Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-01-02

psss from hcirrecollcciion. !, teaclef 'hcm the vas,
political power possessed ny n mcnled monopoly, anu
with how relentless d spiHt IL may, uP'" '~""0
exercised. p..L
"AIl This" it may BIZ said, sis true oil q Nal'nna' nanNs
and yet State Banks are above repI"ach III l"'s aSp.e.G,
the case The purity OF an institutions, theh' aeP."Eu'
ruou the Government which grants the charter; q p"H'
lical bias is impaired to a bank. because It Is created ny
Congress; but, if created by n Stale Lfs'sla.ute' :"
therefore purgcd of that objeciinn. Tins would seer" 10
be the argument, but the distinction is altogether Vetoi'
- the essence of both is the SAME. IT IL because .""o'
are lhinrs" 10 a great many, that Il National Bank Is con-
sidered a curse, and n State Bank a blessing lie '"'e,
if il be n rose, BY any other name wnu'i sii,r" a smFel'
and if il be a brarible, call il how yoii WIZ, I sun re-
tuins its lacernlipr lhorns. The Natlona! Bank having
e,pired. we have seen a State institution rise upon liz
ruins, which wants nothing bat branches IN tie oiateS'
TO make il us dangerous as lis predecessor. lis p'"eFih
the State is us formidable as ever. IL wlelds as nincn
patronage by means Of its loans, and possesses ai el'iii
power Of Furnishing refractory voters, by It's crnlracti'hs'
So pnient is this influence within It's immediate sphere,
that there are hundreds subjected 10 it, who cann1t can
their votes their own. The city X bank RIDDEN, ana r"l'
ladelrhia NAV he viewed as Tie did Snruin oil hHi"r!ra'
The independent exercise orthe elective francis. c is eaten
away, aud the power Of appointing her representatives
has become the prerogalive OF the Bank. O'!erwis', We
should never have seen one OF The most 9ilied ci'iZfhs" vi
that polite and enlightened city: VaIqnIshrd al a most
portunt election. bv one distinguished chiefly Tor his utvo'
lion To the Bank. Who is no, struck with the vast dIsnarI-
ty that exists between luGrrs'il. ihe statesman. thr Jnris',
the accomplished scholar and his successful opponent:
Who, that remembers the strong Republican bias OF That
city. can doubt for q moment il!at tle Nepubiicah can
didate would have been returned, if The veteran taclician
of the bank had not opened lis batteries against ti"':
Bat reason, personal worth, md elnqncnce, mr." thrown
away upon n people, when the pTnaiy OF rewaTo'hs ."rm
is the revenue of q man who holds their p.cuniaTy des'I-
nies in The hollow nj his hand. The man who united
these recommendations denounced the bank, ana The
curse Of the bank went C,rlh against him. Alter Il gal
liant resistance. he was az length defeated, cluVen down
by the trained bands that are kept 10 oVrrawc Inc CITY
Turpe fm, vinci, Guam contcnIisse dceorurn est
1t warns The heart with generous snd'Ita',"" t u
hold u contest which political merit alone should neciue,
determined By the secret Vaccinations nt u lnnnled con-
clarc; TO behold Il ba!iI prn!ege pressed i"Fwasdoy '"ese
busy combinations, and thrust over The head 81 d c"Ni'
retilor, twlnse shoe. la,chcts he was not worthy |" I'M
loose However shining those enGownenls may Oe
which elevate him above his fellow men, and stamp MN
with the impress of a superior nature: he Is borne 10 lie
hastings as a vicliia Ia the sacriticr, II his adversary mas
secured the corporation ct one oi these 'cfr'o'e InS'"ss'
So falls the brave, athletic Indian, the pride and Hover
of his tribe, before the discharge ri L musket, tnucied
perhaps by The hand of n cripple or a co%ard. Nol less
unequal is the contest between the candidate OF Inc poo
pe and the nominee of Il hank. lie who has woncd lis
support, with "thc interchangeable SMILE can hardly IaIi
of success, while the independent man, who has d'ie
nrliing 10 obtain ONCE but 10 deserve It, Is iofea"n",ed
TO political Punishment. These are the powers tiiit uic-
late the succession to offices, high aud low. II this
,~hrcadbnre expression should again become the watch.
word Of party, it would be well to remember 10 WHAT
quarter il may be most properly applied.
IS It not, then, u lille unreasonable TO require the nd.
mission, that Stale Banks never interfere III ricclions:
There are some men ] know so constituted, as 10 refuse
assent to any fact [cspcciaily fit he an unpleasant oGe)
upon any other than proof Such men meier were
The guardians Of q nations rights. Such men m'sHt br
jusgled oul OF every franchise That dlgnIhcs tie state oil
man, before they suspected the subtle usu:p"r was at
hand, and when all resistance to his power would be
hopeless. Sucl men would require, suppose, that the
terms of the contract should be overheard, that n loan
must be offered. or 4 curtai! torc5orne, before they would
admit that Banks had any agency in Casting votes at an
election. il is tie slyness with which the process IS
conducted that makes il most dangerous, because most
difficult of detection. If they had read old john Taylor,
Of Caroline, he would have taught them better. 'Ihe
engines OF ArchineGrs,' says hc, ''dcai'oy"d the R'-
mans, whilst they could not see from whence their fate
proceeded. .,foral engines are far the same reaSon con.
csuicd from hosc on 1rh"m they play. And these moral
engineers, more skilInl than Archimedes, often persuade
their victims jnyiully 10 stretch out their necks TO The
stroke, like Turkish ia:atics, under 4 persuasion thai 1t
will wait them to paradise. Enquiry, p 3Jl.
If | am asked, why State Banks should interfere in
elections: answer, they are often vitality concerned IN
the result Of Legislative deliberations. Is il not natural
they should strive 10 put such men in those bodies US
will support their interest, sometimes prolomg or renew
their very existence, y dear friend Of some powerful
Director, or i near relation, may be 4 candidate. This
ucrhaps might be sufficient to set the corps TO working
the wires. But why seek special reasons for such inter
ference: The possession OF power is always linked with
the love of exet,ing it. aud he who conlrovrrts the fact
has read men and books to little purpose. Even he who
yields a ledger influence delights 10 sway his country.
men as fur as The radius Of his capital gill reach. This
lust of power is Incorporated in the heart of man, and
grasps both extremes Of society. The chief tenant Of
The palace in Chestnut street, and the tenant Of a rusty
store a, a cross-road, burn with the same passion-and
both contrive To gratify it by means Of The same clumsy
but irresistible weapon, viz the LEDGER. | am YEA
~ Of This ceaseless cIano7 which is confined To BIGdle
ana his Bank. Our PATROLS would do well 10 consider,
that while they denouncc tho scar!.; ;"Eo:r vr n-t-i""
with 80 much warmth, they yield to the entice'nenls of
some half 4 dozen who conduct the same trade within
convenient distance of their own doors.
FuricI non omnibus una
Nee iivcrsa tancn, qudlrin deceit essc SORGHUM.
The description fits them exactly.
Tine independent exercise Of The right Of suffrage cam
not be too warmly insisted upon. | will take leave ol
the whole subject By repeating a solemn Ammunition OF
Junius to the English people. "Ihe free election Of
our representatives in Parliament" says he, " compre.
bends, because il is the source and security oil every
right and privilege Of the English nation. The Minis
try have realized the compendious ideas of Ca!igula.-
They know that the liberty, the laws, and the property
OF an Eng!ishman have in truth but one neck, and that
to violate The freedom Of election strikes deeply at them
nIl."-To me it is Of little Importance, whether our re.
presenlnlivcs, Stale and Federal, derive their appoint
ments from n corrupt Ministry, a borough mongering
Lord, or from Messieurs the President, Directors and
Company of a bank. The only species Of appointment
which consider worthy Of preservation, is that which
flows from The unbought suffrage Of a free people:
HOMESPUN.