Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-08-03

stances agains the facts and truth 81 Tie case, Wco''
he. a fraud upon the people Of State It woG!1 he
;urnle miserable juggle, at which those who piayr'
this part might smile in triumph here, or within In
paflnr of the Bank, but the people would mourn Owe
the de se neracy of the times which could have sane
TONED such proposition SIR w. said he hoped nov
that the true character Of this amendment was la.
hare that there would be virtne aud frmness rnou9'
vet left IN tins i'll the other House 10 fJect S pro
position but should il he otherwise, he ,fus" '''
Providence would nerve the hear, oil an honest ""i
and thus far aress and consistent patriot
to stamp this bill with veto, that VIII oe as 'm''of''
IS the existence Of the Constitution.
| Mr. PRESTON had desired from The beginning y
coo This question assume such shape rs woud uh's
,La Whiu pariy in liz favor. lie considered tue pre-
dominance of that party the paramount opee'' |"ie'
shnuld not be rsEed for tribes lie cohs,"e'co i,''
mondment as a concession by those who Claimed Inc
80 ~ branching for the Federal Government to
those who denied that power, and 50 far was compro
Al, BUCHANAN said that he trusted we had now
reached the last scene Of the fifth act OF tins Nanna
| Rank drama 1t was not his wish TO delay the ma
catastrophe beyond this afternoon, and he should there
fore trouble the Senate with but very few remarks
One act of justice he must perform TO the senator rom
Virginia, MIR Rvcs,l without knowing whether II
would meet his appreciation. lie must say OF thai
senator that throughout this DRAMA he had sustained
his character with frmness, ability, consistency, and
dignity lie had taken his ground naniu!ly IN lie De-
pinninr, and had maintained 1t until the end ANA
what was the compromise which the Senator rom
Kentucky M. Clayl had, at this last hour, offered
10 the Senator from Virginia. for the purpose oil sa-
liscyng the conscicnccs Of high toned State Rights
mem The Senator from Virglna, wien he offered ms
amendment requiring the assent =" the States 10 the
establishment Of branches within Their limits, iad dis-
tncily declared that whou, THE assent Congress- IN
| his opinion, had no power under The Constitution 70
establish such branches. There he stood and u was
impossible for him yield 10 any compromise, neon
ssent with his declared constitutional CONVICTIONS
| Under these circumstances what had we Witnessed
The Senator from Kentucky had offered an amend
mrnt providing, not for this assent OF the States, but
that they gilt dissent if they thought proper, from
The establishment of branches within their limits; and
in that event. branch should be established The Sc
limits the power of dissent to the close OF The first
Of the respective Legislatures alter the passage
Of the present bill: and in tins dissent shall not
be declared within that period ny some act OF The e-
rsla,ve power the branch is then established within
such State as long as the charter shall endure This
was most singular mode OF bringing the State
Rights portion OF the Wing party into the support
Of the bill. What the plain English of this pro-
vision These nine directors OF the Fiscal Bank, sta
toned at Washington, will have the power OF ssu-
ing "a snmnlnEs to each of the sovereign States OF
this Union, warning them that IT they do not appear
and plead against 1t within sixty or ninety days, a
branch bank shall be established within their limits. II
they , 10 appear jud smen shall then be entered by
default in the high OF bank directors, against
these sovereign Sta,es The rule Of law, he believed
vas that judgment could not be obtained BY default
upon scirc furcs in individual cases without prev-
Gus return of "tro nih;' but according to the amend
mcnt Of the Senator from Kentucky, mi ght be enter
ed against Of the States OF the Union, IN the court
ii the Bank directors after return o! sngle "nMi!
These States may yes or no. but It they iail
to answer al ALL BIZ this omission, they surrender the
sovereign power OF legislation in regard to the adms-
soa Of branch hank within their limits. 10 speak
| seriously upon this subject, there a man within
/ . ricp
sovereignty and dignity Of these contedcraed States,
who 10 did not insinc1ely condemn the amendment
Of the Senator from Kentucky the moment II read:
What Stale Rights politician was there throughout
The country who would mol srei ma grant al Tue nra
Of treating these sovrregntrs III tins manner The
nine sovereign directors Of the Bank IN the city OF
Washington would have nothing 10 do but amuse them
selves in the groves and the society Of the Capitol.
until the sixty ninety days had expired during
which tie sessions Of the different Legislatures might
continue Ii at the expiration Of this period the States
should remain silent, the decree IS then 10 issue from
the Board Of Directors that they shall be deprived OF
their sovereign rights the subject during period
| OF twenty years.
The Senator from South Carolina Mr.. Preston had
informed us that '';fe States might be understood 10
express assent Ly the nonuser of the power OF dis
sent, Blu, this would he inference directly a. war
with the act because accidental Bank majority IN
one branch Of The Legislature Of any State could pre-,
vent the passage oany act declaring such dissent ana
wl Of The other branch Of the Legislature tine Execu
tive and the people Indeed from the nature OF The
Senator's amendment il might appear to those not nc
ouanted with his frank and manly character that u
was all a trick; an assumption OF The appearance Of
Welding something, when il, in fact, yielded nothing
II was of vital importance the interests Of the Bink
bs, j, should have branches in New York and Phl!a.
dpphia y. York was the great centre OF the CONNER
cia business and of tho foreign and domestic exchanges
of the country and It Indispensable that The Bank
al o,t,, " tl0f pIp nh "a
was scarcely second TO it in Importance. The Senator
could without difficulty obtain branches in those cities
under his rule that the omission to dissent should be
construed into assent The Senate OF fennsy wanna
had been suddenly transformed al The time the ale BANK
of the u s. obtained its State charter and lis feelings
of extreme hostility changed into devoted friend
shin TO that institution. There was something miracu-
ous in the illumination and conversion Of seven Oh he
Democratic anti Bank Senator's of that body The De-
mocrats had ne er been able TO obtain an efcent
majority in the Senate, and probably might not until
after the next session of the Legislature Now, ac-
cordnp TO the principle OF the Senator's amendment,
the Governor, and large majority OF the House OF
| REPRESENTATIVES. and the people, might all be, as ne
sincerely believed they would be- opposed 10 'he es-
,ahlishnen mt of branch at Philadelphia and yet the
branch must be established because the Senate alone
could prevent any legislative act from being passed on
the subject lie understood that New York would, IN
all human probability, be placed in similar position
Such, then, would be the operation OF the rule mat
assent 10 BE- inferred from 'lhe hohuscf VI VIC
power of dissent
lie had voted against the amendment of the Senator
from Virginia, requiring the assent oil the States TO the
establishment of branches within their limits; and he
should vote against the amendment OF the Senator
from Kentucky, because he deemed ii still more OBJ
ecouable And why had he voted against the
amendment of the Senator from Virginia be.
cause lie believed it TO be equally unconstitutional
with the original bill; and that il would prove even
more injurious, if possible, to the interests Of the
| Ill al. ndpNpu led 1
have carried the bank war into the Legislature OF
every State of the Union The struggle in many
States would have been tremendous, and hank loans
and bank facilities and bank accommodations would
have been freely used to obtain this assent The mem
beers would have been exposed to severe temptations
and the virtue of some might have fallen in the con-
hct 1t was to avoid the disgraccfu and dcinoralIz
ing scenes referred BY the Senator from RHODE Is
land Ar Simnonsl that Mr. b. had voted against the
amendment Of the Senator from Virginia requiring the
Assem-, of the States the establishment OF branches
lie never should give vote, the direct consequence
of- h,cI, xunuId he In brinp the bear