Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-05-29
REPORT OF THE MINORITY OF THE
BANK COMMITTEE.
CONTINUED

al n COmOUduCC VII bHO
Sooks to be produced at the North American
uotel. the Committee of Investigation, on the
5th of Nav. adopted a resolution, (See Docu-
ment No. 32) that they would repair to the bank
ino house, at one o'clock OF that day, to inspect
the hooks specified in the resolution of the 2Sth,
and such others as they might require to be pro
duced. A copy Of this resolution was sent TO
the chairman of the Committee of the Directors,
but reached him at his dwelling house, at a time
when the Committee of the Directors was not IN
session. and a short time before the hour named
in the resolution of the Committee of lnveStiga-
ton. He immediately informed the Chairman
of the Committee of the House by letter, that It
would be impracticable TO re-assemble the Com
mittee of the Directors in season TO submit the
books for inspection that day, but that they
would be re-assemhled without unnecessary de-
Law. The Committee, however, deemed 1t eX-
nedient. for the purpose of making up an issue,
To renair TO the banking house at the hour ma
med. and then and there TO call on the President
and Cashier of the Bank to submit certain OF
their books to the This according
ly took place, first in the large nall OF the Dahk-
mo house. and then, by repetition, In the Pfesl-
dent,s room. The President and Cashier de-
clined a compliance with this request, on the
uround that they had, neither OF them, the Gus
todv of nor control over the books and papers;
the general custody OF the same being with the
Board of Directors, who had already apprlsed
tho Committee of the House, that they had pla-
cell lDHHl uilQCL lS ~
IN be by that Committee submitted for inspec-
ton. and that they (the President and CashieO
were therefore unable to comply with the de-
mand of the Committee of investigation
This demand, and the answer to 1t, were then
reduced to writing, and will be found among the
naners (Nos. 35, 36) appended to this report.
This proceeding was but a repetition, in a
form a little varied, ofthe attempts before made
to acquire the means of conducting the lnspec-
ton Of the books, apart from those to whom the
directors had conided the duty OF submitting
them to the Committee of the House OF Repre-
sentatives. 1t was avowedly intended only to
make M in another form, the issue which 1t was
sunposed would be created between the Bank
and the Committee of Investigation, by the fail
ure of the Committee to obtain the books thus
required Of the President and CASHIER. it was
known TO the of the House that the
directors. by an authentic act, of which a copy
had been communicated, had placed the books
AT the disposal of the Committee of the Board,
10 be by them submitted in person Tor inspec-
ton. The said Committee ofthe Directors had
twice positively made known Ihelr lnaolnty 10
deoart from the instructions OF the Board IN this
resnect. The Committee ofthe House were APP
nriSed that the books asked for were not, under
The instructions of the Board, at the voluntary
disposal of the President and Cashier, and the
demand made of these officers by the commit
tee in person, at the Bank, was not OF the nature
Of a LEGAL process to compel their production,
snnnosing them TO have been de facto in the
keenino of the said officers. For these Consid-
eratons, the undersigned opposed the personal
demand for the production OF the books now
under consideration, as a measure which must,
for the reason stated, prove Intellectual, unne-
cessarv for the making up of the desired issue,
and omen to the objection of wearing a veXa-
lions anpearance. To make a third application
for q voluntary submission of the books in a
manner which it was known was deemed mad
INVISIBLE, at the same time that no recourse was
N~rx ~ nnrllH ~ h1f hnNrn
the effect. though certainly not so intended, of
rratuitously throwing upon the directors the
SSa;um of reneated ~refuSals of the requests of the
Committee of the House. However this may
be as the fact is undoubted that the directors had
rlaced the books under the control OF the Com
mittee of the Board; as their right TO do so is
,nonestionable; as the chairman of the Com
mittee of the Directors had apprlsed the chair
man of the Committee OF investigation that the
former could not be re-assembled at the very
short notice Given, but should be so, without un-
necessary delay, to submit the books Tor lnspec-
tion. as the books were not, in point of fact, in
nossession of the officers called on; the under
stoned feel confident that, in respectfully decl-
ninu To nroduce them, those officers were. gull
~ Of no contempt ofthe authority OF the House.
8. But whatever difference of opinion might
at the first have existed between the
of the House and the Committee of the Direc-
tors as to the ~propriety of permitting the latter
10 retain the custody of the books, and submit
them in person to the Committee of the House,
further consideration appears TO have led the
Committee of the House To admit the reasona-
bleness of this mode OF conducting the investi-
CATION, so far at least as to acquiesce in it-a
consider alton which eXonerateS the directors
from any charge Of contempt in the course hith-
erto pursued by them. Accordingly, without
waiying their right to require the production of
the books at their lodgings they repaired again
m the clearinghouse, to the room set apart for
their accommodation, and required the produc-
ton of certain of the books of the Bank.
II will be observed that, up to this time, no
chino had been arranged as to the mode ofcon-
Quoting the inspection beyond the single point,
settled BY the sc oqaa.ssn4sf;yo Of the fse Go% iHa SooR Of
should he submitted in person by the Commit
tee of the Directors. No objects of inquiry had
been announced by the Committee OF lnvesti-
CATION, further than they appear IN the resoiu'
ton of the House under which the Committee
was raised, and in the calls made for intorma-
ton, as TO a great amount and variety of mat
tiers, as appears from the resolutions in the APP
pendiX. The COrreSn0ndanca which had taken