Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1843-11-23

I Government over The currency be nov
4 performed The Administration had dis
carded National Bank, and /, now fel
bound to denounce all State Institutions
and what, therefore, could {: dol The
whole party had laid out its entire strength
m an effort TO render the late Bank OF tn,
United States, and any Bank Of the Uoit
ed States, unpopular and odious. Ii hac
pronounced all such institutions 10 be dan.
gerous, anti-repubiican and monarchical.
1t had, especially, declared National
Bank 10 be plainly and clentiy unconsti.
iutional. Now, gentlemen, have moth.
ing 10 say Of the difference and moaesty
OF men, who, without hesitation or blush.
ing, set up their own iavorite opinions, on
question Of this kind, against the iudr.
ment ofthe government and iheiudgmen,
oithe country maintained for fifty wears.
only remark, that II we were 10 find men
acting thus, in their own affairs, If we
should find them disposing of their own in.
tefests, or making arrangements for their
own property, IN contempt of rules which
they kaew the Legislature and the iudi.
cal authorizes had all sanctioned for ha!l
a century, we should be very likely 10
think them out OF their heads Yet this
ground has been taken against The late
bank, and against all National Backs !;
and IT could not be surrendered without
apparent and gross moons stency What,
then, ask again, was the administration
to do? You may say, il should have re-
traeted its error, it should have seen the
necessity Of a National Institution, and
yielded to the general judgmen, ofthe
country.
"But that would have required an cf-
fort of candor and magnsnlmily, OF which
all men are not capable. Besides there
were open, solemn, public pledges in the
way. This commitment Of tho party
against a National Bank, aud the disas-
trous results Of its Experiment, on the
State Institutions, brought the party into
the dilemma, from which it seemed to
have no escape, but in shifting of, Alto
geiher, the duty oil taking care the cur.
rencv. was at Wheeling. Va, in May
of last year, when the banks suspended
payment; and at the risk of some nputa-
ton OF bad taste, | will refer to OBSERVE.
lions OF mine, made then, TO the citizens
OF that town, and published, in regard to
questions which that event would neces.
saray bring before the country. saw
atonee, that We were a: the commence
ment Of new era, and that controver.
sy must arse, which would greatly excite
the community"
'No sooner had the Stat. Banks sus-
pended, aud among the rest those which
were depositaries of the Government,
than o cry of fraud and .reachery was
raised against thea, with no better reason,
perhaps, an existed for that loud, and
boisterous, and boasifn confidence, with
which the late Administration had spoken
oil their capecty of usefulness, and had
assured the country that its experiment,
could not fail. But whether tine suspen-
sion t.y the Banks was q mat,,r Il neccssi-
ty with them, or not, the Administration,
alter il had happened, S, eing il row shut
out from all Banks, but is own declared
opinions, and the results OF its own poll
cy, and seeing no means at hand for max.
ing another attempt at reforming the cur.
nency, turned short corner. and in all
due form abandoned the whole daty.
From the time 10 the Veto 10 the Bank
Charter IN 1882, the Administrator had
teen like a man who had voluntarily
abandoned a safe bottoa, on deep waters,
aud, having in vain sought to support
himself by laying hold on one and anolh.
or piece OF floating timber, chooses rather
to 60 down, than 10 seek safety in return
ing TO what he had abandon, d.
Seeing it had deprived itself of the
common means of regu atlng the curren.
cy, It now denied IFS obligation to do SO;
declared il had nothing 10 do with the
currency beyond colnage; that il would
lake care OF The revenu Of Goyernmest,
and as for the rest, the People must look
out for themselves. THIS decision thus
evidently grew out of party necessity.
Having deprived themselves Of the eEdi
nary and Constitutional means OF perform
ing their duty, they sought TO avoid the
responsibility by declaring that there was
no such duty 10 perform. They have
look further into the Constitution, and
examined i, by daylight and by NOON
lght, and cannot find any such duty OF
obllgatlon.--Though General Jackson
saw II, very plainly, during the whole
course of his Presidency, it has now van.
ished, and the new Commentators can
nowhere discern vstIge of II. The
present Administration, indeed, stood
pledged to tread in the steps OF its ptede-
cessor; but here was one foot print which
IT could not, or would not occupy, or one
stride TOO long Tor il to take. The Mes
sage-I had almost said the fatal Message
communicated to Congress in Seplem.
Der, contained formal disavowal, by the
Administration, Of all power under The
Constitution to regulates the general actual
currency Of the country
"The Pres deaf says, in that Message,
that if he relrains lrem suggesting to Con-
gress any specific PLAZA fcr regulating the
exchanges, relieving the mercantile en-
barrassments. or interfering with the ordi-
nary operations of foreign or domestic
Commerce, it is from the convection that
such measures are not within the Consti-
tutonal provisions OF Government.
/" How this could all be said, when the
Constitution expressly gives 10 Congress
The power TO regulate commerce, both for
egn and domestic, cannot conceive
Rnt the Constitution WAS not m no tr,fiad