Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-01-15

s.os Va. &c cAtuipdtc all at the same time :
Does not this look, as If he knew some Others
were guilty: MIR. L. said there were two or
thfee days more TO prosecute the enouirv. and
~ Two or three days, the fate OF nation NAV
oc uec,ueo 20 ON, SAID MIR. CO aud YOU VIII
Sooa separate the wheat frsn tile chatf
t'r. scott said he had no pariiali;ies to il,
uuige IN this H0nSc. lie honed. iiat HE
house would indulge him FOR "A few nionenIs.
mn,'e ne attempted To sho" That Carter H. Page
hau not invaded their pri, iey es nor he en- emil.
" OF amy contemplate could have vish.,, Tor
an opportunity TO have submitted a Substiintc
10 tne Original resolution, and to have spread
on tue journals oi The House his objections TO
TIE course which bad been takel,-he woull
now beg their indulgence while he ASSIGNED
MS reasons Tor that opinion, and for vutin,-
Tor Use proposition of the gentleman from
,Ah'Ha' Nhr. Lane Mi. scott said, NJ
hS nai any preJudiceS AT all they were against
b"nking Institutions. The spinions he had ex-
pressed Last winter on that SuDjectweteNe nm
chang ed-he regarded Banks as The heaviest
cu,se Wulcn nad ever Detallen hts country -.
men he looked TO those " lo conducted Them
as Directors. he had no confidence IN them
ont as men. tie knew nov 10 respect them II
mere were ANY tribunal in existence nrfore
when ne could arraisa these banking institu.
tons, he wouIG MO- hesitate to crash The n, nm :,
moment ;--Dat with these strong rrciu,licas a
SdiiSt them, he could never cOnsemt 10 mas.
them tie instruments for crushing The iuaI,cna-
p!e rishts oi us ieiioN citizens. TO our ie-
SiNiauNe power, what are the proper su b;ects
f0i TINS house 10 make an enquiry iuto 'rhpy
are iWo, To enquire into amy gc,ierai evils. for
the purpose OF correcting them or 10 ,utn,re
mo thv tiaussressions OF sumo public officer
Tor the purpose OF removing him The hrst
CIiss OF enquiries is not now sefore the House
does me present iny estigation, then, come nm
uer Tie Zd--ihe power of enquiring into the
conduct oil puOiic tunctionar,es: ror, what
was said, wiitn this enquiry was first roov-
Ell That the directors OF The bink mad ann
Seu their trust as public functopa,ies
ny tnceed does the Legislature make any en-
curry Is ~ not To control the officer, because
he Is pubic agent! Your enutitry must inen
be confined to the station in which Won Mac.
nlm-for, If this were not Inc case, what
neid OF enquiry do you not open? You sit
mere To make laws; not 10 see whether your
laws have been violated or well ad,nin,sieIed.
not TO assume the functions of ne iud,riar,'
not 20 break down the barriers winch the CON.
stItuion has erected between. the Itl,u,- ,s,,,.h
es OF the gcvernmcnt.--If then YOU act AT a.
" is upon the public conduct Of u,divid,lits
win examining the Official coutuci of the di-
rectors, they descended TO their private fiscal
transactions TO iterrOgate witnesses about
the private conduct Of tie directors beSi,tuin.,
al ana going through the whole alphabet =
Ii You can DO this, where do you stop i-ifa
meinb Der OF this house were 10 rise in his place
anu say, there were rumouTS aiiOat OF Il ludye
being guilty If shaving would Won induI.se
that member with committee of enquire =
Tue committee have even sOae iurtlser man
thts they have pat questions to "A wll,iesS be-
tore them, that might bring disgrace upon his
character VI hat right have you TO make "A
man crIminate himself, or even to involve him
10y his owu cOnies sion IN any act which
is marked by moral turpitude S-Ihe com.
imtiee have gone sun infiher; they haze
uanscendEd Tie very resolution under
whIch they have acted. Instead of continips
themselves 10 mal-practices in the manage
ment of the funds Of the bank, they have r0ue
Oh, ripping up the private fiscal transactions
OF inctvldnaiS. MIR. Scott deprecated these
proceedings Ill the strongest terms declaring
they were not inferior to the uppressi5us OF
10, ur the aiien aud SeditIon laws OF '95.
ar. STEAMERS hoped the motion for ;iostpone
meHt would not prevail.-fie recapitulated
the history OF tbs transaction.-A member of
this house mad risen III his place and said
there were runOrs OF the msmanayeuleI., of
the fands OF bank-No specifications is madeI
No rnmors are disclosed 1t is not even The
pleasure of the house TO ask demand any
specification. But they immediately mass a
resolution 10 enquire into these ruaiors.
W hat IS the first thing we hear from this com
mittee? That a citizen complains of his liber
~ being Threatened, and committee demands
right 10 restrain his liberty. Aud what
ia now proposed 10 usi To re-trace our steos
TO decide on The legality o t, the powers we
have asS0med 10 see whether we have mai
violated The rights nf our fellow Citizens To
define tie sphere of our own 30 wers and 10
let the citizen know what he is hereafter 10
expect! No; Dutwe are ash ed 10 postpone
this whole business aud Ia get nd OF il bya
side-wind SIR, said Nr.S.) five have yio-
lated the rights of our ciIizeus does the honor
of this house permit us 10 shrink from retra
cling our steps Let US meet the question
fairly let every citizen know how far our
privileges do eXteud.-Mr. 5. entered his
protest against the oPimions expressed by the
gentleman from York, MIR. ScOtt) in relation
to the utility of banking institutions Mr..
Summers spoke Of them in warinand animated
tst-o> oi cuiogy.
Dir. Lane rose to reply TO the gentleman last
mp. lie might, rhe pleased, call a postpone
ment a shrinking from the question-bnt al
ter all, were the investigation pursued it
would turn out that they had made All unavail-
ine enqu;ry-spending their time IN vain with
out any practical measure TO arise from it,
lie said tnis was the golden moment TO retreat
from The ground they had taken. The witness
Will not ausTer-he on ght not to answering
what right had they TO enquire into the pri
vate transactions OF the directors but if thew
went on with the investigations the house
would only find themselves in more awkard
situation than they were at present
Mr.. UiieT dssented from the opinion of the
gentleman last up. lie could not consent to
give the gO-by 10 question, which SO vitality
affected the rights of the people-Mr. Nj.
spoke in the strongest terms upon the neces-
Sity OF acting definiively on this subject SHAT
every man might know how far the rights of
the people or the privilege Of their delegates
NJ. 8iaet5pra also spoke against the post
ponement. After the house had made a So
Tenn engniry, was it honorable for them to
give IT the 20 by2 when they had put their
hands TO u q ugh, to look back
lHr. uggW @is opposed 10 any postpone.
ment.-fhe question: ought new to be settled.
and the precedent set to inform the people
REJECT this motion, you admit the witness to
appear by counsel, you decide the question
deliberately, you satisfy the peopIe.-A case
was sowbcfore Congress, not very similar in-
deed 10 tlc present. one, but no motion had
been made there TO postpone it.
Hr. Leris said he had been opposed to This
projecting throughout; but he thought il due
10 the dignity of the honse TO decide the sues
ton deiinityely it was due also TO the accns,
ed.-iie hoped they woad patof any decision
apon the original resolution until TO morrow,