New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-09-13
THE REsPECrABILITY or NATIONAL


RdSCALTTY.
The World puts on airs III reference TO our
plain dealing with those who would rcpudate
the National Debt and defraud the public
creditors by means of what we regard as the
Greenback swnde. 1t says:
owe know 10 sound rule OF morals manners which
can Justify the editor Of THE TRIBUNE in denonncing
Thomas Ewing as knave account OF a difference OF
opinion respecting the payment OF the public debt There
are more men IN ONO and AS many men IN New YORK.
pany or the administrator OF an estate qua
Of orphan chdrenas many in part OF the country
airy capacity the eGtOr OF The TRIBUNE IL would BIO
preposterous for the latter to say ~ his paper mat ne en-
lows solid reputation for integrity, or for ability
in the Interpretation or statutes or Tor SOUND Judgment
questions OF finance than the great ono lawyer ana
Wing xSecretary OF the Treasury In all such points OF
comparison 1t is no dsparagement OF the editor OF THE
TRIBUNE say that the country does not recognize IN
him such moral superiority scan make II consistent
with mOdesy decOrum for him to affect to look down
upon Mr.. Ewing as a knave."
To which THE TRIBUNE makes answer that
it Judges people by the sound old rule that
" Handsome is who handsome does" Gov.
A. G.. McNutt, Col Jefferson Davis, and other
Democratic politicians who swindled the bond
holders of Mississippi out OF their honest dues,
in defiance of the judgment of their own Court
of last resort, were thoroughly respectable per-
sons so far as we know; but Reputation is
Reputation, and rascality is rascaity, just the
same as if they had all been the veriest black
guards on earth. The same rule holds with
regard to Mr.. Thomas Ewing. who was once a
Wing and an honest man, but is now Cop
perhead and a Pendletonian.
Tile World proceeds:
"Mr Ewing, to be sure believes that, according to the
terms OF the law, the hye.twenty bonds payable
creenbacks but however mistaken this opinion may be-
absurd to that IL which honest man cannot
hold The financial legislation OF the Republican party
and its action under H. such botch and tumble
give place to reasonable difference Of opinion THE
TRIBUSE ia constantly damaging the public credit, for
which it affects an excess of zeal, by representing
large portion OF our cOuntTymen as Intentionally dshOn
est, and disposed TO violate plain obligation In pro
must suffer- aud nobody has taken such pains to propa
gate u as the editor OF THE TRIBUNE. IL he
tegent friend OF the public credit he would admit that
have repudiatonists IN the country worth naming
that the geenbaek men are just steadily IN favor OF
the gold men; that the two classes do not differ
at all in integrity but only in their honest Views Of the
meaning OF the law
To which responds THE TRIBUNE
Either the public creditors were swindled by
those who sold them the bonds and those who
urged them to invest their means therein, or
those who now propose to pay those bonds in
Greenbacks, and to issue Fourteen Hundred
Millions of new ones for that purpose, are intent
on swindlng them. There is no further alter
native. Now, we did our utmost, through the
long years of our National agony and peril, to
induce every one who had 500, $500, $1,000,
$1,000, or any larger amount that he could
spare, to invest it in the National Debt. We
persuaded our readers to sell farms and houses,
! to realize on every kind of property or Sc
curity, and invest the proceeds in the United
| States bonds which were issued from
day to day to arm and clothe, equip
and fit out, feed and pay, our vast
armies. We assured them that the investment
was the best they could make-that the Rebel
lion would probably be put downfall the
War at any rate must end-and that so sure
as the Nation survived the terrible ordeal, they
would be paid the principal and interest Of
their bonds in gold. There were due bills
issued by the Government called Certificates
of Indebtedness enThrties, &c, which
were payable III Greenbacks. as was fully de-