Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-01-27
VIRGINIA LEGISEATURE,
HOUSE OF DELEGATES.

Thursday, Jan. 25.
message was received from the Senate stating that
they have passed the bills entitled Gan act authorship
Sarah W. Harper remove certain dover slaves be yond
the limits OF the Common wealth. An &C, To authorize
asfpaae election at the house Of Martin Miller & Sons
in the county Of Wythc; and San act forming II new
county ont of the county of Orange"
On motion of Mr.. PIHNELI.. The Committee Of Roads
and Internal Navigation instructed 10 enquire into
the eSpcdiency Of directing the Principal Engineer of
the State, to survey and Locate the Spring Creek Turn.
PIKE from Huncrsvllle in the county of pocahonlas, to
the kanuwha Turnpike or near Crisis in the county
Of Greenbrer.
THE BANKS
MIR. WooLroLK called up his resolution, laid on the
table few days since in The following Words
"Resoiced, That the President OF the Farmers Bank
and the President of The Bank of Virginia be requested
to communicate 10 the House the information called Tor
BY the last House Of Delegates. by resolution adopted
on the 10Th June, 1887
The resolution being read, MIR. voolfolk offered the
following substitute
"ResoIpea That the President OF the Farmers Bank
and the President of the Virginia Bank lay before this
House statement showing the number OF individuals,
the office trade and occupation so lar as Known OF each
the number Of firms the trade business, so Tar as
known of each and the number Of corporations ndebt
cd TO their respective Banks al Richmond and II Possl'
BILE at their respective Branches with the aggregate
amount OF each individuals or hrm haol'ty' as secu'
rty endorser their respective Banks; and Tor The
guido of said officers they desired 10 make out their
statement in the following manner: They shall dcss.
nate each debtor aforesaid in figures They shall
call the individual who owes the largest oeDt !, the
second 9 and so on to the end-1he firm owing
the LARGEST debt shall be called l, the second 2, and
80 on to the endso with the corporations to
No. l. they shall state the amount of his Indebtedness
his trade &c the amount he 10 bound TO the Bank for
each individual or person distinguished by figures afore
said and the aggregate amount he is ube TO the Bank
for Others securities &C. and his residence so Tar as
known and in relation 10 hrms-tilat they further
show the amount that each Director and Officer of the
n.ob oph fha II orr lie
Bank-aso, the number OF Members of the Legislature
who own stock in said Banks, and the amount owned by
EACH designating them by figures, aforesaid"
Mr.,WoOLroLK offering this substitute said, that II
was not his intention trouble the House with any
marks upon the subject, unless any gentleman shoulc
bring forward objections
Mi VESABLE expressed hope that the substitute
would be adopted; there could be no doubt but that thu
country expected full development, OF the condition
and state Of the Banks, while al the same time Thu
development would, he thought, be conducive TO thei
interests.
Mr. CHuTcuflELD ohecad to the resolution as being
nothing less than call for The names OF IN
dviduals and that the whole object aimed at was 10 come
at the Of citizens in Richmond having debts dut
TO the Banks. If that the object, why not come GU
with it at once? This resolution Mr. G. considered
much the same the offered on former occasion
with this difference only, that il imposed more labou
and trouble and required more time than the former did
in order arrive at information, which, when obtained
would be OF no benefit.
Il u
given by the officers of the Banks TO interroga
tories made by former resolution What good, MIR
c. asked would it DO to get At the names and occupa
tions Of persons indebted in Bank? What good woult
be effected, by knowing how many lawyers, or how ma
ny doctors in Richmond, &c. were indebted TO a Bank
In order 10 give the information required by the Resou
,ion it would require several large folios which, wher
printed Mr.. c. was sure few, if any persons, woult
read; he, for one, should not spend his time owe
such ponderous volumes Again, MIR. c. observed, Thu
most essential part of this Resolution contained al
ready, in the Resolution offered by The gentleman from
Isle Of Wight which Resolution the House had agreed
to- why then II necessary to repeat Resolutions Owe
again which had been already passed in substance:-
The Resolution was in his view frivolous, utterly use
less calculated to occasion great expense, and useless
work OF time and ubour, for which reason Mr. G. wou!t
vote against it.
Mr. WoorFoLy said that instead of calling for names
he had fixed upon figures 10 designate the persons in
deb,ed. 1t was wished by some to smother the names
and as he hndered from getting at them, lie hae
chosen 10 classify the debtors according 10 the amount
due, by different numbers. Mr. w. hoped, however
that the time would when the affairs OF all Bank:
would be perfectly open and above board-when all deal
ing with them would be in open Market and not beine
curtain and in the dark-when all who dealed will
them and all who were indebted to them would be
known. Then it would be discovered and the people
would he able 10 Judge wheIner they were employed al
means Of tavorng few individuals in carrying on mo
nopoes in ade whether their avors were EXTENDED
without Partially TO every class OF citizens
AS the assertion Of MIR. Crutchheld that his Reso
luton was frivolous Mr. W. commended that on the con
trary it was of deep importance, and he dehed MIR. Z
10 point out any one solitary instance Of enquiry, wher
the Banks had been examined at all 10 any purpose iron
their foundation to the present moment MI w. con
tended that the reports hitherto made by the Bank Oh
GERS were not full ample enough, and that therefor
call for more ample information was not frivolous
lie thought The information highly necessary from ano
Their view of the question: and that was, that we nigh
ascertain on what foundation their solvency was bas
ed whether they looked IN many debtors or TO only
ybo,he loon haa q
rites, or had been fairly and lmpartlolly dispense
among the citizens. MIR. Voolfolk had not expecte
that a single individual could have been found op
posed TO his resolution; it was to the interest OF IN
Banks themselves TO give all possible information. l
they wished obtain and secure the confidence OF tn
people this was the only c!fectua way to do So Th
people doubted, and justly They had their fears as
the Banks and if all proper-if the Banks had no
thing 10 fear why should their advocates seek 10 kee
back eyery full information? In all he had said Mr.
did not mean to insinuate any thing wrong against LII
Banks he did not say there was any thing wrong
but he wished to see-he wished to kno~-he de
sired to obtain information, and that was the only Oh
ec Of the resolution He could not act by faith on tn
subject of the Banks he wanted full and occular demon
straon Mr.. w. then called for the ayes and noes o.
the adoption Of the resolution.
Mr. CRuTcuFIELD said he thought it would be useIes
10 adopt the resolution He could not conceive how IN
solvcncy or the insolvency of The Banks could be dis
covered by number one or number two, or any the nun
bers proposed by the gentleman from Orange-ior ae
all, The only OBJECT 10 DC ata'nea aPPeateu " WI w.
be- the getting at the names OF the debtors.
Mr. MAY said he would just as soon vote for the name
themselves as for the resolution in its present shape
for when the amount of the debt stated and the re
sdence trade and occupation, Of the person, who wou
easily know who it was that the numbers meant =;
debtor was 1t appeared, therefore, to MIR. May, tina
i, would be much better at once to do the thln
openly than TO do it in this way. MIR. May would as
whether, in time of difficulty, such as the present
the IF all
fdencc than assail or weaken it-wlether at such
time it was either wise expedent to make such al
inquiry us this Besides, he would observe tina, it wou
not be in the power Of any Of the Banks, they put
nation required in the compass Of month"; and perhap
many mon,Ls-and then when the information came