Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1848-04-04

Morning, April 4, is4s.
rue wula AND TIE BANK.

ksiriun stated by US that is, whether aiier ii9'
= m. Rank changed from a Federal into a RePno
,;can measure-we must be allowed 10 notice Inc
fa,lacicus mode of reasoning adop'ed by the
Wing and lis coadjulors, which may have mis'ed
them and is only calculated 10 bewiider ann per
plex every one. The plan is this: A numoef "i
expressions torn from their conlexts are eShac'
ed from speeches. letters, &c, and a nnmoer %
jsola,,d votes unexplained by The attendant Cur
cums,ances. are cuIled from journals OF else
where. These expressions AMI votes sone''"'e'
show truly, but If, quenlIy are misunderstood -
miaepresen,ed So as 10 be made 10 sho" P'''e"
lar opinious of prominent individuals who use OF
give them, (say Messr. A, B, c, &C.. and u T. r.
&C.. belonging 10, or who, sometime or o'net :"
their lives. have been or become MEMBERS OF me
respective parties, Federal and Republican, 10 Ia
vor OF or against a particular measure OF al one
lime for and another time against II. Having
carefully selected the expressions and votes 10 De
employe ed for the occasion and explained that Inc
individuals who used or gave them were or had
been or became Federalsts or Republicans, they
are strung together in an imposing array, under
the still more imposing denomination OF FACTS,
and the desired conclusion is attained. Is II mol
p~erceived that, upon this ingenious plan, you may
prove any thing you may desire TO prove IN 'nis
mailer For instance: admit The plao, ana nom
ing is easier than 10 show, thalthe Bank, IN 1871
was a Republican measure, or that II wasa Feoe-
raj measure, or that it was neither, or that IL was
both. AS thus: MIR. 6. and len other memhefs
--ll.-- 10 oalahfotoA MIR y
who then were, or afterwards became Repnoli-
cans. spoke or yo,ed for The Bank; and six other
members, who then were, or Afterwards became
Federalisls, spoke or voted against II. why !
was a Republican measure, OF course. No!-ior
Mr. q, then, or afterwards, the acknowledged
leader of the Federalisls, H. a1o
Mr.. A. and twenty-seven members, then or Alter
wards attached to the Federal party, voted or
spoke for il, and Mr.. J then or Afterwards the
acknowledged leader Of The Republicans, opposed
il. and Mr.. M. and thirteen members, then or al
forwards attached to The Republican party, voted
or spoke sgaiDs, it Why, then, ii must have
been a Federal measure. Nol-for, as fourteen
Republicans and six Federalis,s spose and voted
against it, it could be neither a Federal nor a Re
d ,lican measure; but, as twenty. seven Federal
lists and eleven Republicans spoke and voted Tor
il. Il must have been both Federal and Republican
These boosted ioes can only prove, what every
one knows, that all men, even eminent men, and
especially all politicians, particularly ambitious
or taclious politicians, sometimes differ with their
respective parties on particular measures, some
times abandon their parties altogether and very Oh
len change their individual opinions or positions.
But they cannot prove that measures change Their
characters, or that whole parties simultaneously
abandon their PRINCIPLES and creeds.
That we may not be suspected OF an attempt 10
caricature this mode of reasoning. we give a sam
ple of il taken from The last article OF The Wing
on this subject, and 10 do it full justice and give
our readers the full benefit OF il, though it is rather
long, we quote it verbatim. After pronounclng
the CITED by US from Judge Marshaifs
Life OF Washing on and Mr.. J.f,rson's Anas'
merely The "oplNloNs" Of those gentlemen and
opposing 10 them an "asserion" OF Mr.. McDui-
fe, supposed 10 be contradictory 10, bul which is
in entire accordance with them, The Wing pro.
ceeds, the ime referred 10 being 1871:
$50 much for opinion: bu, what is the fact, in
regard 10 The constituIiunaiity OF the Bank. IN is
parry aspect, even al that lime2 We know that
Elbridge Gerry voted for II; and he was alter
wards he Vice Presiden' oil the U. States, nomi.
mated by a Republican Caucus, and elected by
the Republican pa,ty. Ii is impossible 10 classify,
poIiic,lly, ali who voted for or against IL, when
in point OF fact, parties had not then been organ.
lied. But 10 The division OF parties that 0ftcs-
,oards took place, and y the iornalion Of which
Judge Marsaail saws, and 10 douhl truly This
Question cont ibutcd nal tncons,derobly, II is sd d,
upon We believe indispuIable au'hoIiiy, that tL-
pen OF those who voted Tor The Bank includ ns
The celebrated Roger Sherman, a'ta,h-d 'hrm-
selves to The Republican parry. while SIX OF those
who voted against II were kno 3n as tede'alists }.
So. 100, in 1911, when tie question arose as 70 the
ex nediency OF re charlering The Bank, while the
Federalisls generally supported II, and The Re-
oublicans generally voted against II, there were
CONSPICUOUS individual exec olions-W lillian tt.
Ora wforo. afterwards the Enqnirer's AMI VHel
MAS tavoriie candidate Tor the Presidency, volifg
for il. n voting for a Bank constituted h1m d
F.deralist, hat shall we say oil those who sup
por,ed him for the Presidency, in opposition even
10 the Bank. Killer, General Jackson, himself =
And il is a remarkable facI, in this connection, thai
one of the last oficial ReporIs transmitted 10 Con
ere.s nv The Secretary of The Treasury UNDER
Mn JErrsRso Ms ADMINISTRATIVE (AlberI Gala
lin 10 1909. strongly recon- 'nended The renewal
az ihe charter oil Inc Bank, which was then shot
" IN exoirell So that here We have III lSOa, he
JrHersunian Secretary OF The Treasury ASKING
Congress TO incorporate a Bank, as 10 1876 We
saw il become a prominent measure oil Repuo-
licau policy. And vet, it is sligmatlzed as a
Federal measure! ).
1--WE need not again refer TO the events oI
1915 and 1916. Taen. Whatever may have been
,ho coSs hatprp Tho rp-rhaIIPr Ot The Bank was as
empharically AN ApM,NIsTR ALTON MEASuRE-and
that one OF the puresi Rtpulnam administrations
we ave ever had-as, al a later day, the sub.
Treasury, once The object OF the Enqnirer's vilu-
p~erarion. was of Mr.. Van Buren's Adminisi!a-
ton.
"Now, with these tacs before US, we cannot De
induced 10 surrender The conclusion 10 when 'hey
inevitably lead, by the mere opinionso OF any man,
even il those opinions justified the inierences mat
are drawn from them-and least oil all, oV opln'
ions culled from the Anas OF Mr.. Jefferson,
which, for the sake Of that genleman's repuia
zion, should have been consigned 10 the flames
rather han 10 The press"
E~so,-quod erat demonstrandum- eonelu.
$40. 4, in pitaole! But, pray, what is This ,nert-
table conclusion? We are not told, but suppose 1t
mus, in some way answer The question PROFOUND
ed in the beginning, and therefore it must be that
tho Bank 10 1871 was either mol . party measure
At all, or, II il was, that il should not be Stigma
tissI AZ q FEDERAL measure" and ought, "even al
that lime" be rather considered as Republican
We must be excused for again noticing in This
place what seems TO US TO be rather singular phra-
.eoloey 10 be employed by the Wing. Il now
speaks of The Bank being "stigmatized as q Eide
nal measure" Before, it spoke OF throwing she
responsibility" Of the Bank on the Federal party.
II would appear that the Wing was anxious, at
6rs., to relieve the Federal party Of "lhe respon-
sibiii,y" of the Bank, and now, 10 relieve The
Bank Of The stigma Of Federalism. These ex.
p~ressions are probably the result, merely Of the
haste with which we poor editors are often COM
PEELED 10 write, but still they seem to evince
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