Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1896-05-28

"You bet | do"
"Well, did your party take &63,00o,-
600 each year out of your party funds
and pay It over to holders,Of bonds?''
mo, don't know as 1t did,
"Dld you Republicans take 1t out of
your private purses?"
mo guess not"
didn't the government pay what
has been paid, and didn't every cent
of It come from taxes collected from
all the people?"
~ guess it did, but ! hadn't thought
of it in that way"
"No, Of course not, you're not TO
think, you're to believe" "Then the
Republican party, as a party, has not
paid dollar of the national debit"
al guess that's right"
"And what part of the debt you
Republicans have paid you paid as
tax payers the same as Democrats and
everybody else"
eyes but the Republican party
passed the laws under which the debt
has been reduced"
$50 your party is Il law making
body is itE Your party met In party
conclave and decreed that all the peo-
pie be taxed to pay the national debt"'
mo, that's not exactly it, What |
mean Is, Republican congress enact
ed the laws and Republican presi-
dent signed them. And of course we
claim credit for this"
"That Republican president, and
these Republican congressman you
speak of were paid salaries from
money earned by the people?"
Eyes"
"They had promised, if elected, to
pass laws taxing the people for money
to reduce the national debtG"
"Yes.'
"Then instead of the Republican
party paying the national debt, it did
nothing of the kind, but u congress
and II president sworn to do their duty
to the whole country, paid from the
public purse to do their duty, and
under promise to the whole country to
do their duty, simply enacted law
that the people should take the money
out Of their own pockets to pay the
national debit"
"That's about IT,"
$50, the boast that your party has
been paying the nations debt very
fast turns out to be merely II Boosting
lie?"
"Well, the people don't see it that
way"
"Whilc we are talking about the
national debt, did it ever occur to you
that IL has not been reduced ut all? "
"You don't mean that seriously?
Was not tho debt ut the close of the
war $1,000, 100000? Have we not
paid $l,7O0,00N,OOO on the principal!
Has there not been paid -, IO0,0OO,0oO
rs interestY has not the interest
bearing debt been reduced one,half?
Don't try to belittle the glorious hnan-
cial history Of the country during the
past thirty years. Tho Republican
party points with pride to the part it
took In that history
"Therc now, don't tear your gown,
let's keep our feet on the ground.
know whenever II pin is pushed into
your party bubbles you big and little
Republicans act rs If it was stuck into
you. But that is another matter.
mean to say that the national debt
has not been reduced in the past thirty
years"
"Dout make such ~ statement rs
that unless you are prepared to prove
It,"
"Far from 1t. ! suppose we agree
in this, before any of this debt can bee
paid, the people must till the soil,
work in the mines, ut the furnace and
loom, fell the forests, cast the net and
carry by water and rail, that Is, pro-
duce and transport to consumers the
staple commodities of industry"
"Nes, that is true, and out of the
earnings of industry the government
gets II share to pay its debts with"
"Nery well, what remains of the
national debt must be paid, if it ever
is paid, in the labor and products of
the people?"
"Ies, | agree with YOU there"