The Alexandria herald. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1811-1826, 1822-10-23
TO The PUBLIC.

From the fhN0delhhto National Cog.
The exposition which made to the |
Of the bank of the United
States. on the Cd ult. contained no perso-I
nal illusions except such as were requir- |
ed by the discharge Of my public duty il
but when thus called upon, frankly con,
fess no fastidious deiicacy in relation to
the sensibilities Of the guilty, restrained
me from disclosing the truth. The ex-
position which ! made, 1 considered TO
be due to the stockholders, and to the
public morals. II ought to have been
made three years ago. In relation to
the FRAUDULENT agents of the bank. mol
more was said than was necessary toI
give correct view of the state of the
bank, and a distinct impression of the ex-
tent and character of the frauds which,
had been committed upon it. The
multitude of facts and circumstances
from which the just coloring OF the pic
'ure must be derived (without which its
shades are comparatively faint), have no,
been touched,t though justice to the public
and the stockholders, require that they
should be given at a proper time here,
after.
Il was well aware that any statement l
might make, in all likelihood would be
controverted by those whom it tended 10
inculpate and, expose and that the easy
fdefick, as much, at the command of the
guilty as the innocent, of declaring it to
he false, would be employed, unless it
should be established by such proof as
should leave no room for this subter.
fuge. II was for this reason that when
made the exposition invited an investi.
CATION Of it. With The same view re.
quested as favor, and claimed as an act
OF justice, an opportunity of proving the
facts which l had alleged. When the
committee were first convened, went
into proofs of nearly every fact. When
the stockholders re-assembled, after
temporary adjournment, many new mem.
bcrs were added to the committee, and
! again exhibited the proofs before ad.
duced, and added such as were necessary
to complete the evidence of every fact |
had alleged. Several days were spent in
the investigation, and when I had cen
ciudec, | emphatically called upon the
committee TO say, whether on any fact
they entertained doubt, and if they did,
TO give me an opportunity of removing
it by further proof. No member express
ed any. was afterwards informed, that
upon the question being expressly made,
whether the facts narrated in the expo
sition had been established, the commit
mlttee resolved unanimously, that they
; had. l mentioned this, in discussion, on
the lac .Iau 1T the Df he ctDo
holders, when the report was before
them, and appealed to the committee for
the truth OF it, when distinguished
| member OF it(the whole committee be-
ing Present, acquieseing in his statemenl)
declared that the committee had been
perfectly satisfied with the proof OF eve
ry fact alleged, and had Nnanim oUSiy re-
solved that every fact had been fully
proved. confess did suppose after so
solemn and public testimony on the
subject, that even the hardIhood OF the |
most audscious guilt would have been
si!enced but in this had have been
mistaken; though it may perhaps, be
discovered that that silence would have !
been as much all act OF pfuduce as of de
cency. | had, however, relied SO much
upon the submission 10 truih which is |
natural, even with the guilty, when the
proof is incontrovertible, that omitted !
until recently 10 obtain an authenticated |
copy of the resolution, believing that
should never have occasion to use it,
This fact has prevented me from pub
fishing the annexed document at an ear
her day. twill speak for itself; and
when the character ofthe gentlemen who
composed the committee shall be re-
gsrded, comprising toe, as they did every
species OF intelligence, and representing
almost all parts of the union, no doubt
can be lett on ally mind OF the truth oil
the facts narrated in the exposition
Whether the conclusions have drawn,
or the commentaries | have made on
those facts be correct or not, are CUES.
tons which shall, wilbou! any soilci-
tude about the result, leave TO the judg>
mcni OF the pubic. In publishing this
documen. am aware that many will sup
pose am Induced 10 do SO by circum
stance utterly unworthy oil such notice,
and that The publication OF ii is altogeth-
er supcrogatory. 1t the circumstance
alluded TO, were my only OF my princI-
pal motive, the conclusion would be cor
rect; bnt it is not. have been much
more influenced by desire TO show to
the public, once for all, in the most in
controverlible shape, that the facts stated
m the exposition 7vere actually and fully
HrcJed. befnre they we're .donted nv tte |