Columbus Democrat. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-18??, 1839-08-17
From ne .Niss,rsippial.
RECORDED FACTS.
Proo's acosteIiib's that he Hhie, hare been a,
asiaor' q ihs Banks n .llissis.ipgi.

| t'tNh eAtSNf iH CAdlttIHN the HuiuluUG o. rotten
! corporations which now curse the and with n worth
| ess currency viii prove idle, futile and vain The
abSu7dl;Y Of such en- effort on the psrt Of tins shin
plaster wing party, is only surpassed by its unpars-
! leed lnsOlence and open defiance OF the truth Of
public events, The echo of their hozaunas Tor the
banks has not vel died away, but IS Sul ringing ia
the public ear, when these Proieus-ike wings assert,
that They are and always were opposed 10 the crCa-
4 uon OF bank charters by the State legislature They
whose camoT loud and long, for these last ten years
has been, give Us more bank capital, we have too
little banking capital have now the weakness 10 say
| they were always opposed to banks. They who
| not SIX months ago denounced the democrats as
agraranS anu jewellers Tor opposing the banks, and
| who were clamorouS for the institutions Of the
| country as they termed the banks are now, with
| an eiiTontery which Is truly aughable claiming 10
be the opponents Of the banks The wings who
| have charged the democrats with beng the advo-
Gates OF an exclusive metahc currency, denauncing
it as barbarous and war upon credit, and holding
up the banks as the subduers Of the wilderness. and
| the only savlours Of the country, now Suddenly
| swung from their ancient mOorineS, not only de-
nounce all banks, but most positively aHeGe, that
| they have always been opposed to the creation Of
! banks. Was there ever such arrogance and such
| presumption on the intelligence of the people
| No sooner had the charter Of the L. :. Bank
expired, than the wing party at once hcSeioed the
/
they called the void occasrned by the withdrawal of
| the L. S. Bank. This was the never ceaslng cry
oil the wing party from one end OF the Union TO The
other. In This State the wings from the river coun
| ties poured like e. many GuIhs and NandalS into the
halls and lobbies Of the legislature, ciamorng for
banks. In the legislature they were heard by the
| present wing candidate 70" Congress, Adam l.. Bin
gaman, who during the many years OF his service
/ in the legislature uniformly voted for every bank
| CHI hat tYa Oh nil
| fuence to Their support. Under hls influence the
! Agriculture and Commercial Baaks oil Natchez
came into being and he has always been Suckcr
Tor all the river banks, well as every other bank
project ever started in the legislature.
We affirm with confidence, and challenge conro
| very, that The opposition to the multiplication Of
| banks and the banking system has come from the
democratic party throughout the Bnon, the act OF
party organization. 1t has often been the case, that
portion vi the democrats have been led oil by the
wings in the support OF banks but the opposition TO
these corporations, whether feeble or strong, las
come from and been led on By the democrats, while |
the wings have gone for the banks in mass, all
most without an exception As party organization, |
the support Of the banks has been by the wings and
the opposition by the democrats. In tins State this
is emphatca.y true, and the journals Of both bran
ches OF the legislature for series of years viii
prove il beyond a controversy.
We have lately read with no small aSlonisAmcnt
the proceedings Of meeting of the wing party OF
the city of Vcksburg, by whom it is attempted 10
be asserted that the wings are opposed to banks
and particularly it is stated by the wing press Of that
CITY, that the Hon. s. s. Prcnties addressed the
meeting, asserted that he had altraVs been opposed
TO the State banks, and that The whg party had also
been opposed to these corporations. II IS certainly
no matter OF aSoniShmen that the wing presses |
should make assertions ike these which the records
Of the country dsprove, but il cannot help creating |
surprise that gentleman, so prominent as Mr.. |
Prentlss should so far forget himself as to indulge
IN such assertions to bolster up the fortunes OF
sinking party.
1t is extraordinary that he should make such
statement, when il is well known that he did not
oppose single bank charter during his service in
the legislature, but on the conrary,supported warm
~ most Of them, if not ALL His vote does not stand
recorded against single bank charter during the
period Of his service in the legislature of this State,
although he was an active and leading member.
He is known TO have been in favor OF the passage Of
the Lake Washington and Deer Greek Railroad and
Banking Company he is known to have been ia
vorabe to the Commercial Bank Of Natchez and
the Union Bank he made a speech in favor OF the
BRANDON BANK, and his vote stands conspcu-
ousy recorded in its favor Before the bill was
put upon its passage, Ghoson democrat moved to
lay it on the table for this proposition there
thirteen votes two Of them wings and eleven demo-
Gratis; among whom spoke g. voted Mr. Prentlss Of
Warren,as well as A. l.. Bmgaman the present wing
candidate for Congress; and he also supported eve
ry other charter passed that session. Here the
two leading wings of The State found side by side in
the support Of the wing banks as far back as 1886.
The banks chartered that session. the Brandon bank,
the Commercial Bank Of Natchez, and the Lake
Washington Bank, were projected by wings, Ioca
ted in wing towns, and ever since managed and
conducted by wing directory. Are they not wing
banks'
It is true that, in 1885, the subject Of the banks
had not excited so much attention and discussion;
the projectors Of them were stealthily urging them
through the legislature and their multiplication did
not excite much alarm yet it is true that what
opposition they did incur, came almost exclusively
from the democratic party, although the party lines
were not strictly drawn
Gov. McNutt was then in the Senate he and r.
A. Hargs only voted against the charter Of the
Commercial Bank of Nachez. both democrats.
McNml moved to amend the charter requiring the
bank pay a bonus Of one hundred thousand dol
lars to the school fund, but this was rejected Nc
Mutt. Hargis and Cooke only Gall democfals) voting
for the amendment. At the same session YVES char
tered the Pontotoc and Aberdeen Railroad and Ban
king Company, against which voted only two Sena.
tors, Sharpe and Hargis, both democrats In the
House, the ayes and noes we're not called on the
bill, and the vote is not therefore known. Several
other charters passed at this session, appear to have
bsen adopted without call OF he ayes and noes,
and is not possible TO state the relative votes
of the two parties McNut in the Senate, INTRO
duced resolutions for the purpose Of limiting the
amount of the banking capital but the resolutions
were rejected by the wing members. AT the SEES
sion of January, 1887, there was no general egss-
ZION, and therefore no banks were chartered.
AT the May session Of 1881 a stand was made a
gainst the banks in the legislature, and comparison
Of the votes will prove ncontesubly that the oppo-
sition 10 bonk charters came from Democrats. The
wings assembled that session camorous for the null
tplication Of banks, and the increase Of bank capt
tai. They believed that TO make banks was 10
make money and that shinpasters was sovereign
remedy for all ills. Accordingly, the first measure
they inrndnced uas The hi 10 aufhnrize the lSsu.