Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-06-15
what about the state Debt ?

Lexington (Va..) Gazette.
The recent movement among the far
mers of Augusta, of which mention was
made in last weeks Gazette" undoubt-
edly forshadows reputation party in that
county
It is no wonder that such party has an
existence. The Conservative party OF the
State, in it's management of the State debt
has invited it. Nothing but incompetent
cy and timidity has marked its course IN
its dealings with this subject, until the re-
cent session.
Why, Just now, when the first movement
is being made looking towards its solution
in the passage of the whiskey tax bill the
reputation party should take body and
shape is very easily accounted for. A few
more years of mismanagement on the part
of the Conservative party would have piled
up the debt, so that it would have been
practically repudiated. But its leaders
saw that delay was dangerous, something
pieces on this rock. The whiskey bill is
introduced. 1t was fought from the start
by the regulators, but was finally passed.
Sufficient revenue is promised under 1t to
meet all our obligations why not await
its issue and see?
The regulators are afraid these promises
may prove true. The demagogue will lose
his text, and he retired from public life.
He must strike now or his game is lost +;
hence these Augusta resolutions We have
no doubt there are men in Augusta who
are in favor of regulating the debt, but
they are few. They lobbied against the
Whiskey tax bill, and we have the author
ity of the VIND1CAToR for saying they are
the same men who engineer this move
ment. Why spring this question just now
when the party is making a first effort to
grapple the question. It is either done
through ignorance or knavery.
The State of Virginia is at least free from
any large local debts. Fifty counties re-
port no debt at all, and among this fifty
stands Augusta. There are only half
dozen that have debts of any considerable
/ amount, the remainder have small debts
amounting in no single instance to a mat
( ter of any Importance. Whence comes
| this complaint about burdensome taxation.
and opposition to every movement looking
to solution of the debt question by pay
ing it?
| It comes from counties that have no To-
cal debt OF burden, except large number
| of demagogue politicians. They want
Office, and must of necessity agitate to
get them. They tell the people they are
taxed to death, and that the debt must be
repudiated, or they will go under. There
is no subject the demagogue knows so lit.
tie about and yet makes more capital OF
than the State debt. Nine-tenths OF them
rail at the Funding Bill and for the life OF
them they could not tell any one what
the Funding Bill was. This opposition
| to the payment of the State debt does not
| proceed from those who have large taxes
to pay.
We have never heard of a reputation
party IN old Rock bridge, and her debt is
larger than that of any other county in the
State. Her taxes are paid promptly, he1
insolvent lists are small and her people
are not especially oppressed. True, we
| feel the burden, but we have never thought
of repudiating it. Our farmers are living
we'll, are improving their farms, their
stock, and grumble as little about taxes as
they did when the rate was 40 cents on the
| 500, People always growl more or less
when the county treasurer asks for the
States quota. Surely, if ever any people
had cause for complaint it is the people OF
Rockbridge, but we hear of none. Why is
it2 Simply because we have few dema-
gogues, and our people think honesty the
best policy in the long run.
Where are the people who want to repu-
diate? Take the list oil counties, and in
every single instance where we have heard
of reputation party it is in county
without local debt, and in most cases pay
small amounts to the public treasury. The
whole movement is one started by dema-
goges for their own personal advancement,
and taken up by ignorant OF mischievous
followers.