevens, Butler, Morton and Sherman
OF having either preceded Pendleton in
his scheme ofsetting the greenback mill
gri nding to pay the bonds, or subsequent
lv indorsed it. In passing We may re-
ma.k that this is not true; for these
Republicans did not propose to grind
out green backs for this purpose.
Even eight swallows do not turn a
vast eXpanse of snow into summer; mol
is the Ethiopian's skin changed because
several whilish pustuls have broken out.
But we welcome these signs of repent
ance, ,and this recognition.ofthe fact that
repndiation is iiot popular. We observe
that The Enquirer, which recently de,
ciared the sponge the Only solvent ror
the national debt, asssils these recreant
Democratic members over the back oi
General Slocum, who was one that re-
pudiated Reputation, and it denies that
the West has any such paying mind
The Commoner also, which we take to
be the real Democratic organ of the
West and South, applauds Mr.. Mungen,
and speaks coDtemptuously of Samuel
Cox, who was the second one to rise and
disclafm William.
Judge Woodward, of Pennsylvania,
who was one of those that 'stood up''
in this awakening" modified his pro-
fessions. by recriminations upon the
Republicans calling tire note. tender act
the reputation of one-third of all pri-
vate and municipal debts. And the
rest also showed considerable recrimin-
ating rancor, as if desirous to retain a
reservation. Yet the demonstration was
very commendable, because, first, it
shows that leading Democrats deem it
ueceSSdiy lO pTOItSS W LphOlu Ine pup
lie faith as to the war debt, and, second,
it shows that on any reputation plat
form, and in TACT on either, the Demo
cracy will be divided.
Reputation has so odious sound that
it is dangerous only in some covert form
or as the result of en- insidious break
ing down of obligations. But it must
not be supposed that the sentiment of
honest payment can be turned to par
ty fanaticism which will blindly support
the raising of the obligation of the debt.
The greatest danger to the public faith
is.lrom, those who would impair the sane
THY of the,contract with the bondhold-
eis by changing its conditions. And we
had better resist any reputation of the
greenbacks. To say that they are not
lawful payment for debts specifically
contracted under them, is to condemn
as reputation the act which made them
lawful payment for not less than $1,000
millions of private and municipal debts
that were not contracted under them.
After such an assumption the idea of
reputation would have been made
dangerously familliar.-[Cin. Gazette.