The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-09-01
The BourbOns OF Virginia.

favor of equal rights and exact justice.
several varieties of freedom, and fair
elections, and gives utterance to rather
more than the customary profusion of
glittering generalities. A party that
should declare against the cardinal vir-
tues and openly repudiate the principles
of justice and decency would be nov
city, but one that vehemently denies
that it is opposed to an honest ballot and
fair count shows a consciousness that
charge to that effect is not wholly un-
founded. The Bourbon platform maxi
ers carefully avoided being explicit on
any practical question affecting the
rights of citizens. They do not men
ton colored citizens, to recognize their
equal rights and give assurance of their
capitation tax which has been the in
strument of curtailing the suffrage, and
they make no reference to any practical
measures for securing those blessings OF
freedom of which they profess to have
so much admiration. They are already
known by their deeds, and their profess
sionS are to be taken merely as forced
tribute to the principles of their adver-
saries.
But it is with reference to the debt
question that these Conservative DEM
ocrats make their most conspicuous dis
play of hypocrisy. They have been
loudly claiming that what chiefly dis
tinguished them from the so-called Re-
adjusters was faithful regard for the
credit and honor of the State and a firm
determination to meet all its obligations
to the last dollar. They have been
parading as the party of honesty and of
fidelity to public obligations, expressing
.has, oN 4l. Is
and inviting confidence and support by
their lofty professions of integrity. And
yet no sooner do they meet in conven-
tion and contemplate the question on
which they are expected to take issue
with the Readjusters before the people
than they make a complete surrender
Of their virtuous position. By their
action they acknowledge the strength
Of the Readjuster movement, show that
they are afraid of public sentiment, and
yield the whole ground to their oppo-
nents. Practically, there is no differ
ence on the debt question between the
Bourbons and Readjusters.
The Bourbons, of course, make
virtuous flourish of sentiment. They
say that the maintenance of the public
credit of Virginia is the essential means
to the promotion of her prosperity;"
they "condemn Reputation in every
shape and form as a blot upon her honor,
blow at her permanent welfare, an OBJ
stacle to her progress" etc. This is all
very fine, but what do they propose to
do? Continuing to pirate of "hon-
or" Justice and "sound public pol
icy," they finally work themselves
down to plain proposition to unity the
debt into a single class of three per
cent. bonds, and then they pledge the
party "as part of its policy not to in
crease the present rate of taxation"
What is the sense of talking about pay
ing debts, and, regardless of what may
be necessary for the purpose, making q
pledge not to increase taxationp The
Readjuster platform, ia referring to tho
debt question, merely reasserts its ad-
herence to the plan embodied in the
Riddleberger bill, and it so happens
that the measure, much maligned by
Bourbons, is based simply on a three
per cent bond and no increase in the
rate of taxation. 1t has the great mer-
it over the Bourbon declaration of be-
ing practical and business-like. In the
numerous ''whereases" of the pream-
BILE to the Riddleberger bill is one to the
effect that "the existing rate of taxa
ton is recognized to be the highest that
of the long distress and heavy burdens
of this people," That is the start
ing-point of the whole business.
Then it is calculated what reve-
nue. can be relied on as the pro-
J duct of this rate of taxati on and the
assessment provided for by law. 1t is
/ shown how much of this will be required
for the necessary expenses of the Gov
ernment, latter adopting and applying
every practicable measure of reform
and economy" and how much for the
maintenance of public schools as re-
quired by existing law. The balance is
1 stated as the amount applicable to the
| liquidation of the States obligations.
| Then the nominal debt is adjusted, on
principles for which some sort of equity
IS claimed, so that when taken up IN the
new three per cent. bonds its require
ments will be fairly met without an in
crease of the rate OF taxation.
This is not an honest method of deal.
ing with public debts. Little can be
claimed for it on lofty considerations OF
honor and regard for public credit
But it is practical and business
like. Having determined to pay
only three per cent. interest and not
to increase the rate of taxation,
the Readjusters simply trim and
fit the debt to the requirements oi
the case, claiming all the while that
what they lop off is not fairly due any.
how. Now, what do the Bourbons do
or rather what do they declare as the
basis of their actionP They pronounce
for three per cent, interest and no in.
crease of the rate of taxation. The
Riddleberger bill proposed the best
that can be done on that basis, and i
the Bourbons undertake to do more
they will simply fail, and. after new de
faults, the debt question will still re-
main to be settled. Nothing could
better show the shallow hypocrisy o.
the Bourbon professions ON the subject
of the public credit and the honor o
Virginia. So far as there is anything
to choose between the Conservative
Democratic Party and the Readjustel
Party on the debt question, it IL il
favor of the latter, which puts its propo
sition into practical form and pledges
itself to carry it out. On all points
but the debt question the Readjusters
have everything in their favor,-M Y
Times.
R1-The Ohio Democrats are cas-
down by the discovery that there are
some things in politics which even &
.F. f,,l