Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-02-16
Question of the Hour-HoW the Pub
lie Debt is Being Paid.

Well, economy is wisdom and its
strict observance usually adds to a
mans life and health as well as to
his fortune.
But as TO what constitutes true
economy for the nation, there is just
as great diversity of opinion as there
is in laying down rules of economy
for individuals.
| One man cuts down his expenses
to bare life MISUNDERSTANDING So
stability and thinly as to lose public
respect, and be liable to i'll health
and short life, and to half starved
stomach and weakness for service.
Another dresses we'll and eats full,
but only half supplies his family
with victuals and clothes, and he neg
lects their education and mental Gull
ture, but drives them to hard work.
Such two classes of economists may
grow rich, but at the dearest expense
at last. The first dies in disgrace !;
the second rears family of which
he is ashamed poverty at last over
takes them -the result of either ig-
norance or crime, the father origin,
inally responsible.
A third and numerous class of
men talk perpetually of economy for
others bat never practice the like at
home. We hold in mind the record
of perhaps thousand men in Grant
County, commencing at their power
ty many years ago and reacing for
ward to their present status of wealth.
All these are doubly to six times
more extravagant in their wealth
than when we first knew them in
their poverty. But at least third
such still retain their original ideas
as to what should be the close and
stingy economy in all others but
themselves. All bnild fine houses
and add farm TO farm, and lay out
lots of money for tneries, yet still
complain that the government and
all others have grown to great ex>
travagance.
The naked truth is, all powers,
from congress 10 legislature, ana
from legislature down to our coun-
try, town and school district govern.
mont, have very nearly increased in
extravaganza along with the people
themselves. May be OF the two the
people are more recklessiy extraya-
CANT aud certainly more dishonest
than the government authorities.
Such being true statement 1T the
foundation Of things, we proceed to
answer
Congress cannot practice % better
economy than the people. 1t would
be unnatural and impossible to do so,
and to attempt the like would be t.
arouse an opposition that would
sweep any party from power. As
no government can be more virtuous
than the people, so can no govern
ment be more economical than those
who own and run such power.
Y 1ry well, then, the idea of level
ling the government down to bare
subsistence and calling it sound econ
omy is all b0si. Let the governs
ment go ahead, only minding to OBJ
serve slightly better morals and some
closer economy than the people, and
better state Of things cannot be
expected.
Finally, we tell frankly what
course is to be pursued in the matter
Of managing the public debt of two
thousand five hundred millions OF
dollars
Build railroads to the Pacific, sew
eral of them, and branches therefrom
through the mountains and valleys
of the west-using the public lands
in alternate sections therefor. En-
courage settlements, and induce en-
igration from the cast and from Eu.
rope, in view of developing the mills
lions of square miles for agriculture
and mining. illinois was speedily
reclaimed from barrenness and sava.
ges, and made worth q thousand mile
lions of wealth and peopled with
millions, all by means of The Illinois
Central Railroad. Vastly more than
all this may be done in a quarter OF
the time by means of these Pacific
railroads and connections. And the
process will not only beget new
world west of the Mississippi, with
millions Of settlers and thousands of
millions of new wealth, but also
contribute fourth or = third to the
wealth of the people in the old states,
reckoning Wisconsin among them.
And all this without adding any thing
to the national debt
Well, is it not clear that by thus
more than doubling the national
wealth we virtually reduce the MAJ
tional debt to half what it now is.
And will not such debt be easier
paid with such an immense increase
OF basis, easier by half or more ?
Say man owes u thousand dollars
and is cramped to pay it. Double
his wealth and will it not virtually
sink his debt to half and also light
en- his burthen so he will scarcely feel
it?
Almost every we'll doing man in
Grant County has doubled or quad
rupled his wealth since 1862. Well,
double it again "A seven years, and
what? Why, his part of the national
debt will be but half so much, rela-
lively.
And such is the intent of every
progressive man of first rate intelli-
genee in the country. 1t is the in
tent of the government to so man
age by enriching the people, or by
putting great facilities Of fortune in
their way SOFAS to make the most of
everything, that the national debt
will never hurt anybody, not even
those whose nature is to look upon
the dark side of things.
We believe in going ahead, and in
judicious expenditures for all works
of utility, of convenience, of glory
all these consistent with character
and honor. We are still in the full
faith that America is ever to DO the
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