The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-11-09

But, II Il be not easy to IN up 10 public derision
and unmiligaed scorn and contempt that public man
who seeks 10 commend himself to The people upon
such foundation, II can only be because all moral
TASTE all public virtue, all understanding are exin-
guished.
To do this, Il is by no means intended 10 leave IL
as matter Of inference, however clearly deducible
from thestatemen that the Bank OF the United States
was sound In 1882; but Il shall be proved 10 have
been SO by the action OF Congress-by the action Of
that body OF which the Senator Is member. will
be recollectedtha four or FIVE years subsequent
to 1882, il became expedien and necessary for the
government TO sell the ssren millions of Its stock In
hsbankrupt and "mercantiely iasolreHt insLitatioH
A committee OF Congress was appointed 10 inyesti-
gate the affairs OF The Bank, and report The value Of
It's assets guide for the sale Of the stock. This
investigation resulted in the sale of the stock TO the
present Bank at premium of either IA or Is per
cent on the first cost OF the stock to the government;
SO that, besides the regular dividends and the conve-
nience tothe public and the government OF receiving
and dsbursing The public money without the loss Of
dollar, prcft of ovey a million Of dollars arent
into The treasury Of r people upon s final settlement
and sale Of HE stoeki!
Could this have been an insolvent institution in
1882 that amer having been robbed Of its lawful use
OF the public deposes in 1887, returned 10 the coun-
try the first cost Of its stock with more than mil
lion profit
Congress took The bonds Of The new Bank, on time,
shorn as il was Of Its national character, and loaded
as il was with boauses to the Stale Of Pennsylvania
Did Congress act with so lille sagaci,y Col BEN
TON consenting, as 10 take the bonds Of bankrupt
instituliona mercantile Rsoiuent? And those bonds
payable, at different periods several years distant
Where was the sagacity Of Colonel Benton then
Where then was the fidelity and prudence of Con-
gress in taking care of the public properly?
But, seriously, when a rejecting and dspassiona,e
public look back upon the history Of the late Bank Of
The United States-when they contemplate the
tent of the blessings 1t conferred upon the business Of
the people, the uniformity Of the exchanges the ia
ciities Of trade and travel as contrasted with the
present predcament OF the country in all these par
iculars, they but look with less surprise than
indignation upon the authors and abettors of thatsys
tenn of delusion and demagoguery by which they
have been practiced out Of these blessings Well may
THOMAS HART BENTON be sci down at the head and
front Of those destroyers of the public prosperity
those reckless robbers Of private reputation and mer
camille credit.
What blackness and darkness settles over and be-
clouds the understanding Of the man who has the in
soent boldness to proclaim to the uhole american
people that the Bank that has discharged faithfully,
to the uttermost, all its engagements 10 the public'
and finally has repaid into the treasury the original
seven millions Of its stock with the addition Of more
than million Of clear profit, was bankrupt institn
tion-n,ereantiiely insoluent!
But what shall be said Of the heart that out of its
abundance, pours out such .abhorred falsehoods-
such incontrovertble evidence of the total extinction
Of all moral principe-such manifest contempt and
insensbily TO every touch OF honor and truth-so
utterly vitiated corrupt and gangrened in all its re-
cesses that if it be not unmasked and exposed in all
the hideous deformity Of its character is sufficient
to poison and corrupt the moral atmosphere of our
country2 But, being exposed, the very exposure Of
such libellous atrociy viii avert contact, and pre-
vent the deadly spread Of the contagion.
JUSTICE.