Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1841-09-15


among the People, yet, considering the changes
which the bill had undergone in its passage, and its
variance from tho one you had agreed To sanction,
could not Ind IN that net enough to disturb the
: confidential relations which existed between NV.
was disposed To attribute this oct, fraught with mis-
chet as was, To pure aud honorable motives, and
TO CONSCIENTIOUS conviction your part that the
bill, IN some OF its provisions, conlctcd with the
constitution. hut that opinion OF your course on
the oil which has Just been returned to Congress
with your second veto. d, not and conno, enter.
tam Recur to what has passed between with
G respect tn Il, and you will at once perceive that
4 such opinion is impossible.
On the morning OF the i6;h OF August, called at
your chamber, end found you preparing the first
veto message, to be despatched TO tho Senate The
Secretary OF War came in also. and you read a por-
ton II the message To us lie observed that thor
the veto would create great ,tion in Congress
yet he thought the minds of friends better pre-
pared for than they were some days ago, and he
hoped would be calmly received, especially MS il
did not shut out all hope OF bank. To this you
replied, that you really thought there ought to DO
no difficulty about 4; that You had sufficiently IN /.
dicaed in your veto message what kind of a bank
, you would approve, aud that Congress might, If
they saw At, pass such one in three days
The 18Th being the day Tor our regular Cabinet
meeting, we assembled, all except MeSsrs CriItenden
and Granger, and you told us that you had had a
long conversation with Messrs Berren and Ser
goani, who professcd to come in behalf of the
wings OF the two Houses to endeavor to strike our
some measure which would lie generally accepta-
bic. That you had your doubts about the propri
W.,
|, II more proper that you should commune with them
through your constitutional advisers. You sx-
pressed wish that the whole subject should be
postponed I'LL the next session Of Congress. You
spoke OF the delay in the Senate of the corsdsrn.
ton of your veto message, and e1prt ssed anxiety
as to the tone and temper which the debate would
assume.
Mr. Badger said that on inquiry he was bonpv n
Ind that the best temper prevailed in the NO Houses
lie believed they were perfectly ready 10 take up
the bill reported by the Secretary OF the Treasury
| and pass 1t at once. You replied. Talk not TO me
| OF MIR Ewing's bill; 1t contains that odous feature
| OF local discounts which have repudiatod in my
message then said 10 you, Il have no doubt $ r.
that the House, having ascertiIned your views will
pass bill IN conformity to thcm provided they con
be satisfied that would answer the purposes Of the
Treasury, and relieve the country You then said
Cannot my Cabinet that this is b. ought about
You must stand 10y me IN this emergency. Cannot
you see that bill passes Congress- such as can
approve, without inconsistency | declared again
my belief that such bill might bo passed Ard
you then said tn me, 'Whnt do you understand TO lie
my opinlonsl State them, that | NAV see tbat
here Is no misapprehension about them
then said that understood you TO be OF opinion
that Congress might charter hank in the District
Colombia, giving 1t its location here. To this YOU
tssenIcd, that they might authorize such bank To es.
abIsh offices of discount and dcposi;c in the several
States with the assent ot the States. To this YOU
replei DONE name DISCOUNTS they have been the
source ot the most nbomna5ie eorruPtions, and are
wholly unnecessary to enable the bank To discharge
It's duties TO the country and the Government
observed in reply that was proposing nothing, |
but simply endeavorna iassslssswhst had under |
Congress might const'c1Iionally confer on a bank:
that on that point | stood corrected. | then pro-
ceeded to soy that unserstood eou TO be OF op,n-
ION that Congress might auihorizs such bank TO es-
aOlish agencies IN the several States with power 20
deal IN bills of exchange without the assent of the
ateS, 10 which You replied, Yes, II they be foreign
bills, bills drawn in State and payable I'm an
Other That IS all the power necessary foe trans.
mn, lie FunAs and al.
and the currency.
Mr. Webster then expressed, in strong terms his
opinion that such charter would answer all lust
purposes OF Government and be satisfactory 10 the
People; aud declared his preference Tor il ovor any
which mad been proposed, especially as II dispens-
ed with the assert OF the States To the creation of
an institution necessary Tor carrying the fiscal
operations OF Government. lie examined IL nj
some length, both as To its conslituonality and its
influence on the currency and exchanges in all winch
views you expressed your concurrence desired that
such bill should be introduced and especially that
should go into the hands OF some of your friends
To my inquiry whether Mr. Sergeant would be A.
greeable TO you, you replied that he would. You
especially requested Mr. Webster and myself TO
communicate with Messrs. Berrien and Sergeant on
the subject, To whom you said you had promised TO
address note, but you doubted not that this per-
snna communication would be equally satisfactory.
You desired US, also, IN communicating with those
gentlemen, not TO commit you pc soma w. lest this
being recognised your measure, it might he made
a subject OF comparison to your prejudice in the
course Of discussion. You and MIR Webster then
conversed about the particular wording of the I6.h
fundamental article, continuing the grant OF power
to dea! in exchanges, aud OF the connexlon in which
that grant should be introduced; you also spoke of
the name of the institution, desiring that that should
be changed. To this objected, as II would pro. ably
be made subject Of rIucule, but you insisted that
there was much IN name, and this institution ought
not 10 be called bank. MIR Webster undertook
to adapt II IN this particular TO your wishes. MIR
Bell then observed TO MIR Webster and myself that
we N me IA nj
dIately attended to, another oil less acceptable
might be got up and reported. We replied that we
would lose no time. MIR Webster accordingly cali
ed on Messrs. Beuien and Ser seant immediately nd
waited on them by his appointment at o'clock on
the same y, and agreed upon the principles of the
bull IN accordance with your expressed wishes And
am appused OF the fact, though II did not occur in
my presence, that after the bill was drawn up, and
before IL was reported, II was seen and examined
by YOURSELF that your attention was specially calf
ed to the 10th fundamental article: that full ex-
animation you concurred IN its provisions that ut
the same time It's name was so mod he'd as To meet
your appreciation and the bii, was reported and
passed, IN all essential particulars, II was when
il came through your hands.
You asked MIR. Webster and myself each TO pre-.
pare and present you an argument touching the
consttulonahty OF the bill and before those argu.
mcnts could be prepared and read by you, You de-
cllred, rs heard and believe, to gentlemen, Mem
bers OF the House, that you would cut off your
right hand rather than approve II. After this new
resolution was taken, you asked and earnestly ur-
ged tho members Of your Cabinet to pos ponc the
bill but you would neither give yourself, nor suf
Ger them to give, any assurance Of your future
course, in case Of such postponcmcnt BY some Of
u.s. and was myself one, the effort made To
crafty your wishes, IN the only way in which It
could be done with propriety that is, by obtaining
the genoral concurrence OF the Wing Members Of
the two Houses in the postponomcnt. IL f1iIcd,
as have reason TO believe, because you would
give no assurance that tho delay not sought as
a means and occasion for hostile movements. Du-
ring this season OF deep feelings andearnost exeTtion
upon our part white were zeaously deyotng
our talents and influence TO servo and TO sustain
you, the very secrets of Cabinet councils made
their appearance in an infamous paper printed in
a neighborng city, the columns Of which were daily
charged with hillcry of yourself and foul abuse of
your Cabinet. AL this bore Tor felt that my
services so long they could avail, due 10 the
nation-to that great ard mngnnnmous People /
whose SURFACES elevated your predecessor to the
ton which you now fll, and whose united voices
approved hrs act when he summoned around |
him, to bc his counsellor. and felt that what WIS
due TO his memory, to the iniunctIons which he leN
us IN his last dying words, and 10 the People, whose
servants we we're, had not all been performed until
every means was tried, and every hope had flisj |
ofcauying out the true principles upon which the |
mighty movement was founded that elevated him |
ana you to power
This bill, framed and fashioned according 10 your
own Suggestions, IN the imitation oi which and an
other member Of your Cabinet were made by you
the agents and the neRotltnrs, pissed hy large
mniorIties through the two Houses o Congress, AID