The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1882-01-21
Reputation, State and Federal.

Reputation, State and Federal.
1t is well that the President and such
Republicans as Senator Hoar OF Massa-
chusetts and Judge Noah Davis OF New
York should be made to understand ex-
actly what they have been doing in en-
couraging the canvass of Malone in Vir-
ginia. The one issue which divided the
voters of that State at the last election
was raised by the Riddleberger bill.
The preamble of that bill sets forth that
the people of Virginia will never acqui-
esce in any settlement which recOg-
nizes as part of the State debt "the
interest which accrued during the war
and the period of reconstruction" That
is to say, Virginia will not pay the in
terest which accrued during the war OF
q debt which she confessedly owed at
the beginning of the war. As some of
the interest thus accrued has been actu-
ally paid under honest administration.
the bill provides that the principal shall
be scaled down. By some arithnaetical
hocus-pocus the scaling down is made
to amount to forty-sevcn per cent on
one class of Indebtedness and to thirty
four per cent. on another. The State
has solemnly acknowledged the validity
of the whole of both these glasses
of Indebtedness. The State has now,
by the assistance of the President of
the United States, been given into the
hands of a party which proposes to re-
pudiate one-third of this Indebtedness
with exactly the same show of Justice
that it would have for repudiating the
whole of the debt. And this President
of the United States is the same Ches-
ter A. Arthur who last year in accept
ing nomination for the Vice-Pres dem
cy pointed to the reputation of the
debts of Southern States as a reason
why the Democratic party should not be
intrustod with the Government of the
United States!
Perhaps the best method of settling
the question would be for some State
to purchase bonds of Virginia and to
sue on those bonds in q Federal court.
Virginia would, of course, plead the
Riddleberger bill. as soon as lit was
| passed, as its excuse for not paying.
The case would then go to the Supreme
Court Would that court decide the
Riddleberger bill unconstitutional and
/
der Federal process? Or would it de-
eide the bill unconstitutional and
thus notify the world that there
was no method in the United
States of collecting a debt from
a State which was unwilling to
pay. and by upholding reputation in
Virginia announce its readiness to up
hold the reputation of the public debt
of the United States? There can be no
quibbling about the difference in the
degree Of obligation of Virginia and of
the obligations of the United States.
Chester A. Arthur, now President of
the United States, wrote to Mr.. Geo.
F. Hoar, in letter accepting the
Republican nomination for the Vice.
Presidency: "There is danger in in
trusting the control of the whole law
making power of the Government to a
party which has in almost every South
ern State repudiated obligations quite as
sacred as those to Uhich the faith Of the
Nation now stands pledged" Here is
the statement of the President of the
United States that the obligations which
he has been hard at work helping Ma
hone to induce the people of Virginia
| 10 repuulate are quiJo d SdCIcu nc
the public debt of the United States. II
will be noble and inspiring spectacle
to see the author of this statement
packing the Supreme Court or lobbying
with its members to secure the passage
of a decision that the Riddleberger bill,
which is an open and unblushing act Of
robbery, is constitutional And no man
in his senses doubts that the President Of
the United States will do precisely thai
thing if Malone demands it as the price
of his adherence to the Republican ma
joritv in the Senate, and if Malone!
adherence continues as necessary to the
Republican majority as it is now. 1t il
perfectly evident that Reputation IL
Virginia has only been made possible BY
: the active efforts of the Republican
: party, including the President, in III
behalf. And the President, who ha!
! done his best to bring it about, has de
clared that the obligations OF Virgins
} which he has helped Malone to repu
, diate are "quite as sacred" as the obi
cations which constitute the public deb
Of the United States.--N y World.
"A New Haven Conn. young WON