Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-01-31
THURSDAY. JANUARY 81, 1851
1870 and 1889.

In 1879 the Dispatch advocated the Me-
CuILocr settlement In 1889 the Dispsich
recognizes the fact that The voters on virginia
expressed at the bslot-box In 1879, 1850,
1ssl. and 1882 their refusal toregsrd that as
satisfactory settlement Of the State debt OF
Virginia. Alludng to the fact first above
named. the Alexandra Gazette says;
"The Dispatch few years ago thought
and spoke - the Gazette has always oone on
the subject OF The state debt but II IL ipllRe
the Gazette, in which there il no varying nor
shsdow Of turning"
We presume that our Alexandra eontem-
porary intends the statement be makes to
operate ne 3 reprosch, but we conie" that
we do not feel that we are 10 be ceusured Tor
not belonging to that class OF persons de-
scribed by the Wise Man when he said,
"tbough thou shouldst bray 4 fosl IN q NOR
far among wheat with pestle, yet will not
his foohshne. depart from him." The
"foolisbue.sv which led us to advocate the
McCuLLoCH settlement has given place to a
desire to settle the State debt on terms
which the voters will rstiiy at the ballot
box.
However, we do not wish to he understood
as castipg any reflections upon the Gazette.
IL has consistently pursued the policy OF
fighting on its own heck. II pay, no atten-
ton TO platforms. nor to changed circum-
stances, nor to popular clsmor, nor to party
policy. 1t has none OF "thst ra.cally virtue
prudence" We once heard gentleman say
that the Gazette seemed TO try TO ind out
how the best people Of Virginia were going
and then to 60 in the opposite direction.
What the Gazette says in the extract which
we have herein before quoted from It's columns
IL manliestly az truly reprssch OF the pso-
Die Of Virginia as Oi us. Tho facts show
that we have acted upon the good old Demo
cratic doctrine that used to stand 10 print at
the head OF leading Democratic organ OF
anie.belum days-"We go where Demo
cratic principles lead, and where they stop
we halt" In a word, the Democratic party
Of Virginia which on the debt question stood
with the Dispatch In 1879. stands with ltnow
upon that same question. Itit is di'creditaDle
10 ia to have changed front in obedience 10
the orders OF that grand party In state Con-
yeniion assembled, 1t Is equally discredna-
bic to the one hundred and fifty thousand
voters who stood along with General FIJI
nuGH LEE upon a platform pledeing The
Democratic party to provide for paying no
more Of tue State debt than the RIDDLE
BERGER bill had provided for paying.
These voter. were wiser in 1885 than they
were IN 1879.
Mr.. SNYDER's declaration In the Senate OF
West Virginia day before yesterday that
West Virginia owed no part OF the debt as
signed TO Der by Virginia tells this State I'M
mistakably that as the debt WAS forty five
millions in 1871. nearly eighteen years ago,
it must be nearly or quite seventy millions
now, and sdmOnishes us tha, when We shall
have done our best and paid all that we arc
able to pay we shall be compelled 10 repu-
diate, saw forty millions OF dollsrs. Unless
the Gazette inteads 10 advocate the policy OF
payIng the entire seventy millisns It i,Htrulv
repudiationut a. is anybody else. To re-
pudiate City or forty or thirty or twenty
millions is TO be = repudiItor, asd the Ga
zute il a repudistor. unless, ss We have
said, 1t intends to paw all the debt that now
stands charged to Virginia. II cannot es'
cape being a repudistor by turning over
thirty millions 10 West Virginia.