The Daily Madisonian

MR. COST JOHNSON—ASSUMPTION.
The Philadelphia Inquirer, says that Mr. Johnson's project of assuming the debts of all the States indebted, is fast gaining ground."
We doubt not that it is fast gaining ground with the ultra Whig party—plants in that soil have a rapid growth—thirty minutes [after a slumber of seven months] suffice to produce legislative fruits of the first magnitude—while they die in the Senate before the evening dew falls on them. Assumption is but another ignis fatuus dancing fantastically before the "mad Congress," which is rushing headlong into the gulph of oblivion. Every politician who advocates such a ridiculous and unconstitutional measure, will be politically damned.
The New York Sun thus speaks of the puerile project:
ASSUMPTION OF STATE DEBTS.
A few desperadoes in politics have boldly broken ground in favor of this measure. We are not much surprised at this, because there are some creatures in this country who have no opinions, except such as they import from the London bankers, and because there is no conceivable absurdity but that has been or may be broached by them with perfect impunity.
Freedom of discussion, freedom of thought and speech are rightly tolerated here to the utmost extent, and a man may urge the most ridiculous propositions, without running any other risk than that of being regarded by the public as a mountebank or a dunce.
It is not strange, therefore, that a few interested, addle-pated and visionary politicians should talk about an assumption by the Federal Government of the State debts—that is, compelling in effect the solvent States to pay off the liabilities of the insolvent ones.
Why should the making of such a proposition be considered remarkable at a time when Mormonism finds disciples, when the vagaries of Joe Smith and Millenium Miller find favor, and when propositions to dissolve the Union are presented in Congress by an Ex-President? Among the blessings conferred by the "largest liberty" which we enjoy, is that which allows every man to make a fool of himself if he has a mind to do so. If there are evils in this degree of liberty, they are such as will be efficiently checked, and finally corrected by an all-powerful public opinion, which is constantly becoming more and more enlightened and purified.
Our only surprise, therefore, in reference to this proposition of assuming the State debts is, that any of our contemporaries should deem it necessary to enter upon a grave discussion of the subject, and produce arguments against it. Suppose some Joe Smith in politics should propose to abolish the Constitution of the United States, he would no doubt find a few followers, but after all, the great mass of the people, the whole common sense of the nation would regard it as a matter too contemptibly absurd to demand a moment's consideration. In the same light will the proposal to assume the State debts be regarded. The two measures need only to be stated, and they will be at once looked upon as twin children, as much "alike as two peas," and deserving of equal consideration.
We would as soon advocate the one as the other.
They would not merely lead to revolution—either of them would of itself be revolution. They would, one as much as the other, effectually destroy the Constitution, and change the objects for which the Government was established; and this would be revolution.