Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1822-01-15


That ITS credit, if not desperate was doubtful.
There was aDO,her point of view i'm which
tills inquiry was important. 1t was said that
THESE uepositcs were made under contracts
taat they should continue for 4 given time -
say Tor or 6 months In this way they
were converted into kind of loan-and this
Tor the alleged purpose of enabling the banks
to go on with their business. IL the facts
were SO, he thought they could not be CON
sIdered as prudent measures At any rate, it
was proper that Congress should see on what
| principles the business lsad been done. Ii was
the duty OF the house 10 keep watchful eve
over the pecuniary concerns OF the govern
ment-and that they had disposition 10 do
so was lately manifested in the clearest man.
ncr. he waihed, he said, TO understand some
thinS about the moneyed concerns of the com-
try, the more especially rs they were kept
so much IN the dark for the Report of the
Secretary OF the Treasury, at the commences
inent OF the present session, did not shed "A
ray Oh light on the subject; and the report
upon the subject at the last session had afford
cd but little more information respecting it,
The Secretary had indeed told the House of
what banks the deprecated paper was, &C.
but he had not informed the house how he
mad received IT, or under what contingencies
ana circumstances losses had been sustained
ny the treasury. Since then, there was so
much IN the dark, and so much that ought To be
brot to light, why was objection made to his
notion' The bulk of the information asked for,
was not, he said, sufficient ground of objec-
ton In regard TO the Yellow Stone Expedi-
ton OF last year, when a document Of the
size of family bible was presented TO The
house, its bulk did not induce the house TO
shrink from the call for it nor from having it
printed. Calls had been authorised, freely
on all SUBJECTS, and never shrunk from part,cu-
( iariy when they related to the money CONCERNS
oil the country and he did not seq the rea-
sonableness OF the objections now made.
! MIR. HARDIN, said, it was but day or two ago
''lat me house had been informed that in def
ance oil law and of Il proper sense of proprie-
~ tie Secretary of the Treasury had appoint
ed Senator to inspect the Land Offices. sc
and, Mr.. II. said, anxious that the grntlrmnn
should he furnished with adj the information
necessary TO guard the state which that yen
tieman represents from all attempts To cor
ruPt III, he had voted for that resolution. W..
near to-day, said he, that there has been mis-
management of the Treasury and, through
Out the whole of the genteinans remarks. the
conuuct OF the Secretary Of the Treasury has
been called in question. 1 have, said Mr.. II.
the utmost confidence in that olficer--as
'huch us can have in any man in the cor
rectness OF his conduct; but as the gentleman
from Illinois seems to wage Determined
warfare deaf EeRtiff Ri his f haRti
OF Illinois, and every other state ia the Union,
from corruption in any quarter. Mr.. II. knew,
he said, that there was in the Treasury great
amount of unavailable funds. This arose
from the ephemeral duration of the Banks
which had started up in various parts of The
country, whose paper the Secretary Of the
Treasury was importuned, on all hands, To re-
ceive in payment of debt due for public lands /;
and which the government was compelled 10
receive, and, afterit was received, was further
obliged, in order 10 make any use of it, TO de-
post it in those very banks. This was to enable
people to pay their land debt, which the gen
tlcman from Illinois had often told the House,
hung heavy upon them. BY opposing this
resolution, Mr.. III. said sume ground might
be given for the suspicious which had been
inSlnuated in regard To- the Secretary of the
Treasury. Let then, the inquiry be made
and, when all was said and DONE the gentle
man would find that his own state had failed
IN debt to the government to an amount OF
more than dollar for every soul in it, lie
wished to see this Inquiry. Nay, said he, lei
us take the bull by the horns at once-no
doubt the gentleman from Illinois can ma
mage him. For one, Mr. Ii. said, he was
tired OF these Institutions, and wished TO see
something like facts presented in lieu ofthcm
Mr.. Cook made some observations IL
reply to Mr.. Hardin. He should not obiec
to any inquiry lest it might affect the state o
Illinois he was DESTROYS to have the fact be
tore the House, whomsoeyer they might Ilfrct
) If there was a belief in the public mind thai
there had been Encouragement in the ad
ministratiOn OF the money concerns Of tht
country, let the Information he called for and
if the public mind be mistaken, that {; tht
way to correct its Impressions For this in
! formation which he wanted, Mr. G.. said h
did not chuse to goin secret to the Head %
the Department to ask for il, but chose 70 cal
for 1t publicly, rs he had right to- do. III,
A would, he said, march OH IN the line of mi; hu
!, ty, whether in doing so at bsre hard ON hi
) constituents Ornot. Ifthere were lust ground
. To apprehend mismanagement, fraud cnrrtlp
L. ton, or dereliction Of duty, he cared no
i, whom it concerned, ho considered il his dui
{, to inquire into it, IL the Treasury Depart
D mcnt was entitled to all the confidence. Z
L which, said he, trust in God il is entitled, lc
j us see IT. For I here declare, if my insures
Z. slons and the public report are wrong, wi
n take as much pleasure in doing justice t0 tia
It Olhccr as any other maB would Mr c. wish
" ed, he said, to gvca reasonable confidence [
c the officers OF government but when ther
e Is reason to fear, or the people begin to- an
o Prcheud, that that coniidencei is becoming to
S great the interests OF the government ar
S jeopardized ; that the purity of the admins
It tratiOn ofthc government is sued-it is tim
II that the matter heiexanincd, and remed
It applied If there be any thi lg wrong. On TIN
d subject, Mr.. g. sud, nc had no personal fee
J. ING. NO such motive actlted him and /
e presumed that 40 gentleman came 20 th
IS House to give vent to such feelings. The info
IS nation which he sought Tor, he sud, was NJ
j cessary for the snilsflcfinn OF 4 nnriinr