Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-01-28

ne 0eHdtey o. Ill curry HouI, doJOurneQ.
II HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
4 THE PUBLIC PRINTING.
i Mr. WISE said that the Select Committee on the
Public Printing, which was appointed at The last se,
sion and renewed at this had instructed him 10 make
a report accompo MED by bill 10 establish Govern
purposes
The bill, and the accompanying report ordered
to be printed, and committed 10 the Committee Of The
Whole on the state Of the Union.
II THE EXCHEQUER.
The House proceeded TO the consideration Of The
order Of the day. being the following resolution re
ported by the majority of the Committee Of Ways and
Means, land the pending amendments,) viz
Resored, Tha; the plan Of the Excheqcer presented
TO Congress by the Secretary of the Treasury the
last session, and entitled "a bill amenda,ory OF tie
several acts establishing the Treasury Department,
ought not to be adopted.
| Mr.. BARNARD said that, if he supposed the cclon
Of this House The subject Of the currency was to
with the vote which would be taken the resolution
now before them he should not trouble the House with
any remarks whatever; and he should content himself
with recording his VOTE and then referring to the port
of the majority of the Committee of Ways and Means
as furnishing abundant reason and argument for his
Justification but he felt bound to say at the tine
that there purposes, positions, and arguments in
that report, from which, If that the question be-
fore the House, he would feel himself compelled 10 dis
sent But his hope and trust was that when The House
shall have defnitvey acted the proposition before
lneUl, tney WOuIu pIoCeeu W
on the sub Jet of the currency; and he hoped aud
trusted that this House not TO content themselves
with the negative proposition now before them. He
held it to be proper for them TO act the subject
the form presented by the Committee Of Ways ana
Means, but he held also that it proper, and The
bounden duty Of the House, after the action shall have
been passed, to proceed if possible, 10 mature some
measure of relief for the country. He believed that
such thing az practicable and whatever it prac
tIcabe for the House To do ON this important snhect
and whatever could he done without sacrifice of prn
ciple for the relief Of the Government and the coun
try he held this House bound 10 do So, os far
he concerned, the gentleman from Massachusetts
(Mr. Cushing) need be under apprehension that lie
entertained any disposition 10 stop with the PROPOSE
ton Of the majority Of the Committee OF Ways aud
Means; and he begged the gentleman to notice now,
if he (Mr. c. should not himself move to go nto
Committee Of the Whole on the state of the Union
his (Mr Cushng's) bill, he (Slr Barnard) would urge
this course on the House the earliest possible moment
He should do this, not with the slightest hope that the
House would entertain the bill which he had referred
but after this bill shall necessarily have been condemn
en- by the adoption of this resolution, together with The
bill of the Secretary of the Treasury Us the most
venent mode of getting at another proposition, Which
he would feel Ii TO be his duty TO present and urge On
the notice of the House The President had vetoed the
Who's measures Of finance and currency and now they
proposed TO veto his OF finance and currency
By the expression he meant that the Congress Of the T.
s. was much Unconstitutional TACT as the President
himself The Excbequer pIan, III MS opInloH was ut-
signed to constitute subordinate Executive Depart
tent of the Government and, when considered in HE
aspects into which naturally divided itself, il
Executive Treasury, with Sub-Treasuries; and IN The
next place, un Executive Commercial Bank Of DEPOSIT
and Exchange The first he held to be competent or
the Government; but, the last, there con-
potency whatever After illustrating these points, he
said that when the proper time arrived he should urge
on the House TO go into Committee Of the Whole tina!
the bill introduced at the last session by the gentleman
from Massachusetts mir. Cushing) might be taken up,
ind also for the purpose of considering simple plan
which he intended to submit, for the relief of the Go
vernment and for furnishing currency TO the people
the me anime he would call the attention of gentle
men to the plan recently submitted by him for Their
consideration.
Mr. WINTHROP remarked that it was the saying Of
q wise man, that Of the fitness of the heart the
mouth speake,h" but he must admit tina: he had no
funess of the heart TO speak The whole subject had
been so embarrassed and perplexed by Congress and
the President that he could not how any could
approach il without reluctance. For the last ten years
they had been tossed the OF party contention
year since they thought that they coming
into port but the objects which they took to be land
and looked at suc! from the masthead, only
fresh reef Of rocks 10 their pathway; aud they
were far ever, II not farther from their haven
And TO continue the nautical figure, the sub ec of the
currency itself had literally become stale biscu.
on the return voyage But us 10 the Exchequer plan,
although he no! ready 10 give 10 ii bis entire oppro
val yet he for declaring against passing the mega
tive resolution of the majority Of the Committee ci
Ways and Means and would vote accordingly. i
strong of obligation rested Congress to pro.
vide, in some form other for the collection sslc
keeping, and disbursement OF the public revenues A
Bank Of The United States, with capital of fifteen
millions, his first choice; but this at present. wts
'obsolete idea" Something else, however, mish,
be adopted; they could even call on the Secretary 81
the Treasury To put down, in black and white much
Of the plan which that officer pursued in rea,ion
10 the public moneys. Any system, bad one, Il
written, would be better than Executive discretion
So strong was his sense of the obligation resting
the House TO adept some mode that he had more than
once been led 10 regret that the Sub Treasury had
been repealed. Odous os it was, if it was still in
istence, he did not know whether he could vote for
repeal He did not conceive il 10 be secret, for was
avowed openly in the Senate, that the repeal Of the
SubTreasury was hurried through, that the President
might be induced TO sign the bill for the charter Of
National Bank If the question OF repeal were again
to occur, he would vote against it; they nigh, have
taken the teeth extracted the poison and abolished
he specie clause OF that measure and made somewhat
acceptable. This and other notifications lie wou!l
prefer, and leave il standing until substitute could
devised and enacted. He preferred even that part a
the Excheqaer plan relating TO the custody keep
ing, and collection OF the public revenues, than 40
system at all An issue of fifteen twenty millions
EXcheauer bills, and redeemnble in specie woult be Il
great convenience to the public paper currency ar
medium of exchange to commercial sections Of tie
country. In word, rather Than have measure
whatever he would vote for the whole bill although lie
seriously objected to many of its features.
MIR. MARSHALL, of Kentucky in the course ell
remarks, referred particularly Mr. Webs,ers speech
delivered in Faneoil Hall, in which he recommended
the plan of Eschequer. He said, that the gen,ensn
alluded 10, when IN the Senate, denounced Govern
Den Bank the worst of inventions de vised by f.ea
nations and he (Mr. M } commended, that The EsrL,
quer bank of depcsi,e ind exchange wi,h caIr
tai of fifteen millions; and, although il could or
count promssory notes. still it Government Bars
IN ITS worst FORM After dwelling upon this subject l'
alluded 10 observation Of his colleague, (Mr q
Davis) made on former occasion, tina, Mr. Cay w.
The lmpeisonut'on and incarnation of Whiggey, aaa
that he VINO was not for Mr. Clay, not, and coOa
not, be Wing. This tie language
MIR. DAVIS said, this was not his language bu,@
was this, that the man whu undertook to oyerthrOs
Henry Clay, was ms much enemy of Whiggery,"
the opponents Of Washington in 70
MIR. MARSHALL. wished it to be understood tia,
even in case Mr. Clay should be the Wing candlts's
for the Presidency, without however declaring aga,ri
he mi natID 81 ri, 10