The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1838-04-11
EXTRACTS


EXTRACTS
From Speech of Mr.. BENTON, OF MrssoU-
RI, in Senate, Wednesday,, March IAN
1888, on the Bill to separate the GoUern-
ment from the Banks.
:" The contest is for power. Political
power is the object of the Opposition--a-
bnse Of the bill, tho means of attaining it
and panic the grand desideratum. Pan
les nrc the ulimcnt of the Federal party
terror their engine for governing the people.
The Presidential election of 1896 was
carried by terror, extracted from the French
Revolution the election of 1900 came with
in three votes of being carried by the same
means. The second election Of MIR. Jeffer-
son prostra,ed Fcderalism-sen it into
stste of Information far north, and with it
the NEUROLOGICAL deity of its worship, and
The whole machinery of terror and alarm.
The appearance Of General Jackson, AT the
head of the list of Presidential candidates,
in the winter of lS24-25, and the events Of
the election of President ot that time by the
House of Representatives, revived the two
primitive political partes-tho Republican
and the Fedcral--and with the latter, its
distinctive passion for terror, alarm and
panic. From that day to the present, a
succession of alarms has agitated the pub
lie mind"
"The Sub Treasury bill panic is now
the order of the day; and The total destruc-
ton of all credit--the sudden erection Of a
Treasury hank upon the ruins of all others
tho exclusive imposition of Treasury
hank paper money currency upon the peo-
pie, and, mt the same time, the exclusive i'm
position also of a hard money currency up
ON them; these are the raw-heads-and-
bloody bones which are now paradcd before
tho people. certain speech delivered on
this floor. the title page of which will claim
prominent place in the next emission Of
coffin handbilIs, is the congeries Of these
new horrors compounded, and
conglomerated into one huge and frightful
mass. With the delivery Of that speech
went forth the authoritative mandate for the
new panic"
"Thus we have gone on ever since the
appearance Of General Jackson on the po-
litical stage, and the coincident revival of
the old political parties of 1898. Terror is
The chosen agent Of action upon the public
mind noo as it was then; but with this
grent difference, that the phantoms then
brought forward to frighten the people into
measures, were solely directed to the ner-
vous system, and never combined with any
attack upon the business operations of the
country. People were then to be Frightened
out of their votes, but not deprived of work
and labor, or ruined in their trade and oc-
cupation. Now the assault is double it
is both upon the nerves Of the man, and
upon his bread. The famous Queen Eliz-
abeth, in stopping the income of the refrac-
tory Earl of Essex, said, an ungocernaJlc
brdst must be deprived of has propender.
So of the present Opposition tactics in our
own country. Stop his bread--makc him
feel--turn him out to Craze; this is the
language Of the day. An immense money
cd institution, able to create the distress
which it foretels, has brought this Qusen
Elisabeth ingredient into the composition
of modern Federal panics and now every
successive attempt at alarm is accompanied
by an attack on the business of the country
co-extensive with tho power, and the ralui-
fications of the power, of the Bank of the
United States. Laborers dismissed--work
stopped-factories closed-wages reduced
bread and fuel monopolized, and the
price angmentcd--bank accommodations
withheld from small dc ,lers aud hard work.
ers, aud profusely granted to capitalists,
sl,ayers, and pecnators-specic payments
snspended--exchanecs deranged-aclual
distress created by every act of oppression
and aggravated by every act of exaegera-
tiGu--dI,tress mcelings--distress oiatious--
distress committeeman the whole charg-
ei iy its owu authers on the Republican
Administrations such is the infusion Of
demoniac Ingredients which hank vengeance
has superaddrd to Federal panics, aud by
which the elections are TO be governed, and
the people scourged into submission to Fed
eral and Bank domination.
Mr.. President, have said but little
comparatively li,Ile--on the merits of the
bill before you, because know, as have
already said, that the merit or demerit of
the BILL is not the question before US. i,
icas the question which we presented; 1t is
not the question which gontl.men of the
Opposi,ioa have discussed. They bring
forward another question--one of parry, of
political power, OF retoration Of themselves
10 power. They Fly to allthe topics of par
" warfare they arm themselves from the
m'saz'ne "f party politics and the Presi-
de"na' election Of 1910 is the object ~
view Ihs struggle is for the recovery of n
!ost charter, and restoration to lost power.
'ine party which got into power, without
the consent Of the people, ia 1926, and
vn'ch has since been sv,cted from power