The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1885-12-24
The Public Debt.

1t is seldom that the NoRTHERNRR cares to
engage in newspaper controversy, political
or otherwise. However, its more or less es-
teemed contemporary. the Free Press and
Courier. has, on several occasions. taken
pains to preach to its readers on texts taken
from the columns of this paper. To this we
have. of course. not the slightest objection in
the world. Even the few lines of good re-
publican political gospel that it may. from
time to time, lay before its readers in the
form of extracts from the NoRTHERNEE, must
be an immense relief from the gloomy cloud
of bourbonism that so densely envelopes and
surrounds that redoubtable democratic sheet.
In its last issue il took the following "ower
true statement for its subject OF discourse:
No. only he's the present democratic administra-
lion not paid single dollar OF the public debt
during all the time has been In power but during
the month OF November, according to the statement
of tho secretary of the treasury there an actual
increase of nearly Ave millions OF dollars.
1t then proceeds to show, in its mind. the
untruthfulness and uniairness of the fore
going extract from this paper, and to dem
onstrate the ignorance of Its writer, as follows:
The above is q very cunning but withsl untruth-
ful statement. The evident purpose OF the item is
10 make the readers OF the NoRTHaRHER believe
that the present democratic administration has al
lowed the public debt to increase. No other inter
pretation can be placed upon It. That assumption
haiD true afth no Non tla
seorctary's report carefully, and commented upon
something of which 1t was ignorant, or It, through
ignorance or wilful partisanship, nnisrepresented
tho truth.
According TO Secretary Manning's annual report,
1he public debt March 4th, 1895, $685. 1913
and Nov. LIST, 1885, sI,A7, 657, 5es, or decrease
under the present democratic administration of
S5s,e5i,245. The NoRrHKRsxR cannot in any way
twist its statement into sembance Of truth. II IL
should reply that this apparent decrease consists of
increase OF s5sO5S of cash in the treasury,
it still remains true that there has been reduction
OF the debt; but the NoRrHERSER cannot escape
in that way If it would, for in the same sentence in
which IT says not single dollar has been paid 1t
also says during the month of November there was
an "actual increase Of nearly Ave millions" This
"actual increase Eve presume the SoRrHERSER,
btSduhS Vi hH IL uDpatr1OuC
enough TO wish II we're many times Ave millons)
consists of an actual decrease of the cash in the
treasury of S4ssTlss, applicable to payment Of the
National debt. II, according 20 the NoRTHHRSER,
there actual increase in the debt during No
yember, there has on the whole been a decrease of
over hfty-three millions Of dollars under the present
democratic administration.
The NoRrHERNER had no other purpose in
Publishing the article that forms the subject
vf the above criticism. than to lay before its
readers the exact facts of the case, and il
denies that, in SO doing, it commented on
anything of which it was ignorant, or that
through ignorance or wiful partisanship, it
in any way misrcpresentcd the truth. The
statement was adgisedly and carefully made
that, according 10 tho report ofthe secretary
of the treasury" there was az increase osthe
public debt for the month OF November.
Now, if our friend the Courier will turn to
the public debt statement for that month,
which, we presume, was published in it, own
columns. it will find that the secretary of the
treasury uses the following language