Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-05-22

United States, without doing injustice and tho ut
oerogation from tho dignity of their duties, can
take cognzancc; the subscriber believes that it
not Justly have any hearing whatever upon the
question whether the Bank of the United States
shall or shall not be rc-chartered.
ADMIT that, III country where the freedom of
the press is among the first elements of the liberty
oil the People, Committee of one House of Con
grcss has right TO constitute cxpoSt tacto crime
under the name of substituting TIE Press, of that,
which iii the eye of the law of the land, is and al
ways has be en-, inn0cent-Admit that they have
power TO search into the hearts of tho President
and Directors of the Bank for dishonest motives
to lawful actions-Admt that they have u right TO
intcrrogac them for reasons which no Director of
any Bank is ever bound to givc-Admt, that after
Tho President and Directors have submitted to
these insulting intCrrogatorics, and assigned the
reasons by which they were actuated, the Commit
tee should still feel themselves justified in cropping
day after day. for circurstantal evidence to ialsi
~ the frank and explicit declarations of men with
out a slur upon their fano-That piles of folio vo
Tunes, of bank accounts, should be rummogcd
over, nights and days, for variety in the color of
ink, in entries made by different clerks with differ
cnt WRISTBANDS, for errors in tho spelling of n name
Tor intcrhncations and erasurcs in a waste book or
Ticker, and all substitute trhcs light ns air of
Suspicion, In the place of fact, and ipute fraud
Forgery and perjury where they cannot DO proved
Admit that the unsullcd character of men, long
known among their follow citizcns, for lives with.
out lear anu without reproach may thus be breath
TO do with the question, whether the Bank of the
United States shall receive new charter or not?
III the President, and any number of the Directors,
nave bocn guilty of mdluersdtiOn in their offices.
the remedy for their offence, is removal from of.
nee They may be further responsible to the stock.
he'dcrs III their persons and property. The Direct
ors, appointed by the President and Senate are, at
all times removable by tho President of the Unit
ed States alone. The President of the Bank is
every year liable to removal, both as President
Director. of re- n
rector by the Stockholders, as President by the
Directors No other Director he reelected
more than three successive years i'll four. If the
Board of Directors have been guilty OF neglect or
violation of their duties, the punishment of their
delinquency is to appoint another set of Directors
in their place; not to punish tho innocent and inju
red stockholders ~ refusal to renew the charter
BY the rotation prescribed in the charter itself not
one of the present Board of Directors can remain
in Office at the time of the expiration of the char
ter, nor can the present President Of tho Board
ever be President of the Bank under the renewed
charter, but by the sutfragcs of the Stockholders
according to their respective privileges of voting.
III, therefore, any misconduct had been dscoyera-
bic IN the official conduct of the President of the
Bank, the proper punishment for it would have
been his removal from office; and the same may
be said of any other of the Directors. But for
Aeu faults, to punish the stockholders who had
no communion or privity with thcm-for their cr-
rors, to deprive the great mass of the community
OF the 'ocnchts and advantages secured to them,
and entsyed by them through the fundamentally
OF this great institution this whole Union,
would proceed from theory of crimes and punish
ments unrratled by the Political Inquisition of
Venice, TIE religious Inquisition of SPAIN
A theory by which the crime would be committed
by one SET of persons, and the punishment inflicted
upon anoher-a theory by which the Stockholders
would be mulcted in their property, because the Di-
rectors had been faith,ess to their trust, and the
People bere of public blessings, because their con-
dence in the integrity of their agents had been be.
trayed.