Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1834-09-18
MANOR DOWNING,s CoRREsPONOENcE


To my old friend Mr. D,rigM Of the Nec
York Daily Advertisr.
I got your letter three days ago, and !
am right glad TO find that you understood
considerable about the last letter wrote
TO you. You say that a good many folks
in your parts have got notion that the
Constitution is sgin all banks. and tina,
congress haint got no right 10 make any
bank, and you want TO larn II ] have any
thing to say on the matter. We'll now
this is considerable Of a job, especially 10
such plagy hot weather and SO ! must
take of my coat for spell and give you
my notions.
| In the first place, then, who and what
is congressp When we git that well un
derstood, then things will work easy.
Accortin TO my notion, congress is thc
people. Every man in congress acta for
about 40 thousand. just as you would bile
down barrel Ct cider TO gallon, and
! jist according TO the natur Of that barre
Of cider, will be the natur Of that gallon
Of rale juice.
Whatever Congress chuses 10 do foi
the good and well bein of the people, 1t is
| jist the same as if the people did ii them
selves. Then. If Tie people are sovereign,
| Congress actin for them is sovereign, but
congress must act accordin TO the constI
tuition. Well what is the constitution
1t is OF the natur oil an agreement made a
good many years ago, jist after the old
war, when all the old continental states
got together, and agreed upon a govern
ment for the hull scrape on 'em. One
state givin up leetle of its powers to an
other and takin something in turn; and
arter long talk, and agreein upon all
matters, made constitution, or set oil
rules for the good of the hull people.
If any man takes up the constitution
and reads it, man and boy, as have, if he
don't say it is about as complete piece
of work as was ever put together, then
I'll agree 10 give him my commission, and
throw in my regimentals and ak in the
bargain.
There amt one thing that congress can
do according to that constitution, and do
the people any harm no way for the folks
that made it seemed to look on all sides
of every line ont, They knew there was
two sides to pewter plate and they tur
ned every article over aud over, and over,
and examined both sides. back and front,
and sideways. SO that no possibility should
happen for folks that are only actin two
Tears for the people to do the people any |
larm. The great starting point was for
congress to have the power (acting for the
,eople) TO do all the good for the people
possible, and Jist as the people would do
or themselves; but then agin, knowing
be nature of man, and that he might
ometlmes do harm when he meant 10 do
good, or pretended to do good, they put
n all kinds OF checks something arter
his iashlon-congress might git notion
o say that il would not do for some men to
'ave too much property, aud it would be
rest to scatter it, so that some should not
re too rich s. others too poor to prevent
his, the constitution says no man shall be
deprived OF his property without compen-
alton. Then agin congress might take
action that certain folks better quit the
ountry. or be put in prison, and all "tor
he public good" bat the same constitu-
ion says no man shall be deprived Of his
lights or his liberty without fair trial by
ury composed Of men jist like himself
md so it goes on from one point to an
,ther; wherever there was a possibility
or congress to make some mistake Of this !
nature, the constitution pins EN- right |
down, and tells them not only what they |
can do, but what they can't do; and this
latter pint is by far the most important.
The constitution lets congress do all it
can, but it takes plagy good care to keep
1t from doing too much good, which is Of
len the nature Of our public bodies to do,
and especially when they get heated, jist
like these folks spell ago in your city.
who got notion Of doing so much good
they thought they'd try and make all
the black men white, and all the
white men black, and this though
not agin law, that is there is no law agin
it. yet it was agin mater, for if you mix
black wool and white wool together it
IN axes gray all the world over but if you
go to mix black folks and white folks to
gether. it makes yellow, and that shows
Vt is asn mater if it amt agn law, and
what is agin nature ought TO be agin law.
But 1t amt agin law nor mater for con.
gress actin for the people, to do all the
good they can for the people, providing
IN doing so there aint nothin in the con,
stitutlon agln it-and that bein well IN
derstood, we come now TO consider wha;
right congress has to make bank
| '' hu'S 'ioht Hotiou Ou u dt tuo tituC
! the constitution was made the felix's did nj
know so much of the mater Of bankin as
they do now-some had tried il, especially
some OF the old Continental States, anc
made bad work ont, jist as some folk
had tried steam works but in the course
OF time what was considered unsafe anc
impossible, is now considered the best way
OF working things. Twenty years ago
have hearn my old mother say, she'd ra
Their walk afoot clean TO Boston, afor,
she'd go aboard one of them plagy steam
boats. She said she had no confidence in
em-then sho'd go round from the Ken
nebunk away 10 Marblehead, in an old
fishing smack, and with head wind bea,
about for days and days till the apple sas
and nglns was good for nothin-but
things have changed considerable since
then, and every body now goes in steam
boats; and Jlst so it is with banks, if they
are well managed and well understood
they are the completest things for making
things go quick and smooth in this etar
nal WIDE spread country as ever was in.
vented-but it is The natur of banks to 90