Question

according to the reading, what was the one financial obligation that the us government must pay?
wages to members of the army
interest on the public debt
duties on imports
to save american credit from destruction, it was at least necessary that the interest on the public debt should be paid. for this purpose congress in 1781 asked permission to levy a five per cent. duty on imports. the modest request was the signal for a year of angry discussion. donkeys fond of reasoning from analogy asked, if taxes could thus be levied by any power outside the state, why had we ever opposed the stamp act or the tea duties?

Explanation:

The reading explicitly states that to save American credit, paying the interest on the public debt was a necessary financial obligation for the US government; the import duty was a proposed method to fund this payment, not the obligation itself, and army wages are not mentioned as the required obligation.

Answer:

interest on the public debt