Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1841-08-13
SPEECH OF MIR. BENTON,

words $ District of Columbia from the first
section of the bill to incorporate the subscri-
bers to the Fiscal Bank Of the United States.
| Mr.. BENTON was in favor Of the motion TO
strike out the works mentioned, for he was OPP
posed above all things to have the manage
ment Of this Bank here at Washington city. It
would complete its capacity as political ma
chine in the hands Of the Administration, ru-
ling and corrupting the Congress at the same
! time. These nine managers at Washington
will be the nine lords Of the Treasury, living
at tifs seat Of Government, always arm in arm
with members Of Congress, and giving them
sumptuous entertainments every night. They
have salaries, such as stockholders will allow
them, and the stockholders will doubtless see
their advantage in enabling these nino lords to
entertain magnifcently, especially as the Uni
ted States pay heavy part of it.. The pay
will come out Of the people, for it is to cone
out of the Bank, and the Bank is to be built up
with public money, and to be kept filled up
with public money. Besides salaries, they
will have their expenses and perquisites: their
dining flnd-their presents of plate---tneir
office, and its paraphernalia--so great build
ing with train Of clerks, messengers, and ser
vants-all at the expense Of The people.vThe
| danger of these nine lords Of the Fiscal Batk
has been already exemplifed when Con9Eses
and the first Bank of the United States satsfr
geiher in Philadelphia: the Bank directorsAld
the Federal members of Congress always Az
ed together, they made what laws they plAar
sed-twisted and tortured the constitution iuto
| what they pleased, and set the people at def
| ance. Mr.. Jefferson has given US some view
| of these wretched times-the fruit Of the licen-
| tious union between bank and state--and will
read paragraph from his works. It's in the
ana, near the end Of the fourth volume.-lt
sustains most fully the view which the Sena-
tor from Pennsylvania Mr.. Buchanan took Of
this cornpting connection, and may be well
| read as an illustration Of his argument. Mr..
Jefferson says:
While the Government remain ed at Phila-
delphia, selection Of members ofbuth Houses
of Congress were constantly kept as directors,
| who, on every question interesting to that In
s,ituiion, or to the views Of the Federal head.
voted at the will Of that head I; and, together
with the stockjobbing members, could always
| make the federal beat that Of tie majority. by
this combination, legislative expositions were
given to the Constitution, and all the admins
trative laws were shaped on the model Of Eng
! lan' + andsso passed. And from this influence
we were not relieved until the removal from
the precincts Of the Bank to Washington"
the voice of Jefferson-an eyewitness of
what he relates-and relating what he saw for
the benefit of pos,erity. He wrote for our be-
neft !; and shall we neglect his werning voice
He tells you that the Bank directors, and the
Federal members Of Congress, acted together
| while the Bank and the Congress sat at the
same place, and there was no relief from the
| baneful influence of this corrupt combination
until Congress was removed from Philadelphia.
This was in the year ls0O-say forty years
ago. The removal was then real--the travel
between Washington and Philadelphia was
| then slow, tedious, and expensive; now it is
| rapid, easy, and cheap, still Philadelphia and
New York, accessible as they are to members
| of Congress, are too far off to answer the pur-
| pose of the new Government Bank, and there
| fore the directors must be brought to the city
| Of Washington, and placed in immediate COM
| munication with the President, the Cabinet, land
| the Congress. The nine LORDS Of the FIsc
| will be a Treasury board here they will sit as
| the council and instrument of the Secretary of
| the Treasury. They will be political as we'll
as moneyed board, and their influence will
be felt in Congress, and in al! the business of
| the country. And who will compose this board!
| Who will these nine lords be The bill very
cautiously, most carefully, provides that they
shall not be members of Congress-members
Of the Government--or the Government con-
tractors. This is pretty, very pretty indeed
Members and contractors are excluded, but the
ex-members and ex-contiactors are admitted
so that resignalion-an expiration of the term
of service-removcs the disabilities, and quail
ifies the member or the contractor to become
| one of the board ! And Of such will it be COM
posed! Members will resign their places or
decline elections, to become fiscal lords. 1t
will be the highest place in the Union; the
most splendid and powerful post in the Union;
the Presidency only excepted. You can depo-
pula,e the two Houses of Congress with such
oflices-you can pick and Gull the Union with
such temptation. What is it! A power
over money and polnics-a power over bank
of thirty millions, to be increased to fifty mil
| lions--a residence at Washington-a power
| over Congress-salares- palace to live in
ante chambers--crowded with suppliant ex-
pectants Such will be the new offices, and
who can refuse them Sir, they will be ca
! gerly, furiously sought. The incumbents will
be poiticians--old hacks-prostitues-worthy
to grace the new political Magddlen hospital,
of which they will be the battered and worn
out inmates.
Mr.. B. secuted the whole idea Of this board
of nine directors at Washington city. Bad in
| itself, this board was conceived for fraudu-
lent purpose-fora fraud on the Constitution
| TO cheat the poor Constitution out Of it OBJ
! iections to Bank 1t is for fraudulent pur-
| pose--it is TO make the Bank constitutional
to obviate constitutional objections to it-that
this new and tremendous engine OF political
and moneyed corruption Of board at Wash.
ington is interjected into this charter.
The Senator from Pennsylvania Mr.. Buch-
anan7 is right in charactcrizing the proposed