Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-02-11

wopd have been indicate for DR.. Is. to have gone
with the Committee and pointed out the Desl 'noue'
of making an investigation of the accounts anu ''o
news of his own Bank. Indeed! II would have Deen
.s, indicate in him TO 30 with the Committee ano
saw "Gentemcn, the Bank has been, for some ''''. -
critical situation, with many diihcu't',s ~ -
let us 90 into the examination oil the iti'ei ~" w
Cashier vaults and as you not so familiar WIN hes'
m,,,crs.s am allow me- under the general provisions
which throw upon me tie duty OF experimenting ',sn
and every body else in the Bank, 10 see mo Wv %
of The large fund entrusted 10 their names. Dut o'' ="
this wouL have been want OF confidence, OF IL "ouu
have been indicate. inns eSlreie "r"eey Id
have been carried little too far and the fruits Oh nau
furnished an answer to the argument lie iouhd .ha
since the discovery of the deacation the socKhoiders
had passed the following resolution: -
| "a Committee Of the Board, consisting OF Two III
rectors shall be appointed b. the President, &c and
he shall act CT oteio, third; whose duty II shai
he to visit the vaults of the Bank in which The cash
and other valuable effects kept, &c; to make an
inventory, &c. which they shall compare WIN me
backs to ascertain their agreement &c. see aitcie
| ~ of the new rules of the Bank
! Hereafter then, it not tn be indicate Tor the
President to assist these examinations was not 10
be indicate for the Committee 10 examine INTO the &C
counts of the Cashier and the Teller; it is not to be IN
delicate for him bring the Teers accounts and sell
Elements before the Committee Of the Directors, and 10
compare them with the actual cash IN hand But, IN
trnth. this excuse was no at all FIT were nde
catc if the refinement and poeness Of these olhcers OF
he
holders his authority for saying, that it longer to
be tolerated; and if it was not indicate now, 1t was not
indelcate then But it again said that removal from
Office held for upwards of 30 years, was entirely too
harsh punishment for single act OF neglect In
the first place, the neglect mad run over some years.
certainly for eighteen MONTHS and attended with
such rulnous loss TO the stockholders and the people at
large that he disposed 10 take different view o.
the matter. The Commemorative share Of the present
loss was about $s290,0O0 more than one years land
unv IN Ing
the people. How many distressed families there were
who were now suffering for the want of those means
derived from the dividends Of the Bank, which means
they had relied on for their future support lie knew
some few in this condition, and had heard OF others,
The Bank was an institution Of their (the State 81
own creation; they had created it and clothed 1T
with various powers; they had held ont inducements TO
invest il the earnings of industry the gains OF the
epcrprisnr the provisions for old aye and the mantle
nance Of infancy they had held out the inducements
for all these investments, and yet when this great loss
occurred deprivIng each and all of their just dues and
reducing to the greatest Distress they 10 be
told that IL furnished cause for remova His friend
from Northampton alluded TO the ola sentinel who
might be found asleep on his post. With the perms-
sion of the House. he would present view of that case
TO some Of his military friends whose sympathics ap.
pcared be warmly excited in the present case, and
ask whether they would carry out their principle CT
mercy in favor Of the poor sentinel He would suppose
the Of poor sentinel, creature OF sensation not
of reflection, standing al his post, which lie com
|
perhaps with the fatigues Of his duty-if he happened
to fall asleep there, he 10 be shot. No would
say that the act Of falling asleep crime,
when, TOO, there nothing 10 keep him awake;
| thing comfort him, and when his nature might he
previously exhausted; no man, probably would tell
him that this offence Of falling asleep deserved the pu
nsnent of death; and yet they inflicted it, The pu-
nshmcnt Of death inflicted, not for the going 10
Sleep but for the consequences that did or might re-
suit from such an act. According TO the arguments
! AZ tla mi had add they
would not punish sentinel found asleep upon his
post. That fact would not induce them 10 dip their
hands in the blood Of their frllowman. They would
only caution him To 20 and sin They
I would tell him that as he had once come SO near be-
ing shot, he would he to be very cautious for the
future, and therefore that he might 60 and his
I post lie put the question to the military gentlemen
especially, whether, supposIng by the sentIncs going
10 sleep, the enemy advanced the camp surprised The
soldiers slaughtered, and utter defeat the
qucncc-wlrlher such would be their language; No,
SIR; not who had addressed that House on the
subject bu, would state that the Tremendous misfortune
which had resulted from such act lnegec called
Tor the scvrrcst punishment known TO iiltary or any
other law They would state that example, the necessity
OF preserving The strict discipline of The Army, all
qu.rcd that the should die; and however reluctant
they might be, that it was their duty TO doom him to
death. That would he the answer ofmilary What
the answer Of the Legislature might be, he did not
know unless the sentinel, instead Of being poor,
nameless frendless man, should happen 10 be gentle
man of character and standing, with devoted wife,
with numerous friends, with country or community
that loved him. In such state that, he would not
stop calculate what would be his fate. Punishment
was inflicted where the nature OF the act was such as
n involve rnnous consequences although there might
be criminal intention motive, and no dsgraceiul
ieeln. 10 lead to It's commission. When the charac
ter OF the act, line consequences likely 10 result
from It, were attended with something like rum, that
the object Of punishment, and that his answer
10 gentlemen on THIS subject Suppose, nowl;hs!and-
inc all this neglect, that there had been no loss did
any man believe that the House would have sought TO
prevent the reelection of the PRESIDENT question
that had been frequently asked. In the first place,
it most likely that the attention OF The House would
neve have been called to the question; the nerve OF
the House would not have been screwed up suli-
GENTLY to make declare that over-contdence or
neglect which might have been attended with no bad
consequences, should produce change. But the neg
lect had been long contnued-he ruinous result had
taken place-and therefore, invested with the charac
ter lie had acted this matter as the representative Of
the People. He could not say that he would, IN his
rnagnanmity, overlook course Of conduct attended
with such consequences Other reasons had been as
signed why they should appoint DIR. Is. This whole
subject had, however, been so ably discussed by
his friend from Norfolk Borough, that ne would pass
over many Of the views which that gentleman had pre-
scnted feeling that he could only impair their effect
He might say the thing of the facts presented by
his friend from williamsburg but he must look little
closely into the matter Of the general condition OF
the Bank When these various subjects were referred
to the committee to investigate, under The resolutions
requiring their attention to the defalcatlon which had
taken place in the Bank, and the circumstances con-
nectcd with that dealcation the progress Of this inquiry
exhibited great degree of negligence characlerizing
the officers under whose administration IT had taken
place. but the committee coud not go into generalrx
animation of the Bank, they afraid that they
should be late TO make any report in time for the
Of that body: but during the progress this inves'i-
CATION there circumstances occasionally develop
ing themselves, TO which he could not shut his eyes.
He did not intend to bring these matters into discus
sion; but he felt it his duty representative of the
People to put that House into the possession of
facts which, in his opinion, they ought to know.
BY the Report of the Executive Commits
sioners, there due to the Bank, for
protested bills, and notes, and bonds, sGoI oO5
And for over.drats, 1o2 36G
And it held of real estate, 14l 3i5
And of stocks, (sloo,ooo, being Virginia -...