Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-03-17

i charter the government OF the country wouu,
in effect be surrendered INTO inc nhiios u a
anv Rank Of the United States, and believed
such an institution wholly unnecessary. nat
the State Banks. | had no doubt were Iully
competent to perform the duties OF ascai agents
and that, Notwithstanding the elloris 10 enl-
barrass their operations and 10 olscreoit theln,
had found no difficulty in carrying on tne ope-
Nations of the Treasury and placing money
wherever it was needed for public use-and that
! was satisfied they would be able to aHord all
the facilities in the domestic exchanges winch
the interest of the country required, ana upon
terms as favorable as any Bank OF the onltea
| States-that the pressure, OF when they hao
spoken, had been designedly created by the
Bank of the United States for the purpose OF
compelling the people to yield to the demands
of the Bank; but it was greatly aggravated Dy
the panic which had been got up to aid the
Bank in its attempts to bring distress ana rum
on the country-that the newspapers in the
commercial Cities which were understood to
belong to the Bank, or to be under its control,
had TENED for months past with groundless
reports of failures, and bankruptcies, and pre-
dictions of the approaching ruin OF the mercan-
tile community and the StOppage OF specie
navments by the State Banks.-That the mer-
chants themselves had by their conduct and
meetings, and resolutions, and populations TO
Washington, contributed greatly to increase
the excitement and alarm, and by that means
disabled the State Banks from loanlng as tree
llv as thew would otherwise have done-that il the
mercantile and commercial cities chose to pro-
claim themselves on the eve of bankruptcy, every
BODY would naturally believe them, and be UNI
willing to trust them, and that embarrassment
and distress would unavoidably follow the de-
struction OF credit.
That if they expected to drive the admins
tration from its course by such measures they
| p,ict nat
sponsible for evils which merchants, or any
other class of Individuals voluntarily brought
on themselves for political party purposes; and
il could not be expected to change its course
on that account. And if by perslstlng IN los
tering the alarm they had excited, and ncreas-
ing the panic, they should produce the general
ruin which they said was about to fall on the
city, it would not change the measures OF the
administration;-tha the evil would be the
work of their own hands, for which the govern
ment was in no degree responsible; that 1t was
| in their own power to produce or avert 1t, ana
they could not justly charge, upon the govern
ment, the evils which they themselves should
voluntarily occasion.
do not profess to give you the whole CONVEX
sation between us which lasted more than half
! an hour But give the opinions distinctly sta
| ted by me to which the passages mentioned IN
the report, GfI used such expressions) must
| have had reference
| Icannot undertake to say whether did or did
| not use the words imputed to me. But II they
were used, they were applied to the general run
! which the Mercantile community should Wilful-
" bring on itself by creating a panic for party
| purposes. The committee here reportedmy Ian
guage, as if had expressed cold and callous
Indifference to the sufferings OF Baltimore
Nothing could be more Unjust. | was endea-
| vourng to impress upon them the folly OF coop
Grating with the Bank in exciting an alarm Tor
political objects; and running the credit OF their
whole community to give political power to the
Bank | wished to satisfy them, that while it en-
dangered the happiness and comfort OF lnnu-
merable Industrious and valuable citizens, 1t
would fail to produce the political object it was
intended to accomplish.
Toyou, my dear sir this explanation is, know
unnecessary. You have often heard me express
my opinion on the subject, and would at once
see the unjustiiable use made by the Committee
of certain expressions, which they say used
But am not willing to be msrepresented to the
people of Baltimore And in community IN
which lived so long, and where my principles,
| feelings and opinions are so well known, trust
that not even the sanction of the names attach
ed to the report can persuade the people that |
could express that heartless indifference to their
| sufferings which this report imputeS to me.
AS | have already said four Of those whose
! names are signed to the report never heard
word Of the conversation alluded to, and dld
not even see them while they were in Washing
ton, and one of the others heard but small por-
ton oft And without meaning any disrespect
to others, must say that am as well known to
the people of Baltimore, as the four gentlemen
who were present at the conversation, and am
willing to leave it to the community in which we
have all lived, to decide from their knowledge
of us, whether more sympathy would be likely
to be felt for the sufferings of our citizens by
Mr.. J. w. Patterson, Mr.. George Brown Mr.
George r. Gather, and Mr. VIM. Crawford, Jr
than by myself-and whether either of these four
gentlemen would be expected or disposed to
make greater personal sacrifices to alleviate
and relieve them than | would.
| commit this letter to your friendship and dis
erection. Use it as you think right to vindicate
me from the unjust imputations contained in the
report.
am, dear sir, with great respect and regard,
your friend and obedient servant
r. B. TANEY.
UPToN S. HEATH, Esq. Baltimore.
P S. have not deemed it necessary to give
more of my conversation with the committee
than was required to vindicate myself against
an imputation calculated to do me personal in
jury with the citizens of Baltimore. But it must