Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1834-01-23


filled With small b4nk no es, practically uncon-
y,rble into gold, because only pay able DIS ant place.
aud til greater par counterfeit, from the facility oi im
tatng such vile trash When things had got to this pass
the noce o. Parliament was attracted. The whole |
business received the condemnation hich was due TO
fraud, aud frsnd which calculated bear upon the
working part OF the community. Parliament taking |
rigorous steps against l.; but the Ministry, by procsma-
ton, and BY Withholding stamp paper from such issues,
put end to the existence OF such bank uotes So much
said Mr. b. for the conrvance OF the Aberdeen banker,
who thus vndcaed his right, upon small scale, 10 claim
affinity with his famous COUNT lyman, the celebrated John
Law, OF Mississippi scheme memory. Mr.. b. then pro-
ceeed to refresh the memories Of the Senate with some
renincences OF the old Roman me hois oil obtaining
leresdy made law when there TO be found in
the books which the occasion required. This, he said,
twofold and differed ia the times Of the Republic and
Empire The first aud ancient method that Of
applying the oracles and the which they
called Response Deofttn,' the answers OF the
gods always in the plufa for, he believed the Romans
went FAR US TO take for law Responsum Del
answer Of god; discreet prccauton. considering what
kind OF gods they had The method OF obtaining this
ready made law, aud which slightly known in the
time OF the Republic. and largely used under the En-
perors, in the Response OF
the lawyer;-or, Cicero called bis full and musical,
HE pena dcnumerosd style OF speaking RESPONSE afQue
deereta the answers and DEGREES OF the
lawyers The answers continued (r thus given, either
by the GODS the lawyers in reply TO case stated and
question proPounded were received law; and under
the modest assumption OF supplying an omission, or re-
solving ambiguity, these repealed overru
ed the existing law Of the land Having refreshed the
which, although dgressions, would be found to be emf
neny applicable TO what TO follow, and strongly sub.
sdiary, TO the right understanding OF the sequel Of the
history oil the United States Branch Bank drafts, MIR. b.
returned TO the history which he had undertaken 10 give
of these little drafts. He up the narrative the
place where he had dropped it, namely, at the place
where the President of the Bank told the a,ing
committee, that the Board had, dceorngy referred to
Of its committees the affair of obtaining alteration
in their charter, to admit the Branch Bank Presi.
sidents and Cashiers sign the small which Con-
gress had for nine refused to make The work Of
be words of the President Of the Bank him
self His evidence continues:
ala Ia hi Tl,o oN,.a,
slant habit Of drawing checks each other, and the
mother Bank and was, therefore, thought that when
and e Bans eY
furnish, to those who toished them small drafts instead
ofsmdH notes In order, moreover to secure unyormi.
me general appearance Of paper issued by the
institution, the blank drafts made resemble, as
nearly as possible, ORDINARY BANK NOTES; and the
entire control OF the issues of them preserved by
having Them all prepared and registered at the Bank il.
self and forwarded for distributions wanting only the
signatures OF the Presidents and Cashiers Of the OFF,
cess; that TO Presidents and Cashiers OF the Branch
Banks The President OF the Bank continues his testi-
mony: The opinion Of Mr. Bnney, Mr. Webster, and
Mr.. Writ the Attorney General taken the SUBJ
ject Of issuing Qhese) branch drafts SC. SC. SC.
Mr. said the opinions Of the three lawyers thus OBJ
them characterized by that brevy of expression and alb.
s,inence of commitment, which rather belonged the re
sponscs OF the Priests Of Jupiter the Pythian Apollo
than TO the Of Seouoias and Ti6oniuss the
Roman barr the other with long chain OF induclions
founded on what the ogicans call petitio prnepi,
begging Of the question, and concluded with an opinion
MIR. b. then read the opinions of the lawyers:
| l. OF III. BINNEy, ESQ. II am unable to dscoue,
any legal objection TO the plan proposed and since
oWJdeiitaie the exchanges Of the country and secure
the country and the Bank from frauds, seems to m.
as erpedient, as ii is ia.etii.'
opinion
s. Or VIM WRIT, ESQ lean see no possible OBJ
lection to the practice above stated and concur entire
ty in the opinion.
Thus equipped with the opinions OF the lawyers, that
the issue OF these drafts, "trpedent 1T WAS
LAWFUL" their issue accordingly began in the summer
ni Tho in fonff
Intended for the theatre of their circulation namely
the South and West. The first of the litter that wa.
heard OF in the made its appearance about hun
dred miles above Boonslick, at the outside land oic- as
il had arrived from Santa Fee, the Oregon Territory The
I'M rs The ns
Tie Bank IN January, 1928, addressed letter to the be
Secretary oil the Treasury requesting that these check
should be made receivable in payment of public dues am
promising that, ' received account of the Govern
men, they will bind ne Bank ana De paid in the same
manner as NOTES Of similar denominations signed b,
the President and Cashier of the (principai) Bank
this request the Secretary of the Treasury Oh the 2Is
OF January 1885, returns for answer: q" lis you STATE
that The amount of any of the DRAFTS to ,chleh il re-
JeTs tohich may be received account of the United
Sidtes U, De paid IN The same NOTES sign.
ca 6y the President and Cashier Of the (priscpa) Bank
Ihdpe telt no hesitation in directing such drafts to h.
taken IN payments 10 the United States"
Mr. b. continued They were directed to be received
accordingly in all payments TO United Sate this gave
them currency; in three years less than ISL 6s5
oil them were issued; how many since, Ger.
tan'y many mions they usurped the place Of hard mo.
ney end OF notes in the South and West and now behold
Tue consequence! Here is, said Mr.. b. holding I'D
little book entitled Counterfeit Deector and in which
an account given OF the progress made in counterfeit
ing this illegal trash The results 10 the 18th of Decem
Der last are: upon the Branch at Pisburg eleven ed
IONS or distinct emissions OF counterlets on the Cincin
hah Branch, ten editions the Nashville Branch thr-
teen editions; on the Louisville Branch five editions on
inc Lexington Branch, fourteen editions on the ST.
LOUIS branch, Tour editions the New Orleans
branch, eleven edion the Mobile Branch twelve ed.
uons on the Savannah Branch twelve; on the
eleven; on the Fayetteville, fourteen; on the Norfolk
wenty-loui on the Washington City Branch w elye on
branches an additional number, making the aggregate
number oil editions, counerfes of the States Bank pa
per, and chiefly these drafts about two bundled hs
quantity oil couDterfeirs contained ia each edition. il s
Impossible to ascertain; but any conyersan with fe
state oil the remote circulation, will be ready 10 aver thai
the mass oil 1t counterfeit that every day working peo.
PIE are defrauded that there possibility of telling the
good from the bad that the officers Of the branches know
honing about IT, aud accept, condemn, random that
confederate gangs OF villains traverse the country with
her packages OF forged paper seeking whom thew NAV
oeVor and presenting revolving picture the progress
OF crime anu decentralization hand of the s-
erlng oil The community the other: the whole attrib
table TO this circulation Of small drafts signed by immune
rane persons whose names and existence are wholly uo-
tins ' S~~'e' "' Vie
he history OF these drafts being given Mr. n dd mi,
propose 10 go into the consider of the nuneros cir
cums'ahces which aggravated the offence which I'd
oeen committed In Issuing them few particulars onI,,
"ouu receive ms attention In the first place he said
ese ufaiis are identical with the ro,s trash
ed ny The Scottish banker Aberdeen and which an
pVmP"y suppressed, as fraud and nuisance bv the