The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1878-10-31

A short time ago we spoke of very
able article in the October number OF the
Atlantic Monthly which we desired to
publish. 1t is copyrighted, and we wrote
to the publishers of the Atlantic for per-
mission to publish it, and here is their
answer:
"BosToN. Oct 49, 1878.
Mr. DAVIS MAoKLEY. Jackson. Ohio.
Dear Sir:-The article you refer to in
your iavor OF 18th, is one OF special value
to the Atlantic, and we must refuse you
permission to reprint it in full in your pa
per. We have no objection, however, to
your p, hitting few extracts from it, with
due credit to the magazine.
Yours Truly,
"HoUGHToN OsGooD IL Co
We publish this week the following ex-
tract, and suppose the October No. OF the
Atlantic can be secured through the book
sellers Of this place.
THE intensity of interest which the
slavery question at last aroused, and the
peculiar direction which it gave to the
thought OF our people, left no time or vi
tality for matters pertaining to the sci
ence OF government. That agitation un-
avoidably exaggerated the sentimental
character which already marked our pol
itics, and gave them an impulse toward
Humanitarian and intuitve methods
which has not yet spent its force. The
war destroyed hundreds of millions OF
dollars worth of property, and the gov
ernment was compelled to borrow some
two thousand millions of dollars to ena-
BILE it 10 continue the struggle and main
tain the existence of the nation These
two facts are, for any study of our present
national lite and conditions, the signifi-
cant features and results of that contest
The more dramatic accompanimets the
emancipation of the slaves and the man
agement of the revolted States after the
war, have had far less influence upon the
life and thought OF our people. With
our national wealth or productive prop
erty so terribly reduced, and with the
new, strange burden OF an enormous debt,
there was but one course of wisdom and
safety,-that of the most rigid economy
But by a remarks ble delusion our people
came to regard the paper money, every
note of which was certificate and re-
minder OF Indebtedness and loss of prop
erty, as a real and boundless addition to
our wealth, which not only made good
our material losses, but made us far rich
er than we had been before the war
Under the influence of this astounding
error the people and the government
plunged at once into reckless extrava-
gance of expenditure, thus greatly in
creasing the loss which the nation had
suffered by the war. The heroic sacrifice
and endurance of the people during the
war should have passed atterward into
the form of self denial and Remuneration
of luxury till our debts were paid. But
there was very little effort to pay what
we owed On the contrary, the indebt-
enness of the nation, and of the States,
cities, and towns of the country, was pro
digiously increased Most people lost
their heads and acted as if debts were
never to be paid, and as if wealth with
out limit could be created at will by acts
OF Congress authorizing the issue of pa
per promises to pay. still farther re-
duction, of enormous extent, of the wealth
of the nation was caused by the z, neral
purchase and construction of things