Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-02-13
PHILADELPHIA MEMORIAL.

In the Senate. on Tuesday, February IL, Mr.
McKEAN presented the memorial OF meeting
of the citizens of the City and County OF Phlla-
delphia, drought on by committee of gentle
men appointed by the meeting,) complaining OF
their great pecuniary embarrassments and the
disordered state Of the currency of the coun-
public deposites from the Bank of the United
States, and praying for their immediate restora-
ton to that Institution.
Mr. McKEAN, on presenting the memorial
said: committee composed of gentlemen of
the first responsibility and intelligence, from
Philadelphia, now in attendance at the seat of
Government, had few moments since charged
him with memorial to be presented to the Sc
nate signed by more than TEN THOUSAND citizens
of that vicinity, deeply complaining of pecu-
MARY distress and arrangement of the curren-
ey which they attributed to the recent removal
of the public depoStes from the Bank OF the
United States, and praying Congress to inter
fere for their relief / have, said Mr.. Nick,
been honored with an interview from portion
of this committee, and have listened to their
statements; and, however | may differ from
them as to the true cause OF present embarrass-
ments, and the proper mode ofredreSS can no
longer doubt the reality and extent of suffering
in that quarter.
Mr.. Nick. then moved that the memorial, to-
gether with letter which he had received from
the committee, be read by the Secretary and
that both be referred to the Committee on FL
nance, and printed.
Mr.. CLAY said he hoped the motion of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania comprehended
not only the printing of the memorial, together
with the letter of the Committee but the names
of the memorialiSts.
Mr.. McKEAN replied that he had not intend
ed to move for the printing of the names, but
he would accept the suggestion OF the gentle
man from Kentucky, as a modification of his
motion.
Mr. WEBSTER rose and said that it would
i'll become him to add any thing to what had
been said by the gentleman from Pennsylvania,
with the view Of drawing the attention OF the
Senate to this new and authentic evidence OF
the state of things throughout the country; CO
ming as this did, from so many and such re-
spectacle sources. But he thought twas his du-
ty, as representing a commercial State, and
having daily correspondence with those whom
he represented, to state that, so far from any
mitigation of the public embarrassment his in
formation tended to prove the greatly increased
and greatly increasing state of public alarm.
Every mornings mail, this mornings mail, had
brought intelligence of new and serious diSas-
tiers in the commercial word We had now
reached a period of four months since the sys-
TEN had been changed; and we had advanced
some weeks beyond the time when ii was an
the part Of the Executive Government to pro-
vide remedy for the distress which had result
ed from that change. He asked gentlemen
around him, if they could see any omens OF re-
turning calm, and quiet, and confidence in the
country2 Were the people satisfied with the eX-
pertinent, so far as it had been tried, or did they
cease TO pour in their complaints on the evil
consequences of the experiment!
He wished to address these questions to gen
tlemen who had become sponsors for the Adj
ministration; to those gentlemen in this House
who, he believed, possessed the power OF saving
the country He would most respectfully and
most earnestly ask them, whether they could see
any way of escape from the pressure which was
now upon the country and from that greater
degree of distress and embarrassment which
was to be apprehended, and from which observ
ing men see no rescue but a change OF the sys-
tenn which has been adopted by the Executive.
He prayed that gentlemen on the other side
would take the subject into their earnest consi-
deration; they had the power; and the proSperi
ty Of the country depended on their exercise OF
it. The situation of the country demanded the
prompt action of Congress. He duplicated
all who saw, with him, the extent of the public
distress to examine the evidence of the fact to
be found in the hundred thousand signatures to
the memorials on our table, and TO adopt some
change under the preSentSyStem, or some change
in the system itself.
The motion was to refer the memorial to the
Committee on Finance. That committee would
consider the subject and might feel it TO be their
duty to make full report. But it was not suf-
ficient to present report merely echoing the
sound of distress. The cry of the country was
for relief, for action, for legislative measures.
He was willing to go forward, to take up the
state of the country we may find it, and to
see what kind and extent ofrelief could be given.
1.-THE scheme which he might think best, should
not be found agreeable others, he was willing to
take the next best which might be presented.
Gentlemen were coming here from all parts of
the country to convey the complaints of the peo-
ple. and he besought the Senate to take up the
subject, and determine what remedy could be
applied. All the memorials on this subject had
been referred to the Committee on Finance, and
that committee may report on the whole of them,
and as to the extent of the prevailing distress;
but such report would be useless. They might
report what appeared to them to be proper re-
medy, but that might be useless because their
views on that subject were already before the
country. 1t was the duty of Congress to adopt
some measure of relief and the country would
not be satisfied unless that duty was promptly