The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-02-03

honest debt, voluntarily contracted, can be dis
charged save by payment I'M principal ana
interest. IL one has contracted debt, there
fore, and gotten for itaYaluable consideration,
he must pay 1t, or forever afterwards nc heid
infamous. Lawmakers cannot help MN.
They may stay the remedy of the creditor,
but the moral obligation remains the same.
The debt must lie paid, If the debtor would
he held nm honest man, though there ne
hundred laws enabling him to escape his just
obligations. The saying Of the stole phlioso-
uher. myon can't have something for mo-
thing" though 1t sounds like tr1Iisin, In
fact CONVEYS moral lesson of great slsnI1l.
cance. You must pay for privileges. II
you do not paw voluntarily you should be
made to pay. This Is the difficulty with the
present Reputation party in this State. Ihcy
want something for nothing. They have
gotten their railroads, and canals, and pubic
buildings, and do not want to pay iof theHl.
The Dernicious notions upon this sunJcct
that have gotten among the people 1lnd cS,
preston through their representatives, anu
indicate n most dcplorable dccadencc III an
cient Virginia morals and ancient srsilil
honesty. The good old Virginia farmer, who
obcvei the laws, lived within his income,
ard paid his debts, has passed away y new
order of things has arisen. Tho Time mas
come when men seek wealth by every path
but the plain and regular one OF honesI III !.
dustry and honest fame. The STATE Is luli vi
dcmacosrcs recommending the system OF
Jeremy Bidder in the farce, Of wearing COST
" clothes and drinking the finest wines at
other peoples expense; Of living nom hlilu
TO mouth, and not caring what happens SO IL
doesn't happen to ones sell. spllit VI eA,
pcdiency is inculcated both in puDllc ana
private liie--a spirit of prottsion, such ~
characterized the Arch Conspirntor at Rome,
who was alicni aridus, SUI protusus--coVe.t-
Gus Of others property, and prodlsal Wlt1
his own. The Stats and country IS ulleu
with gaping cxpectants OF once, VINO
think it more honorable to live ny
their wits and place-huntIng than p5
honest industry. These fellows contract
debts which they cannot pay, ana tnen sliul-
fe them of by means Of bankrupt laws ana
bomc>tcad bills. the fungi that have sprung
ROW onr social chaos. And what do we
see daily? Bankrupts emerging from an
rrlio,lit,ated indebtedness Of thousands into
oDulance and ease and defiant independence,
sIlrh a they have never before known. eucn
mon, having no characters to lose themselves,
are puxioua 10 involve all others Ill their OWN
DISGRACE. They are not only willing to repu-
di1tc their public obligations. but Their pri-
| yatc obligations, past and to come. Iheir
idaa of perfect bliss is place where the Vti-
gar necessity Of paying for privileges ana
| injuries is not imposed upon any one-a de-
| lirl,tful Ell Dorado where That lEopsfer Debt
| is unknown. Out of such material it is easy
to construct rcpudiation party, anu just
| s,,ch material as this constitutes the present
reputation party CT Virginia. This party,
as evidenced by lis cxponcnts i'll the Lesl5la-
turc, has lost all shame, aud cEemplheS 4
beautiful and very just observation OF one Oh
| the finest writers, that men, banded together
| in q common cause, will collectively DO that
| at which every individual Of the comDlna-
| ton would spurn.
We trust such party will lie7cr obtain
rootEoi,l in Virginia. We trust the Lcglsla-
ttre, il not from motives OF honesty, at least
Influenced by policy, will provide for the
paymcnt of caci! cent of the State Indebted
cdncss, for which she has gotten and is enjoy
ing full consideration. We trust this will be
done though it takes all our money, all our
lands. all cur horses, all the furniture, and oil
the clothes in the Commonwealth, down to
] The shirt OF every man and the pcttcoat Oh
| every woman. The State owes oil, ana the
law gives all. The State has issued her bonds
to creditors who cOn1ided implicitly i'll her
honor: and it is az much swinding to issue
bonds with intent not to pay as 1t Is BUR
g!ary to break open house. II the State is
unable to ray, she is bankrupt, and like
other hankrupts should surrender up all her
property. II she is able to pay, and will
not, she is fraudulent bankrupt. The sans
reasoning applies TO States ns to individuals,
and the fact that no execution lies against
the body-politic, though it affects the power
Of recovery, by no means diininishcs the
moral obligation.