The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-08-17
MunicipaI RaacaIItv.

For some months we have heard
the mutterings Of threatened repu-
diation from three or four of the
counties of this State, but suppos-
ed 1t was only the great annual
grumbie which is heard from the
same sources every time they are
required to pay anything, or are
baked In their chronic desire to
get something. for nothing.
Recent events have, however,
shown that there is moro than the
usual grumble to be feared, that
there is in a few counties 8 grow
ing disposition to deliberately re-
pudiate their municipal obliga-
tons, thereby forever running
their own credit, and injuring that
of the whole State.
At the meeting of the Board of
Commissioners of Leavenworth
county, Aug. 9th, 1877, a large
crowd assembled in their room,
and declared that If q levy was
made to pay the interest on their
railroad bonds, ''they would not
pay another dollar of taxes for
anything" The Commissioners
declined to make the levy, whether
through fear of the mob or not,
is not stated.
The next day q mass meeting
assembled at the court house, and
passed a long string of resolutions,
the pith of which was an offer to
their creditors to pay thirty cents
on a dollar Of the face Of their OBJ
legations without accrued interest
or costs, and threat that If their
offer was not accepted, they would
pay nothing.
The only other counties affected
by this deadly poison, are Atchi-
son, Douglas and Franklin; every
one of them is as able to pay their
large debts, as the newer and poor
er counties are to pay their smaller
ones.
In the same paper from which
we get the above information, we
find an article headed, ''The whole
State in the fight" which calls a
meeting of County Commissioners
at Lawrence for tho 27th inst,
"where the matter of railroad
bonds will be the only subject of
discussion. In other words, to
discuss the propriety of stealing
the bread of widows and orphans,
whose means of support are invest
ed in your promises to pay. O.!
shame where is thy blush.
Suppose you have made q bad
bargains that good reason for
repudiation? Apply the same rea-
soning to. individuals, and exon
crate every man from the results
of bad speculation. Let every
man who has failed to realize his
expectations be relieved from all
obligations to pay.
In some of the leaders of this
movement we recognize well
known money lenders. Do they
forgive the borrower his debt when
he says he is unable to pay? Not
a bit of it. They take all he has
got, and then hold judgment for
the balance over him, hoping that
he may some day earn some more
money.
Yes, gentlemen, the whole State
is in the fight, but you will find it
enlisted In one solid column ON
the other side. The people of Kan
sas would welcome, q thousand
times, floods and famines, drouths
and locusts, rather than embrace
your horrible communistic doc
trines. The people are thoroughly
honest. 1t is only temporarily, in
times of depression and distress,
that demagogues and shysters are
able to lead them astray.
We are among those who have
always stood by our own cities,
through good report and evil re-
port, hoping against hope, fighting
against fate, trusting that some
one of them would rise to the lev
ell of the occasion, seize and hold
the scepter of power in our own
State. But if their precepts and
example are to be followed, if their
baneful influence is to permeate
our whole commonwealth, it were
better that they should be forever
blotted from the map of Kansas,
and their names be known only as
q byword among men. We cannot,
we will not believe, that any COM
munity win deliberately commit
suicide. Better counsels must pre-
vail before . rich and populous
|cOuntv will brand itaelf a c0Tnmn.