The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-12-03


able with Inconsistency because raey cls'sA
"a be 10 favor Of a rsxdlustment Of the pue-
lie debt. We cannot but hugh heartily
when we read the terms emp loyed by ssvne
az our esteemed contemr oraries OF the
MAmoxB persuasion whcl they un&crtske
10 describe the offence thus commEsed by
the runders. Instead OF rtjpiciuethatthe!
have gained vlcsSyin thus bri~esug their
onnonen,s over 10 yheir side-teSis Us yheiI
cisim. not our adsHssIon-t seem 70 feel
ma RyAsr Bur18n felt when, saving heard
shat UAves baA {urned over toe State gov
ernnesss II Aonisiana and South Carolina
90 the Democrats, he exclaimed, eve have
raiued great defeat" They mourn that
they bayerIiumphed ever whilst pasIming
~yklory. Possibly. like ALtxsNBrR, tSey
weep becas.e they have no more worlds TO
CONQUER. Every body, S6ey say, rs now for
reimbursement. And yer they are not happy.
But why not: Why ure the Mshoneites
dissari-xsd with the present position OF the
regular Democrats II clt't be that they
are ~ silly as 10 imagine that they "can
r,&tsast the State az and by andfor them.
sehcs. II their ps,ncipal object were the
settlement OF the vexea question, they
would clap their bands Cor Joy because
Of the prospect Of the removal of a
troublesome subject from the position
n has so long occupied rs disiurber OF
she peace OF the Conservative party. The
very fact hat they dep'ore the -swcces. OF
readjustment Is evidence enough that there
d something else that Is much more i'm
portaut in their estimaiion. They need
and want hobby upon which 10 ride into
officp. They Wish 10 send EIDDL sBERGER
10 the United States Senate; put MASSEY
into the eubti ua,oI,al chair; elect hye or
six more Mahoneites 20 Congress; hold on
20 the Capitol Offices, control the next
Legislature; aud feather the nests OF
all the lesdiBg and most noisy OF
their hungry tribe. ReaGiustment Is
lust Whit they do not desire to see
accompli, he'd il The regular Democratic
party Is to have the resultant benefits and
the M,boneitcs are to ENJOY no donors nor
emoluments except such a. they can secure
for themselves in fair competition with the
talented gentlemen who constitute the lead
ers OF The Democratic party. ANDREW
JOHNSON once said to the present writer
that, like julius CESAR, be would rather be
the first man in an Alpine village Than the
second man in Rome. There is something
OF ANDREW JOuNsoN's feeling in The prefe-
renee OF RIDDLrBEEGER, MGHoNE, FCLKER.
son, MASSEY & Co. for leadership IN such
party as theirs over an~ObScure career in the
ranks OF party headed by the natural lead.
ers OF the people. To acquiesce in plan
OF reimbursement which should deprive them
of q bobby-h0rse would be to remand them
selves TO their proper position in the ranks,
they fear.
Blu, are The regular Democrats chargeable
with Inconsistency because they favor lie.
adjustment OF The public debt? Surely not.
The Convention OF 1877 that nominated
Governor HOLIDAY put bin upon a plat
form which declared for readj ustment. The
LEGISLATURE that passed he Met ULLoCH dill
passed it as measure OF readiusIment.
There were many voters who thought in 1873
that the State could AMI ought TO pay 6 per
cent. interest upon all her public debt, who
yet came 10 the conclusion in 1879 that
whether the State was able 10 pay more or
not the people had made up their minds that
they would not pay so high a rate Of inter.
esf, and VITO therefore in Inc latter year sup
ported the MCCULLocH bill. They accommo'
dated themselves to changed circumstances.
Rather han see Vrgnia's creditors defraud.
ed out Of all their rights. they accepted bill
which they may not have reg irtled as doing
full justice 10 the Londhoiders- but which
had bees accepted by these and was better
than any bill likely 10 be passed at a later
day They knew that In the matter Of re.
pudiatinR just debts, as in other bad prac-
tices, "iucrease OF appetite grows by what
IL feeds upon" The immortai"3 doubt !
less voted for The MCCuLL0CH settlement,
and never dreamed that they were laying
them elves open TO q charge OF gross iDcon- |
sisteoey, or OF any degree OF Inconsistency. |
And shey were not inconsistent. They |
were consistent In their desire and 10 their |
efforts FOR ieadiustment OF the public |
debt upon the best terms possible. They |
wished the state to be honest; aud they
COuutSu VI HoHcst W w tue bSst tbcy CVuiu
for the States creditors. They feared TO go
further ssd fare worse.
Wei. here we are again. The people ere
understood tahave declared against the Nc.
CuLLoCs bill in 1879. We say nothing on
this point at present. But the Mahoneites |
assevers'e with unceasibg pertinaciiy and |
endless rei@litsons that such was the e,se.
Then so be II. What next? Shall the
Debt-Paver~ ssrhbornly refuse to bulge a
step further andjsIow the State to drift into
repudia'ieSs Sh&i they leave the subject
TO be disposed Of by the Mahoneites, and
turn the ststf's soreftors over 10 The tender |
mereies 81 the men who advocate RIDDLE.
BERGER's reradiation rigma.oIe? Never.
II Is their duty TO pick their hIpts and try |
again. They cannot s&ivest themselves Of |
their responsibility for tie States conduct
IL they allow her without protest to
DRIFT in,o The mselsLrom OF Reputation,
fhey cannot hold themselves guUiIe.s.
They must DO their duty 90 good citi gems.
And thai duty Is 10 itAdsu tbe State debt
INSTEAD OF lowing IT 10 be repudia,,Si
This duty they can perform not only wifh~
out being cbaiecable with inconsistency.
bat witDa Gear conscience and an unspotted
record Let Them stand up nobIy for the
right a. the right appears TO thu ~, and they
viii come of conquerors In the end. The I
work OF 1881 ia 10 he the sfttiemebt Of Vir.