New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-12-06
THE HARDSHIP or PAYHENT

THE HARDSHIP or RAJ HEAL
If ALWAYS seems to be the easier way not
70 nav. II never is, TO be sure; but the men
who owe and who look upon the vulgar
transaction of payment as hardship 10 DC
avoided wholly, or in some way tempered 10
their circumstances and feelings, look upon
,he avoidance of their obligations as the
cbeapest and easiest way ont OF difficulty
Commercial "smartness consists not so much
in deyisine means to pay as III lnventhG
excuses for not paying. Polllc" sh,ai'-
mess consists in dong the same thihS
on q larger scale; i'll inyentIDg pIauslole
pIpteXts upon which communities anu
States may stave off payment entirely OF
make profitable compromise. The new Ma
tioual party is founded upon the assumption
that q nation can afford to scale down IT'S
honest obligations and force compromise
with it's creditors, and suffer 10 damage 10
its credit; indeed, that it is duty 1t owes It's
taxDaycrs and citizens to get M OF the
obligation of payment in any way ana by
any means rather than pay. Perhaps 1T might
with Truth be more strongly stated, to W.T.
thar the fundamental principle of the party Is
that The best and easiest and the wiscat way
is not to pay at all, for that Is the lCai
intent and meaning of the effort Tor
nat money and unlimited grecnbacks. Ihe
difference between the various sealing pro-
ccsScs. such rs making the silver dollar OF W
cents lcgal-tcndgr for 100, or the lniittion OI
the currency and consequent dllutlon OF values
and the absolute reputation involved IN the
fiat money .i0ca, is only ON" of degree. Inc
advocates of the various schemes Tor making
money cheap all agree in the notion that 1t Is
necessary to cheat a little. II seems a ncccS-
sity Of their nature, and they THINK thcy are
doing n very mcrltOuOus thing when
thew offer a compromise to thc hon
est money sentiment in thc sealing pro-
cesscs which dcfraud the creditor just Ilt-
lie. eff you don't let Us cheat the creditor
"out Of 10 cents in the dollar 10y the re-
monedmtion Of silver" says Mr. Bland
"yyc will wipe out the whole debt as with
ga SPONGE" And that Is the tune the new
music is set to. ali you don't let us cheat
little, we will get up grand swmdle and
"ncyer pay a cent
1t is tins problem that they are wrestling
with lust now in Virginia. The State owes
money; honestly owes it; has had lts value
received for it, and bound itself to pay 1t. but
u large number Of voters in Virginia think
il would be much cheaper not to pay.
The number who are of this opinion
is so large that the advocates of honesty fad.
1t necessary to make terms with them in order
to get for the public creditor some portion Of
his claim. The Governor devoted a large pOT-
ton of his late message to the discussion OF
this question, which he says Is OF the utmost
importance. IL Is his desire that every non
oTable effort be made to harmonic conflicting
views, and secure a conclusion which Will es-
tlblI-h credit and prosperity. Their" are only
two ways open for an honorable settlement, lac
thinks; one is to pay in full. aud the
other to secure an amicablc adjustment with
the creditors. Reputation or iOrcible read
iustmcnt, he says, and with truth, would
bring ruin. But tho bugbear of the Gov
ernor, as, indeed, of the Legislature and the
whole people, is increased taxation. They
would like to pay the STATE debt, or have II
paid, if they could do it without taxing them
selves for the purpose. But the idea of iu
creasing taxation strikes them with sort
of horror, as if anything, even Reputation,
were better tnan that. And tho Gov
crnor leads them up to n suggestion OF 1t as
dreaded alternative with the greatest caution,
as though it was a subject not to be APP
preached except with solcmnity, nor handled
except in the most gngerly manner But i
increased taxation such a calamity that com
muuities should avoid 1t at the loss OF honor
and the sacrifice Of integrity and credit
There Is but one way TO pay debts, aud that IS TO
meet them SOU rely with your own money dol
larfor dollar. wirhoutq uibbling, evasion or hest
tatiOn. 1t requires the putting ones hand III
his pocket, ana then, perhaps, some sacrifice
and sclf-dcnial. But honest men and honest
communities do not shrink from facing the
facts even it they are unpleasant. Here i
the great and prosperous State Of Virginia
standing of in abject terror and dismay from
a debt honestly owed, because her people can
not bear the thought of taxation to pay it.
1t seems childish and absurd.
As for the hardship of it and the straits to
which honest dealing is liable to reduce her
citizens, much of the talk 10 this purpose is
nonsense Many New-EnGand town Is to-
day burdcned with debt much larger, in pro-
portion to It's ability to pay, than that which
u1ycs Virginia craftsmanship so much anxiety,
but there Is no talk OF Reputation, dodglng
or scaling. The citizens look the facts
calmly in the fice, and devote them
selves not to devlsuG means 20 get
rid = Of. but to raising the funds to
pay their obligations. Virginia legisla-
tors would do themselves great credit by
initiating So good an example There's alto
guther too much Of tins sneaking away from
the consequences OF our own plumbers or mis-
fortunes, upon the plea that we can't bear to
face them. There Is but one thing to do with
a debt, and that is to pay it. The sooner We
see that in tie Nation and in all the States the
sooner we shall get out Of the financial fog.
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