Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1816-12-24


yiescs IL il were so, why did not the
Bank 81 Alexandria exclude the Bank of
Virginia or, why did not the Bank of
Virginia plead lis exclusive privileges "a
sainst the Farmers Bank The gentle
man had best change sides for it Il bank
be the grant of an exclusive privilege.
would net the bill OF rights require him
10 extend this privilege as far as possible
to extend it, for Instance 10 % new in
situations, instead lconiiningit TO those
already in existence! For. the more
banks YOU exclude, the more exclusive is
the privilege you have conferred. Yet,
as we, the men of the East, have banks Of
our own, we now see fit TO deny ii to our
Western brethren, because we have at
last discovered t..dt they were unconsiitu-
tionai Il MIR. King explained, and Mr.T.
procceded.)--I was a pity this discovery
had escaped all the wise men who have
gone before us-but he was still rather
disposed TO think, they might be right.
than the worthy gentleman from Dinwid-
oie.-ii ms argument were correct, then,
instead OF our being complete legisla-
ture, it would be the most Incomplete in
theworld. The u. S. would have no right
to establish corporation, becauseit is
not recognized by their constitution
he state has no right, because it is for
hidden by the Bill ofRisII,s What, then,
becomes OF the good people Of Virginia {?
We are reduced 10 the most inbe-
Gle legislature in existence. when il was
intended that we should be complete
one--tley have not the power TO grant a
charter and establish corporation. Were
our ancestors wise as to say, that we
should have no road, because ii NAV hap
pity require a corporation to establish it !;
nocanal, no library! Our country would
soon return to a bowling wilderness, if this
argument were correct. The true princi-
pie IS, that this House is to Judge of the
public service to be rendered. The true
ques'onis, does the public service require
the establishment of banks Why do YOU
establish any corporation? because the
public good requires it. This House then
being the only Judges OF the eypediency
ola measure, there is no longer room for
question of constitutionaitv.
Mr.. L. said, having disposed of this ar
gument, he should proceed to one, which
II was difficult TO meet, and therefore
| fraught with dangerous consequences-hc
would call it the argument or epithets.-
One gentleman had called a Bank cank-
er-worm another, "A culinary fire; and
| another gentleman, having exhausted ev-
| cry figure ofsense and touch. had gone
| TO the invisible world, and pronounce Il
thata being thus invisible, intangible,
with no soul, could be no other than the
devil. This epitlietic argumentwas indeed
| dificnlt to anSwer-it was the masonic
sign, understood only by those who use it.
Difficult as it was TO meet il, vet it
was necessary TO answerit. Nothing is
so fatal III that House, as the CRY of mad
| dor Turn fl,a f,,fI,f.,I al.
| ror popmE once up, "stone him, stone him, -
| the poor animal is sure to perish. In the
same manner, once raise the CRY of can
ker-worm, monied aristocracy, &c. and
the bank is gone. Let us, then, see if he
he really mad-let us apply the cold wa
ter, to see if he will lap it, This animal
has watched us for five and twenty years,
with an eye that never winkeh, and vigi-
| lance that never tired-befure we stone
him To death, then, let us see ifhe be mad.
| LET us examine these epitilets This
| figure of :" culinary fire" was very apDro-
Drlafe. Would gentlemen favor him with
II tor one moment, while he attempted to
warm the house with the fame which they
had kindied les, fire to warm the
howell, and the shivering inhabitants of
the West. WoviA Won, on this cold De-
cember night, slam the door in The face of
The Northwestern people, and tell them,
" Go away, YOU have ns business at this
| fire, you cheek may turn red. vour chill
dren may warm their shivering limbs, sci
ence may dawn uponyou--gO out and law
yonrheaduponth the highland pillow, hebali
OF snow" These gentlemen add insult TO
their refi'sal-they requestyou, not even
TO give the Western people chunk, lest
! they may set TIE house a-tire; or perhaps
LEST the worthy gentleman from Henrco
NAV set the James River a-tire.
Ave but these gentlemen say, this is
dangerous ariStocratic institution. Mr..
| L. wondered where they got their infor-
nation from--for his own part. he had
| dipt little in the history of the world, 81
| he had found that Commerce and Iiber-
| ~ had gone uniformly hand in hand and
that Commerce and Banks were not less
intimately connected-that in modern
Europe, The little republic of Genoa.
where banks had first originated, had
| once enioved the Egyptian trade, and the
fabrics of the East that this little repub-
lie had opposed the power of the barons
of old that Genoa fell under republican
Venice, who had boldly resisted the frt-
| tiers of the feudal day and that when the
league of the tyrants at Cambray broke
! down the power of Venice, Commerce and
Banks had sunk together, until thev a.
rose i'll they United Provinces of Holland
that the instant they became free, com
merce arose, and the instant commerce
began TO flourish, fle bank ofAmsterdam
was erected that banks appeared next in
| Euraud of which whatever we nav cav,