Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-07-13
Thursiays Pr0ceediR1s.

positions taken by the Federal leaders against the
practice they nov uphold. We trust lie Will use the
opportunity obtained to illustrate the subject, by Civ
inr examples Of the mode IN which the denounced
power is now exerted by those who WELD it., while
he gives them, he promised, broken doses Of Their
doctrine.
Tie special order, the National Bank, was resumed,
and an amendment proposed by Mr.. Walker, designed
prevent abuses, BY holding the managers to proper
res possibility. The purport Of his amendment was,
thai the transactions Of the Bank should be reported
annually Congress. Tins done annually by every
department Of the Government, and why should that
now about be established, the greatest of ALL he
emp,cd from that only means OF securing fidelity in
any public trust-pubiclty and accountability TO the
immediate Representatives Of the people, and through
them TO the influence of public opinion? The Bank,
as every body knows, viii not only have sixteen NIL
lions Of the nations at lis disposal when The
whole ffty millions is subscribed stock, but all lis
venue, collector and dsburser, and depository The
country has stockholders no,eholders, depnsors
all dcspoed by the late Bank nl the T. > They were
robbed through the secrecy which yciird all the po
cal appropriations, all the loans oil millions 10 family
of stock obbcrs 10 speculate on, while the real business
paper of merchants was rejected. Mr.. Benton, on this
point read some twenty thirty entries Of loans 10
Thomas Riddle Of four and five hundred thousand dol
lars Il time, while paper o! multitude of active
merchants, amounting altogether TO about hun
dred thousand dollars, rejected during the same
period that these repeated loans Of half million at
a time were made 10 broker, The enormous abuses
of the Bank, which have ended in the almost total
loss of the stock, believe would have been
endured 10 such Stent, the whole Of concerns
in all their details had been made public through
an annual report TO Congress- II would at least have
furnished such of the stockholders did choose
to risk their means of living widows and orphans,
aliens, and all others who preferred the security of
their investments 10 the success Of party and the in
diligence Of the spcculalons OF Thomas Nicholas
Bldde-to escape the danger, by dlsposing of their
interest in the Bank at early stage of its "Rakc
prOyrcSS Z" But, at all events, as Mr.. Walker just
| ly urged, Congress while creating fiscal agent for
the nation, ought at least 10 insist on having
| knowledge of the management of this new func-
tiouary, made accessible 10 the people the con-
Germs Of the Treasury The minuest de-
tails in the business OF the Treasury, spread
out in print every year before the people. The public
have recently what mistakes and mposltlons were
elected in the late Report Of the present Secretary OF
the Treasury, from the very fact that he Obliged
to specify every item Of the receipts and cXpendI.
lures In letter, published the other day, lie adj
mits, (after Mr.. Woodbury. had detected, and Evans
denied it, that he had omitted to state sum received
from the Bank Uf the n'teG States, OF upwards Of
half million And if it IS important that the conn-
try should have annual printed statements OF the trans
actions Of the Tfeasury-ci the amount and appllca-
ton OF It's funds, when the whole duty consists OF
ceivin. and paying outs It not more essential that
fiscal BaHE, authorized not only 10 receive and pay
out, but 10 lend out, the public moncy-and what is
more, deal upon sixteen millions of lis stock-shoud
give full account of all lis dongs under this great
trust: Is the natsn willing, after the lessen taught BY
the late Bank to put all its revenue Al the disposition Of
Bank president, with very little other provision made
10 publicity and responsibility, than existed in the
late charter The authority gwen 10 committee Of
Congress 10 examine IN the late charter as well As
the present. The charter authorizes the Secreta
nv OF the Treasury TO inspect the Bank accounts. But
every body knows that the Secretary himself is
not trusted say all well, and keep all the dark
lie is made to exhibit the whole state Of the Treasury
and show his vouchers, and why Because when the
treasure Of great nation is involved the policy has
been not to trust any all of it's functonares to
manage and dispose Of il under The veil of secrecy and
yet il il proposed TO exempt the Fiscal Bank
of the L. S, like the last from the duty imposed upon
the constitutional functonares Of the Government,
who are not permitted to withhold from the public the
disposition made By them Of every farhng Of the public
money.
/ Mr.. Woodbury. when this matter under discus
sion day, called the attention Of the Senate TO fact,
10 prove the nadequacy of the authority gwen com
miee OF Congress To examine the Bank. in lieu of that
absolute publicity which enters into all the business Of
the Government in all its regular departments esta-
bllshed under the Constitution. Mr. Woodbury. SAID
that the Bank not only turned Congressional COM
mtee from lts doors when seeking information, but
Congress did not venture 70 maintain the rights OF
the committee against the contumacy of the Bank
They did venture to call up the then proud
wicder Of millions, Mr. Biddle, backed BY his po-
ltcal partizans-h Swiss baud in Compensation n
ter No If this had been done at that time, his troops
from Baltimore and Philadelphia, would actually have
encamped on Capitol Ill., as they threatened, and
possibly have driven the weak and fearful among the
friends Of the Administration, who abhorred civil war,
into absolute submission 10 the Federal minority
who were then Wanting the Bank power although
discountenanced BY the people.
Mr.. Benton, in the of the days struggle,
sought TO nscrbc in the charter least, although 1t
might not be oheyed clause requiring publicity in
fbe aukt ti,,rt
made by the Federal Senate, when the Government
first went into operation, TO exclude the public eye from
It's proceedings. For few years, all its business, e-
gslative well executive, transacted in Sc
session. Mr. Benton showed that several success
sve attempts were made IN van 10 open the doors OF
the Senate the people; and he read the following pas
sage from the journal, that the Senate might with
what an overwhelming majority 1t Lad once mega
lived the reasonable proposition that the people
might know what the public agents doing in Their
name:
| "Rcsor6d, That the conducting Of the legislative
and judicial powers of the Senate III public. and suffer
ing account of their measures and deliberations 10
be published in the newspapers, is the best means Of
diflusing general information concerning the prInc
PIES motives and conduct Of individual members and
that, by withholding this intormntlon responsibility
becomes unayang, the influence OF their consttu
ens over branch of the Legislature in great
sure annihilated, and the best security which expe
rence has devised against the abuse Of power and
mai administration abandoned.
This was lost BY vote of Z to 81.
Shortly after this, the will of the people prevailed il
the Senate and the doors opened-and wha
would be thought Of the man who would now propose
to close them on their legislative proceedings; Mr.
Benton supposed that in three years, it would require
as much hardhood for any 10 stand up the bod
an insist upon The anugement Of the moneyed con
Germs Of The nation by conclave Of Bank directors
sitting with closed DOORS to shut the doors Of th
Senate in the face Of the people.
Mr. Clay of Alabama supported, with great vigor
the proposition Of Mr.. Benton He entered at length
into abuses generated between secrecy and
and especially in where ambition exer,ed it
utmost power
Mr. Allen of Ohio also embarked briefly, but will
power in the debate. He ran the parallel between th
proposed Department for the secret cement Of al
the moneyed concerns of the Republic, with The publ
city and responsibility that attaches 10 all the rest
He remarked on the confidence and respect which fol
lowed our judicial tribunals and urged that the purity
Of and ability which dslln gulsled the Judci