Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1841-01-23
VOL. XIV.
DEFERRED DEBATE.
VIRGINIA BANK.
HOUSE OF DELEGATES.
debate eontinuss.l
REMARKS OF MIR. TAYLOR.

On he subject Of the Detaicaiioa in The Bank Of
Yirginid.
Mr.. Speaker-lt pleased this House TO refer 10 the
Conmitiee on Banks the following resolutions:
"Resoirtd, That the Committee on Banks enquire
into, and report TO this House, all the facts con-
nected with the late deialcaon Of the Bank of Vir
GINA, and that they have power to send for per-
sons and papers; aud that the Committee enquire
=" aud report how far the said defalcaiion has been
produced by the misconduct or neglect Of any Of
the officers of the said Bank"-And also, shat
the Committee ON Banks enquire (f any, what
" were the reasons connected with the removal or
" resignation OF Anthony Robinson, Jr., from the
" Office Of cashier Of the Bank of Virginia, which
did not equally apply 10 john Brockenbrough, Pre-
,iden, OF the institution; and if so, what were
theyf-And whether the nerrsi of the State does
not require that said President shall be elect
ed"
To perform the duties required Of the committee,
effectively, was paramount considerations to inci
some pain upon the gentlemen, between whose con-
duct in their appropriate departments, comparison
was Instituted by the representatives Of the people,
inevitable. To suppose Otherwise, ! an, sure, would
De injurious TO those gentlemen. The duty was I'M
portant, though somewhat painful; and there can
exist doubt that the injunction to enquire and
port how far the said detalcation has been produced
by the misconduct or neglect of any Of the officers
OF said Bankl' was right in itself, and due by the
State to her citizens The absolute necessity Of an
other branch q the resolutions, directing Tie Com
mltiee 10 enquire "whai the reasons connected
with the removal of Anthony Robinson, Jr., from
the Off e Of Cashier Of the Bank of Virginia, which
did not equally apply to John BrockeniDugh, Pre-
sden Of the Institution; and IL SO, whit they7'
was by some Questioned; but the House had settled
that question by its vote, and the Committee pos
sessed no discretion as TO compliancej unless, in
deed, the Committee had begged To be discharged
from the consideration of the subject; which might
have been misunderstood, and would have left the
presumed apparent injustice practised upon the
Cashier unredressed and unanswered. Indeed this
was, if mistake mo-, insisted upon rs but justice To
che CASHIER virtually dismissed while the President
retained The material facts connected with
the late defalcaon Of the Bank of Virginia had al.
ready been made known TO the public by the report
of three gentlemen specially charged with the service
by the Governor of this State on whose statements
all relied. and by various Judicial proceedings had in
this city. Blu, IL was right, it was due To Virginia,
Il was due to her people to order the enquiry "Whe-
ther the interest OF the State does not require that
said President shall not be reelected 7"
MIR. Speaker there few, il any, of those pre-
sent think, and very few elsewhere, who will not
agree that the enquiries ordered were IN the main
proper and though gentleman here, and perhaps
more. not satisfied with the expressions Of GER
tam portions OF the resolutions, and the differences
thence deducble injurious 10 the President yet il
mistake not, he himself intimated disposition to
bound what he deemed legitimate enquiry but on
the contrary did expressly state the contrary. pay
honor to the gentleman for his generous sympathy
on those occasions, well ds for his general worth
aud it gratihes to bc able 10 inform him that
have come from this investigation with no altered
do not believe, ] cannot be made to believe readily
that the President of the Virginia Bank be- guilty
of what the world calls personal dshonor. Nor,
sir, let mc by omission to name him, appear to act
an unjust part toward the late Cashier. Neither TO
him do impute, what | have not imputed to the
President.
Mr. Speaker, to arrive at just conclusions, it was
obviously proper 10 ascertain the facts; and 1t
impossible for the Committee charged with the per-
Torrance of many other duties, to read over even
cursorly, the many Bank documents and accounts,
within the brief period which TO elapse before
the occasion would arrive for the State act which
for So long space occupied the time and OF
tue Commissioners appointed by the Executive, it
was deemed proper, think by ALL TO make that re.
port the basis of our enquiries; and TO ascertain whe
Their the President and late Cashier admitted the facts
therein set forth 10 be correct the following written
interrogatory was made Of them both; To which
written replies requested Are the facts stated
IN the report of the Executive Commissioners, cor
recty stated; If not, say ip what respect they are
incorrectly stated, and what is the truth in respec,
" TO such particulars" And as the President had at
the meeting OF the Stockholders, called in conse-
ouence of the defalcation, made a report them il
was obviously just 10 the late Cashier ask of him
this further ineTroeatory, To which written reply
requested " In what respect does the report of
the President made the Stockholders in July 1910
Incorrectly state omit state any fac;l And state i'm
writing, ndeta what you believe TO be respect
"a any fact which you deem erroneous omitted"
The answers OF the Cashier are before the House
and the judgment of the Committee upon the excuses
contained IN those answers and deem il but right
to say and Just To the President that there is little
substantial excuse in his answer developing the cha
racter of the complaints he alleges TO have made to
the President for the negligence of the late Cashier.
The severe sickness OF the President prevented
him from answering, III writing the first intorroga-
tory prupounded to him. aud other fterrogatories
subsequently propounded b. the COMMITTEE This
rs more 10 be regretted upon his own account and
because Of the suffering TO which he has been sub
jected than upon any other. Certainly there is no.
thing in the character Of the heterogeneous address
ed TO the President, or of any answers which could
have been rendered to forbid such conclusion as the
Committee has expressed IN reference TO his ofisiaI
conduct u wac for the purpose OF eSinCng this that
! asked TO have them printed, It having escaped at
tcntion IN the first instance Though the President
did not reply in writing to the FIRST interrogatory
himself and the late Cashier We're together present
before the COMMITTEE, when that question was pro-
pounded Frequent references WERE then made To the
report OF the Executive Commissioners, which the
president was not understood rs gainsnying; and
indeed the President had cypfessy referred the Stock
oliers 10 that report IN his communication made to
them in July, 1870 and which address is printed
with the report of the Bank Committee, and now be-
fore the House These facts, and others authorised
the Committee TO present their report, though they
had no written replies from the President And dis
timely assert, that the conclusion 10 which have
arrived, and upon which design to act is founded
upon the facts stated in the report Of the Commits
sioRers appointed by the Executive the laws and
10 lne bhllk referred 10 IN tie report
of the Committee and substitute presented by the
member from Norfolk and the admissions of the
president in his own report to the Stockholders to
which have alluded.
Dit Speaker, mono OF these matters have think
been coniroVede3 nor has an attempt been made so
fur | remember, to controvert them. But to the
conclusions Of the report and substitute, both OF
which assert substantially that sit Is MOI for the inte-
rest Of the State that the President should be reecct
81" objections have been taken, which will oudea-
voT TO answer.
il has been asserted by the gentleman from Acco
mack, in an able speech with the kindly temper of
which was much pleased that the objections urged
against the conduct Of the President were two. First
that he had failed TO suporintcnd the conduct of the
persons employed IN the Bank and secondly in fail
ing TO direct the performance Of the duty Of inspecting
the vaults, cnoined by the rules Of the Bank. think
the gentleman perfectly correct in supposing tina,
these nre the two grounds of objection to the CON
duct Of the President; but | do not agree with him
IN the conclusion to which he has arrived nor the
correctness Of the opinions upon which that concu
sion IS founded. Those opinions, on the contrary,
believe To be erroneous. do not agree with the
gentleman IN supposing that the limits assigned to
the powers aud duties Of the respective officers OF e
Bank, by the rules Ofthe Bank were designed rather
for the protection Of the officer than for the interest
OF the Stockholders nor that the fact that the suor
dinate officers give bonds secure the Stockholders
for The performance of their duties by those officers
relieves the President from the duty onoineI by spe
csl bye-aw ITO superinicnd the conduct of ali rer
sons EMPLOYED in the Bank " On the otber h,od