The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1839-07-09
PRETENSIONS OF "THE VAN buren, DE
MOCRACY."

MOCRACY"
Last week, adverted TO several prominent
objects which the Van Buren, party have taken in
hand to accomplish, with unity OF purpose and
recklesness of means, which plainly indicate that
the attempt is desperate one,-and that now or
never must the state be carried. They rely, main
Iyfor success hope of 80 lar deludng the poo-
pie as TO make them behave that the spariy which
has been the minority in this state is, indeed, the
same party, which was formerly the majority
the old republican party-and they call for our faith
in this matter-Qor! it must be OF faith at all,
since it cannot be by sight soneo TO believe this
pretence,-altho' they cannot shew how, or when,
or by what means the republican party in Vermont
got into the awkward predicament in which they
have been found, ever since the party claiming
their present appellation warmed by the sunny IN
huence of the national administration, Matched out
of the Jackson crysalis and sprung into existence
as the radiant and gorgeous Democracy" OF these
days. The republican party certainly had the en-
tire ascendcncy in this state after the year 18l4-'
indeed they made clean sweep and carried eve
~ thing bofore thon,-and how and when did they
become a minority The whole pretence is a
miserable farce-an artlfice too shallow TO dupe
sensible men,
But another grand object ofthe Van Buren, party
and one of the means, by which great results are
expected to be accomplished is tho indscri inmate
war which is waged against banks and the doctrine
that they of wing origin and owe their exist.
ence to wings, and that they are grievous and
bitter evil which the "Smilie and bank reform"
party will remove. In the first lesson of deusion
which has been put forth on this subject,
reference is made 10 the session of lS03 when u
republican House passed n bill incorporating a
bank which the council rejected. This we motto
ed last week, In looking over the pages of leg
isatve history it will be found that the year 1906,
is an epoch, which should be marked by those,
who are hunting for the rise and progress of Banks
in this State AT the session of that year, the first
bank in Vermont was granted, by leg stature,
which counted an overwh elmlng majority OF thai
political party, with which 1.-The Democracy OF
these times, claims to be identical. The Yer
mont State Bank was then established with branch
es Mt Woodstock and Mddsebury and subsequent
legislature added branches at Burlington and West
minister. How will t'Ihe Democracy have 1t
Were the legislatures Of 1906 and 1907, which es-
tablished these banks, composed OF maJoriues oil
men of the same party now claiming to be "lhe
Democracy" or were they not : If they aSere
then let the wings be acquitted of the charge oil IN
PRODUCING banks into the state. If they acre not
then does the argument, that, in this state the Van
Buren, party Of these days and the republican party
Of Mr. Jefersons time are the same, fall TO the
ground.
Another passage in the history of legislation
which should be marked by these political anti
quurians, occurred in 1918, when Jonas Gausha
governor, Paul Brigham was lieutenant COVER
nor and Richard Skinner speaker oithe House
of Representatives. AT the session of that year
Mr. Van Ness the representative of the town
of Burlington and led forth in the project OF the
establishment of the first private banks in Vt
With the Bank of Bnl lington on one arm and the
Bank of Windsor on the Other, MIR Van Ness went
the whole figure and fairly broke ground in thl:
state for the planting of those institutions of which
the party who almost dolize the founder, pretent
to have such horror No man in the state, ex
cept Mr. Van Ness could have succeeded, at tina
time, in carrying thro' the legislature an act fol
the incorporation of bank. The high ground he
occupied, as politician and his known and devot
ed attachment to the republican party secured te
him an influence possessed by no other individual
in the state, and he able to effect that, which
other man could accomplish Mr. Van Ness il
claimed by 'tThe Democracy" as consistent poll
tician, being one of their number and having beer
from his first residence in the state, active anC
influential member of the republican party. Eve
ny one, who recoects the history of the establish
ment of the Banks of Windsor and Burlington will
fully agree to the position, that to all human proba
bililty, without the strength and influence of Nj
Van Ness those institutions would not have beer
chartered In 1921, when the Bank of Brattlo
borough was incorporated and in 1924 when char
ter was granted to the Bank of Rutland, the pre-
cedents Of the general assembly of 1915 was cites
rs the strong argument THAT lnasmuch as the leg
isature had decided that it was policy.to esablis
banks in Vermont, there should not be monopol
granted to few, hut that every portion OF tn
state should be permitted to enjoy equal privileges
In this article we have not attempted to discus
the question whether banks evil, but hav
.endeavored merely to collect facts, shelving tn
history of the introduction of the banking syster
into Vermont. The great point to be established
by the misty labors of the Van Buren, presses il
that banks are of federal origin that they are tn
contrivances OF the federaists of former day
and that the wing party is really the old feder,
party and have, as that party, multiplied and pei