The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1828-12-04
From ,ba nieh@ ond Enquirer NJ Nov.
AsTi.AUCTIoN MEETING.

A~STi.AUCTlok MEETING.
Ata NUMEROUS meeting Of merchants. traders.
and others, Of the ciiy Of Richmond. opposed 10
The Auction System, convened by public notice
at ihe i3agie Hotel, on Tuesday evening, the 18th
November, 1923.
JOINS ALLAN. ESQ. was calicdi TO the Chnir, and
BLpsAHp prYrov. appointed Secretary.
The Chairman briefly sisted the objects Of the
meeting. when the ioilosiug preamble and re-
solutions were presented and adopted:
Whereas the people Of Inc United States, espe-
ciaily the mercantile community. haye suffered
gnerous and rUiHom losses by reason Of frequent
fluctuations IN the value of goods. manly TO be
attributed to auction rnic,.
Reiofred. therefore. That we the ei'i,cns Of
Richmond. vii USE all legal and proper means.
together with out best exertions, 10 put down the
Auction oy.iedi, or restrain Il wiih,a proper
bounds
Reaoirtd, That eo,smifiee of Mp.srs. Charles
Ellis. William, Gsr, J. 7. Taylor. Hall Nelson,
iliam Gilliai, Fleming James, OrfIn Williams,
J. A. Lancaster, Gusisvus Lucke, Archibald Plea
SAINTS, William Anderson. 8 n Gardiner, aud
Samuel MARI, be- appointed. for the purpose OF
drafting u memorial to the Congress OF the UNI.
ted States. in conformity therein. and thai the
said COMMITTEES report to thu meeting. With rs
liule delay rs possible.
tDHhfHiNAtf nasihk u W. 'Oi INV
Mr., Ellis reported a memorial to the congress OF
the United States. which was read. and unhni.
mously adopted by the meeting.
Ordered, 1ha, The fol owing Ward Commit.
tees he appointed, 10 obtain signatures TO The
foregoing memorial
For Jefferson Ward-Me.srs. orrin Williams,
LA Lancaster. ts1ry Clarh, Nathaniel Char
ter, and John Van.Lew.
For Madison Wayd-Messrs. William Gali,
john Garth, Il. e.. Workman, Archibald Pleas.
ants, aud j. " Gordmr.
For Monroe Vdyd-Mes,rs. Joshua j. Fry,
Mann S. Valentine. Thos. Micure, William
Dabncy, and Samuel Dunn.
Ordered, Tina, a committee Of Messrs. Der.
ns,d Peyton. Wm. Anderson, Charles Ellis,
J. T.. Taylor, and the Chairman oil This meet.
lng be- appointed TO wait on Andrew Stevenson,
Esq. the Representative from this District IN
Congress. with u COPY OF thu memorial adopted
by this meeiine, aud request that he will present
The sumo, aud ascertain what support lie Will
give to IL.
Ordered, That a committee be appointed oil
Nessrs. Fleming James, J, A Lancaster, J.
T.. Taylor. Charles Ellis, William Gait, and
businvus Lurke, 20 correspond win other anii.
auction committees, IN lmthrrrnce OF the views
of this meeting
Ordered. hat the proceedings Of this meet.
| ing, together with the memorial Ia Congress b.
published in the newspapers OF tins city, and
that a copy ofthe sad memorial be deposited At
he Nerchaniss' Coffee House for signatures.
The thanks Of the meeting being presented to
the Chairman aud S~eereiay, 1t adjourned.
JOHN ALLAN, Chairman.
BLRsARp PEyrns, Secre any.
To the ionorabh, he Senate aud House OF Re
prcseaiailots ofihe DATED States Of dmerica
IN Congress assembled The Memorial Of the
Subscribers, Merohaui,. Trader, aud other
Caisens OF Richmond, Trginia,
iiEsrEorfuLLy RErarsGnT,
That Of all the evils with which the American
Merchants, Tradcsmen. aud other Citizens,
have TO contend ~ their competition with tor
rign capital, skill and enterprise, there is none
perhaps Of equal magnitude. or iraught with
consequences so ruinous and demorallzing, ~
those which How t,om the present pernicious
system Of selling goods al duciiOn, Ms pprsued
Ia all the large cities in the United States, par
,iculerly in the cities oil Philadelphia and New.
| York, AMI above all in New York. It's paraliz.
ing Influence is felt Ia almost every branch oil
business. and by every class IN the community.
70 the commerce OF Nrg1nIa, and the States
south oi Virginia, tins system has proved pecu-
harly destructive, having, by its operations,
driven nearly all our regular importing mer-
chants into retirement. 81 10 bankruptcy, and
converted most ot such as survive and pursue
any business al all. INTO mere " hew ers at wood
and carriers of WATER" for the great cities of
the north. especially OF New York, aud above
all for the i,ciiouters II NtiS- York.
II has been deemed strange that II system so
partial aud unjust in its operations so cslru-
lated to iniure the many for the benefit Of the
few TO nurture the enterprise. aud sustain the
industry ot iorri cn nations nj the expense Of
The best interest, of our own citizens should
SO long have been reunited to take root, aud
spTead Ills baleiul milaenc, on the vital interests
of So great IA portion of the community. Yet,
II is an evil which we have all ielt, aud under
which we have gruaned Tor ten years past-be-
hJlding. with deep and intense interest, our
commerce whitening daily under its influence in
the hope that II would either cure itself; or, thai
some measures would be adopted by Congress,
~ the instance OF other memorialists, that
would arrest II IN its course. In this state of
feelings we have renamed, If not patiently, al
least without complaining. until The expressions
Of the system have become so grieyous as not 10
be borne-andn no reliei having been afforded us
IN any way, we feel thai il is time 10 arouse our
selves to all the cxeriIons of which we are capa-
BILE, and to use every proper means within our
power. To ri ourselves OF this eyil.-Sith this
view we present ourselves at the bar ofouT COUP
try. aud ask The interposition OF your honorable
bodies in our behalf.
| Amongst the numerous evils Of our Auction
| System, II is none Of The least, that il partakes
largely of some Of the wo,N features of n ms
chieyoas AMI unjust monopoly. IL is EVIDENT,
calculated, and actually does concentrate in ia,
hands OF a feir iadis'daa!s, an immense proper.
ton of the business OF our principal cities il
lays the foundation, and affords facilities for the
practising Of numerous frauds aud impositions
on both government and people.
From the best evidence that can be had il an
pears, that OF all the foreign merchandise in,-
ported into the United States, from one half 10
three iourths is disposed of by sahs at auction,
and of this immense amount the far creates,
proportion, IT Is believed. is owned by foreign
merchants aud manufacturers
u Is a singular and rather extraordinary cir
cumstance connected with the auction system.
that IN its vast aud yariouG Operations, IL is
maze tue instrument OF wrestling from the Atne-
r1eaa merchant aud trader, all those adyan,a.