Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1835-01-01
Conversational Debates.
DEBATE IN THE SENATE DEC. Is, ON
TIE BANK REPORT.

Mr.. Benton rose and SAID, tnat before
the Report was ordered to be printed he
had a word or two to say. His name,
he had observed, was mentioned in the
report, but to be sure it was in good com
pany, for it was coupled with the names
Of Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren,,
and Felix Grundy. Before the Senate
adjourned, he wished to have an oPpor-
tunity of showing the Senate that the
committee had been most unworthily
treated by the Bank, and had been made
the means, so far as he was concerned,
Of reporting to the American People
what was an untruth. lie had written
TO the President of the Bank of the Uni
ted States, and he had done so at the re-
quest Of some merchants in Missouri
He had written to him with cordially so
far as their object was concerned, and
with view to promote the object OF their
application. The report stated, that, up
on this application, branch was estab-
lished there as a business institution, and
not political one. Now, mark, he wish
ed to inquire of the chairman fthere was
communicate TO him a report made to
the Directory by Gen. Cadwallader, who
was sent to St. Louis, in nsequence OF
the petition, in order to report to the di-
rectory whether the business Of the place
would require a Branch.
Mr. Tyler said, There was not. "
Mr.. Benton continued. Then, he
would repeat, the committee had been
most unworthily treated, and had been
made the instruments Of giving an un-
truth to the American People. When he
went home from this city the merchants
Of St. Louis told him that the petition
would be unavaiing-that Gen. Cadwal-
lnder, on the part of the Bank of the y.
States, had examined into the business
Of the place, and, in consequence, had
reported to the Directory that it was not
sufficiently extensive to authorize them
in establishing branch there. Well, IN
contempt of that report, that it was unne-
eessary to establish a branch, the Presi-
dent of the Bank Of the United States
had since directed that one should be es-
tablisbed, as he, (Mr. b. would now
proceed to shew. Now, about that time,
he struck the first blow at the Bank, ),
which he had the proud consolation to
believe, was the means Of first exciting
public indignation against it. 10 the
astonshment of the merchants of st.
Louis, after having only short time
previously received the information that
a branch was not to be established in
their city, one was suddenly opened, and,
as it was alleged, " for the convenience
Al. ~ al
that branch had been applied to political
objects. Yes, a speech which he had
delivered on the floor Of the Senate on
the veto message, had been reviewed
and 5000 copies Of the Reviews" on
it were distributed by the Bank, and
large portion Of them had been poured
into his State at the time of the election;
while the speech itself was suppressed in
the Register Of the Debates in Congress
on the subject. Yes, IS 900 copies had
been distributed, while the speech itself
was suppressed ! or, at all events, was
withheld. He had not seen better de-
scription Of this affair than what he would
now relate. A gentleman had once
made a speech, and sent it to a certain
press, the editor of which took great lib
critics with it, and when it came out
the author said |" it was nothing but
diminutive metamorphosis Of what he had
said"
So much for this subject.
In order that the Senate might bring
the matter to an issue, he had drawn up
a resolution, which he wished to have
considered as a part Of his remarks:
RESOLVED, That the Committee Of FL
nance be instructed to obtain from the
Bank of the United States copy of the
report made by the agent who visited st,
Louis, in consequence Of an application
of the merchants of that place Also,
the answer; and copy of the letter maxi
ing known to the said merchants that u
branch would be soon established there"
If the Committee had sent MIN a note,
he would have put them in possession of
the facts, and the modification would
have been spared to them of having COM
municated to the public an untruth. -
Now, this went to shew the necessity Of
putting on every Committee at least one
individual who differed from the rest, if it
was only as a spy. He was not going
into an examination of the report then,
as time would not permit it. But there
were some things in it which he could
not now avoid noticing. What the Com
mittee quoted, it adopted as its own
The Committee had quoted the express
sion hostility and viudictiveness on the
part Of the President of the U. States to-
wards the Bank" and in quoting the
charge, had adopted it and made it its
own. Now this point had been so often
brought before the nublic that eyery one