The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1869-11-29
yERACTTY.

In speaking on this subject, the Par
kersbnrg Journal man takes serious Of
fence because We branded a statement
made by him in his editorial columns as
false. The statement referred to was
made in reply to an article which was
Published in this paper, and was, in sub
stance, that 1.-The Public Debt had been
decreased $50, 900, 900 90 since the pre-
sent Administration came iuto power"
For disputing this, and proving it to be
false by the of5ci1l repor: Of The Secre,a-
~ Of the Treasury, tho gcntlcmanly O.
editor Of the Journal exhausts his vocab.
ulary upon our devoted head. He now
sdmits that his assertion was rash"
and proves b. the facts AID figures which
he gives, that on the 1st inst, according
to TIE report OF Secretary Boutwell,, tina;
the debt had actually been decreased but
S2,lI3,750 G5, since the lst of March
last, instead Of S56,OQO, 900 90, as he
heretofore asserted. Well, we suppose,
in ;hcse degenerate times, radical officials
ruch as the reliable O. editor Of the
journal, have come to look upon the tri-
de Of $4,000 900 90 as mere bags
telle-not worthy Of their attention. But
to the facts: The Journal r1an, in the
article to which VIC replied, asserted
broadly, and without any mental reser-
vation" perceptible 10 tbs naked eye,
that ''thc public debt had been decreased
since the 1st of March, 1869. to the LIST
of October, 1863, S56,OO0,00O 90"
Now he admits that he has boen-to use
avery mild expression, mistaken to the
amount of nearly S54,000,000 90, and
that the debt has decreased but triae
! over 100000 90. If We were dis
posed to use what the gentleman O. calls
broad English" We think tnat we
should be safe il saying that the gentle
man @ has been proven = liar on: of his
own mouth
Bnt the gentleman C?) accuses US Of
attempting to take water" (Which, By
the way, he has never been accused Of
since whiskey was iOrentod,) because we
asserted that the Public Debt had been
increased, since the close of the war,
S279. 100000 %.
We did make this assertion, and what
is mole to the point, proved it so clearly
that the gentleman O. is unable to deny
it, and therefore he attempts to get away
from the memorable logic of facts by say
ing chat
"Witbin the past four years over
S10O, 900, 900 have been paid as bounty
to soldiers. And this is what disturbs
the equilibrium of all Democrats. It's q
fearful waste Of treasury to pa bounty to
a brave and patriotic sold;ery who saved
our country from anarchy. 1t is an un-
pardonable crime for our Government to
deal with the defenders ofthe old flag as
it did with the patriots of the revolution
and of the var nf 1870"
Very well : admitting that the Gov
0rnment has paid S1O0,OOO,OO0 as
bounty to soldiers during the past four
years, will..the gentleman C?) tell US what
has become of the rest of the
$1,000. OOo,O 900 90 collected from the
people during the same time? Did the
payment of this S1O0,O0G,0QO alouo
cause the Public Debt to increase
S279, 600, 900 90, as the gentleman O.
admits it did? Verify, We think the
Journals advice would apply With great
force to the gentleman @ who presides
ever its columns.
Blu: the gentleman (?) in order to draw
attention from the real question q. issue,
insinuates that We, in common vita the
Democracy, are Or were opposed to pay
ing bounty to soldiers. This is simply
false, and nothing more. 1t does not
even rise to the dignity Of baretaced
lie. 1t is so!eIy the trick of demagosus
and is unworthy Of the reputation for
fairness to which the gentleman (?) pre-
tends. But-and We would like the
gentleman @ to answer-whsn did the
Government ever grant pensions to the
soldiers of 1872? Our grandfather wss
one of the defenders" in those days, and
We had the honor to be defender" in
tho late war, but we never learned that
the Government had pensiOned the SOL
diers of 1872
But to the main question. The gen
tleman says that we include the bonds is
sued to the Pacific Railroad in our c,ti-
mate of the debt, and asks
as this fair? Can they be consider