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

ate. Call 1.-THE Hamper Bank. That would
be classic :for It goes up to the Greek root Of
the term. It is also an English term foe the
Exchequer and the Treasury. We remember
very well, said Mr.. B. addressing the Presi-
dent Of the Senate, that, as apprentices to the
law, we had to learn long list Of courts in
England; among other that Of Hamper, in law
latin. Hanapgium. The Hanaper court, the
Hamper office, the clerk Of the Hanapef, are
all familiar to the student at law; and they all
refer 70 the exchequer, the Treasury. It is the
old Greek word for Treasury, and is revived
in England, both because the clerk formerly
used big basket to hold his papers, and these
papers belonged to the Treasury, and because
tits an Excheguer, or Treasury court. would
recommend it TO gentlemen, then, to call this a
Hamper Bank, especially as they have English
precedent for it, and this fscality is to be half
English concern. Hanaper will do, but /
would prefer Hamper. 1t il the same word,
in sherter form, and not only has all the pow
er of meaning which belongs to Hanaper, but
has another meaning very appropriate to thi3
institution. The noun hamper, is the big bas-
ket; the verb to hamper, is to restrict, to hob
BILE, to fetter, to cramp, to hamstring, &c. and
this is the way this bank will serve this GO
vernment and the people. It will hamper,
hobble, and hamstring them; and then like
real basket, it will not hold water! that is, it
will not hold the peoples money, which will
go by the hundred thousands to jobbers, gam-
blers, spectators, and millonary plunderers.
Mr.. President, continued Mr.. B., will won,
ders never cease! will political miracles never
cease! Last veal, and for many years the coun-
try was alarmed, agitated, terrified, at the idea
Of Treasury Bank, gratuitously and unfound-
eddy attributed to the Democratic party.-Now,
the very persons who charged this as al Of
fence upon the Democracy are themselves only
doing the same thing. A Treasury Bank is now
their idol, after having been their terror and
good people are required to love it as much
now as they were instructed to hate it few
months ago. Such are the Inconsistencies, the
contradictions, which are played off before the
people and which, it is supposed, the good ma
Mr.. b. referred 20 the speech of the Senator
from Pennsylvania Mr.. Buchanan) as one that
would not be answered, because it could not
be answered. (Mr. b. had waited for some
one on the other side to reply to this speech.
No one rose. No one broke silence. Shut pan,
seemed to be the word of conmand on the left
side Of this chamber. 1t was one way to cur
tail, and stiae debate. Another way was to
limit the time Of the speaker. as was done In
Rome III the time Of the second Triumvirate !;
and this We have partly adopted In the Senate.
The morning hour, which with manly exertion
on our part, was>saved for resolutions, was an
Infringement Of our right of speech, perpetrated
for the first time in the Chamber, and even this
hour is now taken away from Us by those from
whom we wrung it; it is FILTERED away by
motions, and presentations, and small speech
es, from the gentlemen of the other side. Ano-
thor way Of sitting debate is to fix an arbitrary
hour for its termination; another, to cut off
amendments without debate but the most ca
pital way Of all was to authorize the majority
to pu: an end to all talk whenever their minds
were convinced.-This capital conception orr
oinated with the Jacobins of the French Reyo-
luton, and was applied on the trial of the cele-
brated Madame ROLAND. This lady defended
herself with such courage and ability before
the Revolutionary tribunal, that the Attorney
General, the bloody Fouquier Tinville. wrote
a note to Robespiere to let him know that the
woman could excite the people to nunity if
she was not stopped; wherenpon RobespisIre
ran decree of three lines through the Convex.
ton authorizing the judges to stop the trials
whenever their minds were convinced.
This decree was Immediately applied, the
defence stopped, and Madame Roland sent to
the euiliotine--and thus it was in all subse-
quent trials. The judges stopped the trials,
and put an end to the speaking whenever they
pleased; and this last and most approved me-
thod of stopping debates, so effectnai before the
French revolutionary tribunals, is the only i'm
proyement in the art of sitting and suppEessing
debate which remains 20 be taken in our free
country unde. this revived reign Of sedition
laws and federalism.