Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-04-16
AMIR


Republiean Members Of The General .1ssem0'y' 10 me
People Of Iuginia.
i Frt,ow c,r,zrSs On the eve oil an important
election. which takes place on lhursaay ne@' we
com. forward 10 address you, TO awaken your
to the great interests which are a. s'ahe' an. -
moro lpor ia you-if it were necessary 10 sustain
,bem with ali the energy in your power, now IS .le
Emo n grd mn your IONS and go boldly into the con-
test. p,h,;o,,
members of the Legislature addressed you on the Io.h
Nah two important events have swept over inc
l,nd rbe President of the United States has called
an Extra Session of Congress and since ne Das aue
The call. he, himself, has been gathered unto nus
alhers. Both of these events are repete with Inc
deepest interest, ana Doth OF '''eih i'i"'s ~ :
marks at our hands
When the Convention addressed you, they hao anu
cnated an Extra Session Of Congress- IN consequence
If tho minors that were then rife at Washington
position Of the Wing Cabinet 10 force favorite mea-
sures on the country, while the Wing party yet re-
mains united" The event has fulfilled their pre-
dctons and the weightes and graves reasons assignee
in the Washington official organ for the call too clear
" confirm the policy which they have ascr'hed 10 the
movement. The n. lnelhgencer does not hesitate "
avow that there important Objects 10 De ac-
compshed than those which glanced al IN the iro-
clamaton- that il is for something else than 10 pro-
vide some resources for the reasurytha IS, IN ac
In carry ont the great which, 1t says the people
had chaked out in the election of Gen. HARRISON; ana
,ha, when they elected him in November last they d.
ciJed upon an immediate accomplishment OF the mca-
srcs which they had IN contemplation But Inc authors
nc this argument knew, in fact, that the grave and
weighty reasons assigned for the measure were not
sufficient for its justification. They were well aware,
hiatt Extra Session had been suggested by Mr. Clay,
before the last Congress assembed and before the con-
d;tion of the Treasury could have been ascertaIned
They knew too that whilst Congress was in ses-
sion the means of the Treasury were sufficient with
The aid Of the Treasury notes authorized TO be
issued, TO meet the public engagements II they
were not supposed to be commensurate, why DID
no, the Wing Caucus Of January last, which de-
termincd upon this Extra Session. come down with
further demand Of the necessary means: They Knew
too thai the President came into office with i've NIL
lions of Treasury at his disposal along with The
amount actually in the Treasury, and the revenues
which were constantly accrung. The authors OF the
argument confess, in fact by the very use OF It, that
the financial insufficient to justify the call
and their own confession shows that they had much
more in view-but unfortunately their own argument
is unsatisfactory. For, what measures had the wings
proposed to achieve the election of Gen Harrison-
Tbey had refused to publish, during the campaign, the
full articles of their faith Their plan OF operations
was TO keep their principles the dark, Tor tear oil
breaking up the union of their ranks. They had no
regular code of principles to sustain They had agreed
upon no system of measures to accomplish All they
sought was cling together until they had conquered
land then each Wing at liberty TO turn ms VIC
tory TO the best accoun-But this argument IS ltseli
at war with all the precedents in our annals When
was Congress called Immediately after Presidential
election TO carry the measures, supposed TO be EN-
braced in the contest: When Mr. Jefferson defeated
n MIR John Adams in IS0l--although they differed IN
every essential measure OF pubic poIicy--'houSn
State Rights President had been elected 10 snpercede the
Sedltion and Alien Law Administration OF John Adams,
vet Mr. Jefferson quietly waited for the regular SEES
sion of Congress to carry out the reforms OF the TO-
yernment When Gen Jackson defeated the Fede-
raj, skyllght administration OF Mr. John Z Adams he
too called no Extra Session of Congress There have
been six Extra Sessions of Congress- but not one has
been called nv new President, TO carry out lnmed
atcy the objects of his election Why, then IS new
precedent to be set; Why is half million OF dollars
10 be expendedand why IS country, signing Tor some
little repose after her recent agtatlons, TO be again
thrown into excitement, by new and harrasslng ses-
sion of Congress, The fact is, the Convention OF the
Republicans Of the Virginia Legislature in March last
gave you the true key to this whole proceeding The
Wing Cabinet has called Congress together TO "iorce
avore measures the country, while the wing party
vet remains united" They wish TO repeal the indie
pendent Treasury system; they will not adopt State
Bank system-but they desire to ascn upon our necks
a mammoth National Bank, distribution OF the pro-
ceeds of the public lands an increased laraf ana
Public Debt for the purpose Of laying foundation
for their av orite Bank. These are the leading nea
sures which the Wing leaders so anxious TO force
upon u.s. before their party can break up, ana De-
fore some of the State Legislatures can meet to protest
against their adoption Is it necessary Tor US TO expa
tate upon the mschiefs Of these two prominent mea-
sures National Bank, and Distribution OF the FRO
ceeds'
1t is sufficient to say of National Bank that it has
no warrant in the Constitution itself. lhe power 10
incorporate Bank was brought before the Convention
which formed the Constitution, and It was rejected. ~
is neither embraced by the specied powers nor - -
necessary to carry out the powers which are granted
1t is an usurpa,on, which is most emphatically con-
demned by your immortal Report Of w and when
has been denounced time after time by the OF
your legislature and by the .oundes expostons OF our
abest Republicans. The unconstltutionalty oil VA
onal Bank constitutes in fact one oil the permanent
articles of the Virginia creed. But this IS mol an! Us
effects upon our institutions are equally iatai MI
Jefferson has long since denounced 1t as one oil " the
deadliest hostility to liberty itself. And this opinion
was given when he had before his eyes an Institution,
the capital of which only 10 millions OF dollars
And now we are threatened with monstrons Bank Of
some 81 millions more. Such an institution, Gun
Quoted rs il will be by Board OF Directors entirely II
responsible to the People, will have power enough to
regulate the markets of the whole country, ana 10
| centralize an influence in the North which VIII
control the capital, labor, and business OF all the
South. In vain does experience warn inc Gaui'
net at Washington, against lis establishment. ne
last Bank the IT, States, was more than once on inc
verge of bankruptcy. Facts are not want NJ TO snow
that contributed to corrupt the public press ano 10
coniaminate the public morals. But tins institution
which assumed the new form OF pennsylvania Damn
of the u States is about TO explode in ruin upon the
heads of lis stockholders The spectacle is irightinl
as is disgusting The Report Of is committee Of
Investigations which has just been published deveopes
a scene of mismanagement and abuse, which slckens
every one that examines it, and will cast shade over
our mercantile character through all Europe tsown
officers have been specializing with the funds OF The
Bank, and to large extent IN State securities IN inc
scrip of chartered companies, and in the cotton and
tobacco of the South. The value OF It's stock mas
i dwindled to Is or 10 per cent. and in the opinion
Of many economists the whole concern is entirely
bankrupt. These warnings, however, are rung IN
the ears of the Wing leaders in vain In the very face
of these mischels they pressing for the establish
menl of another and larger bank; without any au-
thority from the Constitution, and whilst our Gre
dit in Europe is SO low that the adequate funds eau
scarcely be obtained in that quarter for the stable,
specie foundation of Institntion-And If they
could succeed, would it be right 10 ieter the ener-
gies and natural resources of such young and giant
country as this u.s. scarcely yet in the bone and grlste
of manhood, with such artificial restrictions, and such
an alarming power, Better bandage the Chinese foot,
and deform its growth. Would be right to impose such