Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-06-19

meyer be content as long as the people nave any ilne,ty
loft them. These banks and thr'r adi!cT'nts now o'"'
l. demand the money Of the people TO 'raac on, ana !"
swell thcir gains. They have IN repeated instances ana
a. ;rdes,i,e pcriods, refused to redeem their notes;
whilst individual debtors are inrcedto pay '.eirJastuco'S
NJ every sacrifice, these institutions sheilciih9 .hcni'
selves under the wing OF the coFporate spirit >
tnIfI their sacred moral obligations Our soVere'Shau'
,h.-,r = how 10 them; our legislatures are called to
REGISTER their edicts; to say to these powerinl vioIators
Of law. these contemncrs oil contracts, wei none =
Il c,,no, he otherwise: we have by ihaaVerl'ht icels-
I.,;or a,yon them the power over US OF mighty credit
49," La.o established the anomaly in our free coun-
49, or , nrivilercd order, superior 10 the people, and 10
u, I,w II is tolerated because many good men atirt-
bn,e 10 hanks that prosperity which springs from iiDeF-
" and labor. ., r.ho
;n,ortant element in our political contests; 1t
i ,rrovea aoa nst Us, and adds TO our d'tlicuit'es. III
is n political drum beating Tor rccrnils-nouiyih@ WhrIe
Inc bounty for taking the field against virtue is TO be
III ~ I'D a.. The way to this bounty lies through Co
.xna,,t !, draws the most impure qualities of human
49, Mn he field of election, where the purcst are
mac ca : 10 sustain the Republican form All the
,nnI;,pces of this concentrated power are thrown INTO
the adverse scale the privileges OF me lew are ever
hos,iIs "a lhe rights of the many. Those who have re-
c.;ved f,yors. and those who expect them, with tneir
friends. are alike partizans to make proseiytes. Inc
,nnh;,;o,s poll,lcian cnlists; with the hope OF this pow
.rr,I suuport. he becomes their advocate. Inc MS
,.L;cb have been inflicted upon the country by a rum
Il ms N VICIOUS S1StIii VI bN''h'f- 49,
at, oC IN Administration that has shewn itself not VIII
;ng 70 minister TO their avarice and Their lust oil power,
An attempt to libcrate the Government and money oil
,ha ncople from the control and influence OF an IRE
snons,ble power, is sought to be represented as a mon
strcus innovation upon our rights. 30 blinded nave
,b.v beeu. that they have mistaken the banks Tor the
penple, and a severance of the Government from the
banks was announced as u severance Of the Goverh-
ment from the people.
Because Mr.. Van Buren, has denied the right OF
these associations Of wealth to the possession of the
public money, to he traded upon and loaned out by
them for their own emolumcnts, he IS pronounced hos
tile 10 banks.
Because in consideration of the enormous power,
the exclusive privileges, and the right to usurlous ad-
yantares, viz: the right to issue three dollars III notes
for one subscribed, without the obligation to redeem
or pay beyond the dollar subscribed, conferred on these
institutions, we claim that they should be held to the
payment of their debts, The performance OF their legal
and moral obligations, we are denounced as hostile To
the credit system. Ii this landed system consists IN
the violation of contracts, the disregard o! obligations.
legal and moral, the Introduction of an irrcdecmabie
paper money, we are hostile, uncQuyocaliy hostile
TO It.
non redemption Of their notes, the withdrawal of the
public money from their possession. Have they shown
their right, to use our money, TO pay their debts:
Because ilr. Van Buren, has advised that the public
money be kept by public, instead Of bank officers,
ruardcG By all the restraints and penalties that the
Constitution and the law can throw around it, he is de-
nnunced as desiring 10 seize the purse of The nation.
Have angels been found in The persons ofbank officers:
Let the history Of banks, the darkest page in the his.
tory of fraud and violated trusts, answer. That the
banks of Virginia have been conducted with integrity
and honor, with The exceptions of misconduct in a
few subal.ern officers, is a just tribute 10 the merit OF
those honorable men who have presided over them,
and makes their present condition the strongest con,
domination of the system.
The banks are State Institutions. We deny to the
General Government absolutely the right 10 control,
directly or indirectly, the institutions of any State,
They cannot exercise control over them without yo-
lating the most sacred principles Of the Constitution.
Shall the money of the nation then be placed beyond
its control, where lis restitution TO lis government is ]
favor, lis detention a power:
We are asked, what has the Government done for
the people: We proudly reply, lis daty, b. attending
u our Foreign relations, and abstaining from unautho-
rised and Illegal interference in our domestic concerns.
"What has the Government done for the people = 1t
has not, in violation Of the Constitution and every
principle Of justice, given the money Of the people to
favored associations of wealth, 10 discharge their debts
or swell their profits. 1t has not allied the money
power Of America with that Of Europe, in combination
against the liberties of our country, IN the form Of a
National Bank. 1t has not By a Tarrii taxed ono por.
ton of the country tor the emolunci.t of another. Il
has not by Il system of Internal Improvement cxpcnd,
ed money levied upon one class of our citizens, for the
bcncf; OF another. "iVhut has the Government done
Tor the people," The question itself is the essence Of
Federalism, a demand for an assumption of the power U
interference IN orr domestic c%onccrus, which has been
by the Constitution reserved exclusively t. the State
authorities. To these authorities we must look for the
reformation Of our corrupt banking system, and the
evils il has drawn upon US. We retort the question,
what can the Government do for The people? Issue 4
circulation of Treasury notes in time of peace. This
our Wing friends who have i~nvcighcd so bitterly
against the temporary issues, made to enable the go
vernmcnt to extend time TO merchants and deflultinn
banks, would condemn, rs well as ourselves. Increase
taxes, that public money might be deposited in the
banks, tncnubic them 10 discharge their old debts by
the redemption of their notes; and contract new ones
to the public by fresh issues. This might suit mer
chants aud spectators, but would be a strange measure
of relief to US upon whom the burtllcn Of all taxation
falls.
It's under the banner Of the money power now that
our Old enemy rail!cs-tie same as at the close of th,
Revolution: in the Convention of 1851: in 1890; and
in lc2o to lc29. They have placed at their head Il Fc,
dcTal;st of the old schDul,-Wm. Henry HARRISON
Daniel Webster and Lcverct, Saltonstall, the mover OF
the Hartford Convention, stand in bold relief, as lead.
es in the present struggle. Harrison, a man Of ord.
nary and inferior talents, being placed in The hands Of /
committee, '!ias no tongue TO speak for himself, and
whose party have no principles to announce n Bank
man upon expectancy, Il Tariff and Internal Improve.
ment man from choice, and a friend and supporter OF
the administrations nf the elder and younger Adams by
his own confession, he is presented here rs a Jciicrso-
man Republican; in Federal States as a consistent
FcdcraiSt, (as he isl His uolItical opinions are as VA
riable as The color Of the failed chameleon, assuming
the Shade of the substances upon which it rests,-hc Is
all things TO all men.
We have seen his party meet in convention at Har
%riShurE, TO nominate him, without a declaration of thciI
principles We have seen one of the largest Wing
Conventions assembled at Baltimore that the country
has witnessed, pass in procession with an idle and silly
pageant of flags, log cabins, barrels of hard cider, nc.
yet the avowal Of not one principle upon which they
propose to administer the Government. The only rcso
luton of note they adopt, IS one to raise money to carry
| Harrison c election. hey diSIaln la seek the uubpunhI
suffrages Of a free people upon the justice of the princr
pies they announce or advocate.
In the absence Of all avowals of the principles upon
which they would administer the Government, We
must seek information from other sources. The most
natural is TO look around us and see who they are and
with whom they are associated. AT home, we rccog.
nize as the supporters of Harrison, the opponents Of
the administrations of Madison and Jackson
Ga. neighboring County, Augusta one of the stronges,
Harrison counties in the State, gave in 1Sl2, a majo.
rity of is for Rufus King, over James Madison. The
Federal Counties and Federal States, are all FOR Har.
rison; Clay, Webster, Sergeant, all the leaders of Fc.