Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1816-04-27

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owing TO the want of time. The dispersed
situation OF the nae mbers, or other causes
and the public good r quires the measure,
the Executive ought. nevertheless, to take
is. They are, in this respect, the Consti-
tutional Guardians fthe Public Welfare
An Executive which is the mere automa..
tsn OF the l. gis'aturc the mere creatures
OF the Legislative body, or of " rcspec-
table por ion" O. it, is not eatitled t. the
public confidence, They do not worthily
TIL the important station assigned to them,
by the Constitution. They have not that
Independence which the Constitutions sup
poses.
Our excellent Constitution supposes, aud
wisely supposcs, that The Legislature may
err through corruption, misiudgment, or
other causes, and it provides that their acts
may be re-conSidercd. 1t admits, ,hat c.
ven the same Legislature may be shannon
co 70 revise IT'S own acts and. a jorti2ri, a
new Legislature, upon which the public
suffrage has passed. 1t does not endure,
that an unwise Or inprovidcnt measure
Should be without remedy. IT the patrio-
tic Governor BARBOUR called the Lee
sisiAiure, few months after a law was
passed, Tor the purpose of saving to the
state, IN time ct war, the expense Of rails
ing single rcg'ment, we'll may the present
Executive. in the case b, fore us ; case,
which, mediately or Immediately, affects
every man in the CONF unity, and STRIKES
Oh third or half. from the value Of ev-
cry barrel of -four and corn, in the coun-
try II the power in question was eXerci-
Sod in the case just mentnned, with gene
raj appreciation. well raay it be, in this
case in which our 0scal affairs are at-
mtted to he so Goplorable, that general
system OF uSury is recommended, as the
only remedy
nave gone upon the principe, NJ. Ed
ltcr, that as cur banks form only a part of
one whole, taken in relation to oti,.r banks
premature movement on their parts,
would mark them out as certain victims.
The movement should be simultaneous
and general. As well might one horse at
tempt to stop loaded Wagon. when
pre1 P.tated down steep hill; without {;
possibility OF efiecting tine object, he would
he crushed to atoms. It is agreed on all
hands, that, do their best, cur banks can
not comply with the law i'll GU st;cn.
have heard able bank directors admit as
much and you, Mr.. Editor, have often
averred this to be Che fact, in your valuable
paper. linen why not spare our people
the immense sacr ficef Why CT nd them
to death, in pursuit Of an object, admitted
| 10 ne Nhoiiy unatta n2ble
But why this H'GDt., Mr.. Editor. about
specie? this pulling and having, after
gold and silverf Imagine bank nutes to
be specie, and Vt viii be the same thing.
II you call 4 rose by another name. il
will smell as sweet" As to the notes of
other banks, sly nothing but those of
the Virginia banks are as good as gold and
silver; nay, iii some respects, better than
gold and silver. They are more portable
and more convenient for the purposes of
transmission and payment At any time
alter tie present extraordinary pinch shall
have passed away, they viii be at once
convertible into specie. The stock Of
those banks being generally held by the
planters and farmers, this money is qua
ranteed by the land-holders it is based
Of. ia terra c,-r-r rt.e Conn., The banks
are ably and faithfully managed, ana are
prohibited from issuing beyond certain
amount in notes. If the vaul,s of those
banks were now owe riunuing with specie,
not one man in five hundred would ex-
change his notes therefor unless, indeed,
for the purpose of sending L away, 70 sup
ply the vaults of other banks Do not
imagine, sir, that / am an enemy TO what
are called the precious metals but the
fact is. that specie is not, at present, in the
country. Owing TO an extraordinary CHI
sis, it is han;hed for the present. from "a
mong us, and must be courtcd back again,
By wise measures. 1t cannot be lcgisiated
uto the country, by single scratch Of the
pen. This is beyond the power even of
Congress, and mu more of one of eigh-
teen or twenty States. Some time must
be allowed for the operation after
which. specie payments Will be resumed,
and all will SO right. a Horse going at
full speed cannot be stopped in an instant.
He requires some time, and short dis
tance, to recover himself.
am, Mr.. Editor, an abscure farmer,
living iii the country have no interests
different from those of the great body of
the people. | raise my own meat and
d.ink, aud manufacture great part ofmy
clothing, in a family way. | consult that
frugality and economy, which this writer
so Justly recommends. / am no Dealer"
in the banks, and have only had, from
them, one accommodation. l owe no
debts which / cannot promptly pay, if the
wretched policy Of the Legislature would
permit me to scll my produce.
am. sir, no merchant or stock holder,
though ! am friendly to the interests of
both. They are idenufcd with the best
interests of the whole community. 1t is
on behalf OF the Planters and Farmers,
that | make this stand. These must have
money 10 pay the eon6fe AID heavy taxes
with which we are burthened, and to dis
charge the ,bts, in which the embarrass-
menls OF the late war, may have involved
them. so further, and say, that the far
mers and planters Of our country have
Il.