Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-06-01
From tie (paia) American Sca.iaei.
GREAT SrRINo, May 18th, 1892.
40 'EIIE pIINIIIt


TO THE PUBLIC.
Ia the report made to the House of Representa-
tvcs on the 18th instant, by the Hon. John Qum.
cy Adams, lato President of the United States in
relation TO the proceedings Of the Bank OF the
United States, there is conlaincd the following pa.
ragraph:
1.-The complaints made against the President of
the Bank at Portsmouth,, New Hampshire, in the
summer OF 1879, and the correspondence between
the Board at Philadelphia, and the late Secretaries
OF the Treasury and of War, form portion of the
documents relating Ia the books and proceedings
Of the Bank, called for by the Committees, and
communicated to them. They not noticed in
the Report of the Chairman, but in tho opinion OF
the subscriber more deserving of tho attention
OF Congress and of the nation, than any other part
OF the papers commented upon in the Report. An
effort very thinly vciled the part of Two ofihc
Executive Departments of the General Govern
mcnt, to exercise control, political and pecunia.
ry, over the proceedings OF the Bank and its
Branches, control highly exccptionabe i'm priu-
cipie, and even contrary to law appears to him to
be fully disclosed in those papers. lie will not
permit himself to enquire into the motives of the
agents In those transactions. 1t is sufficient t..
the protection o. the public interest that the pro-
Jccted encroachmcnts of power were disconnected
and laid aside"
1t is manifcsty the intention of Mr.. Adams, in
the above paragraph, to charge tho s.late Sccrcta
RES OF the Treasury and of War" with a concerted
effort to exercise CONTROL political and pccuna-
ry, over the proceedings of the Bank and it's
Branches" which he deems "highly exceptionable
in principle, and even contrary to law" The two
Secretaries are connected in the same Iucmber of
a sentence, and the Departments over which thew
presided are, IN like manner connected in another
sentence In confirmation of this remark, their
correspondence with the Board at Philadelphia is
introduced as 'dn effort very thinly vcilcd," &c.
MIR. Adams has doubtless seen the correspondence
40 which he refers, and he cannot be suspected of
inadvertency in the manner of making so grave
and serious a charge, still less of defect in the
knowledge of the meaning of his own knowed
The public will therefore learn with surprise
that there cannot be a word expression in any
part of the correspondence of the late Secretary
of the Treasury, with the Board at Philadelphia,
on which to ground the charge of concerted "ef-
fort" with the late Secretary of War, for any pur-
pose whatever; it was never known to me that
the la.e Secretary of War ever wrote a line to, or
received letter from, the Board at Philadei phia
Nay more, the only correspondence of his with the
Branch Banks which came to my knowledge, was
an order to that at Portsmouth, n. H., TO transfer
the funds deposited there for the payment of PEN
sions, to State Bank, which ordor, as soon as it
was made known TO me, being deemed itrary to
law, addressed a letter to the War Department.
intimating my opinion to that effect. The case
was afterwards, as understood, submitted to the
Acknowledgement, who gave similar opinion,
when the order revoked
If tiierc be any other correspondence Of the Sc
crotary of War w.l' the Bank, or its Branches |
snn ignorant of it, The correspondence in relation
10 The ordinary business OF tho War Department
with the Bank, was, of course, not sup,!itted to
the inspection OF the Treasury Department. and
mover came under my notice. 1t is due to the late
secretary OF War to state, that he cannot be re-
sponsible tor any correspondence of mine with the
Bank-he certainly had nc agency in preparing it
nor do l know that he ever saw u line of it, For
this, whatever its character may be, am alone
responsible 10 the government and he nation; and
while d!seialm the imputed concert of action and
all responsibility for the acts of others, in which
had no agency, shrink from for my own
not h.axra tlaa.p
tho correspondence with the Board at Philadelphia
growing out of the complaints against the Presi-
dent of the Bank al Portsmouth, n. III. published
as soon as possible, relying upon the public nte-
gcnce alone for justice against charge for which,
II true, ought veto be inpcachea. In the mean
time, as the poison contained in the raph
above quoted is spreading abroad, ] embrac e this
occasion TO deny the whole charge, FAR as it re
lates 10 myself, whether alleged TO be founded on
facts or differences, in the most unqualified terms
ard only ask the favor of the public to suspend
its Judgment until the whole correspondence has
been read. S. ID. INGUAM.