Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1834-06-26

brought forward are those sifted to III,
bottom by that committee, and none O
them possesses novelty and Importance
furnishing, in the judgment of the un
dersigned, an equitable grounde for
new investigation. Is there to be n,
end to vIsitations9 The house has th
undoubted right to institute them as i
pleases - every year, and every month
but if they are multiplied unreasonable
the directors of the bank, as it seems t
the undersigned, are not 10 be blamed i
at length they put themselves upon lhei
rights, decline to become voluntary par
ties 10 these investigations, and subm
to them only as far as the charter re
quires.
These considerations led the under
signed to the opinion that the commit
lee Of the directors of the bank were
justified in the course adopted by then
on this occasion. If, on question o.
law SO grave and delicate, the commit
tee Of the directors should have come
to an erroneous conclusion, (Which the
undersigned, however, do not admit to
be the tase) it would seem an undue Sc
verify to consider aud to treat such or
ror in judgment as a contempt Of the
OF the house.
q. This reflection leads the under
signed to few observations on the va
rlous calls for copies or portions Of the
books, statements, documents, abstracts,
and other papers, which, al different
times, were made on the bank by reso-
lutIens of the committee. These res
olutions were numerous, and covered a
wide range of inquiry of the mosl mis-
cellaneous character. A portion oil
Them are believed to call for documents,
in whole or in part, already communi-
nicated to congress, and published; a.
mother portion relatingto matters which
could not he stated without great labor
Of compilation, and a resort to sources
Of knowledge not necessarily nor Off
rally in the possession of the bank. =
Some Of the calls referred to matter.
with respect 10 which no desire of con.
cealnent could, on any hypothesis be
imputed TO the bank, others related TO
las the undersigned will pre-
sently show involving the highest conf
dence ofindlviduals, and not to he divul-
ged, except under legal compulsion,
without the grossest breach Vt taIlh.
The answer Of the committee of the
directors 10 those acquisitions wasin the
following terms.
Resolved, That the board do not feel
themselves at liberty TO comply with the
requirement of the resolutions Of the
of investigation Of the 26,h
ult. and LIST. instant, and do not think
they are bound 10 do so, inasmuch as,
in respect to part of the papers call
ed for, the effect would be the same as
The surrender Of their books and papers
10 "A secret and ex parte examination,
which they have already refused to con-
sent to; and as to the other part, they
relate to matters over which the board
nave no control and if they could over
come these objections, and had the pow
ar over all the papers, still it would he
impossible for them to comply within
my reasonable time, having ascertain
ID, by careful examination. that the
copies and statements called for by the
resolutions Of the goth nltimo, alone,
would require the uninterrupted labor
IF two clerks for nj least ten months, to
make them out. and that the remaining
-esolutious, so far as they concern mat
ers rot beyond the reach of the board,
would require great additional time,
which they are not able exactly to com
pute, without causing. what they fear
would be an incol,venient delay to the
committee Of investigation, and they
take it for granted that it would 10 more
with the views of the commits
lee Of investigation to wait till so dis
tant a period, than it would with the
rights Of the hank to have such a bur.
denimposed upon it.
If the application of the committee
Of the house be regarded, according 10
its terms, as mere request, it was OF
course competent 10 the directors re-
specially to decline compliance with
it. 1t can be no contempt of the house
nor even matter of complaint or ground
Of prejudice, that any request, which is
merely such, is respectfully declined by
the party to which i, is addressed. But
the committee Of the directors appear
to have regarded it as matter Of duty.
not to return naked refusal TO the re-