The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1849-03-17
Remarks Of Mr.. PearoC.

AHtN sHuN Hlhl W w hAu HhN NhJNNN'HS 80
his Democratic principles, and determined Ia
represent US AZ faithfully and honestly on polite.
al, as he does On local questions We ATE torlu'
nate in having so sound aud true representative AZ
Mr., Pearce, at such time as this, Read the re-
remarks, they are soundly Democratic
Mr.. PEARcE said he had not intended to
say word upon this occasion, but the re-
marks made by gentlemen upon the other
! side of the House forbid that he should
longer remain silent. Ii has been said that
the democratic party is constantly warning
against the banks, and desires at once TO
sweep them all out of existence, and that
this was the cause OF our defeat in Penn.
sylvania at the late elections. Undoubted-
ly there are persons in the ranks of the
democratic party who would, at one fell
swOop, cut off the head of every bank in
the commonwealth, but they are not con-
fined to that party. know numbers Of
wings who are as radical upon this point
as any democrat can be. In both parties
you will find individuals opposed to all
banks, and in favor of an entire specie cur
rency. In both parties you will find IN
dividuals in favor of free banking, and op-
posed To every other kind, and there are
many such. In all parties you will find
'many men of many minds" but sir, as
partes,the question is not banks, but banks
/ ,oith restrictions or banks ,CithOm restric-
tions. Sinceathe foundation of our COM
monweath, men of all parties have had
more or less to do with the establishment
and management of these institutions. II
would have been blessing if our fathers
had never created one of them, but they
did create them, and we must get along
with them as well as we can.
Within the past fifteen or twenty wears,
numbers of those institutions have eXplO
ded through the mismanagement and cor
ruptlon of men connected with them, and
thousands OF the honest toiling people have
lost their all, and many, very many, Wild
ows and orphans have been made home
less, and cast upon the cold charities OF a
heartless world. For wears past the et-
forts of the democratic party have been
put forth to make and keep these insttu-
tions as safe and sound as possible, and it
is for this, sir, that we are now contendmg.
The democratic party demand that each
and every bank in this commonwealth shall
be confined within proper limits, that the
stockholders shall be made Individually
liable. and the note holder made secure.
Here is the rock upon which whiggery
and democracy split, and when gentlemen
declare that we, as party, desire to crush
and grind the banks 10 powder, and that
they arc laboring TO keep them alive. they
endeavor TO raise an issue that does not
exist. Restrictions or no restrictions, ihat
/ is the question.
DO gentlemen pretend 10 say that the re-
suit of the last Governors election was a
condemnation upon the part of the people,
Of the individual liability principle ! Why,
sir, Francis K. Skunk, whose body sleeps
in death, but whose memory is and ever
will be dear to the people of Pennsylvania
was the uncompromsing advocate aud
friend Of this principle. He went before
the people of the state with the words
"indiuiduai HabWfy' written upon his
standard, and they ilocked around him by
thousands, and twice elected him Cover
nor of the state by overwhelming major
tiles! Gentlemen may talk about the re-
suit of elections, and the voice of the peo-
pie, &C., but in nv humble opinion, if the
true results of the last elections were
known, Norris LOngstreh would this day
fill the executive chair, and the will of the
{ people would be correctly represented on
this door
We are charged with desire to cripple
and Cypress the banks. But, sir, there is
no such disposition here. All that we ask
is, to bit and bride the horse, and place
the reins in the hands of the people, that
when he undertakes to run away, they may
stand some chance of saving their necks
This, sir, is what the wings call scrip,
plug." 1t is the demand of the people-ir
is their right-and shall we deny it tc
them
The amendment offered by the gentle.
: man from Fayette, { Mr.. Roberts which
has been twice voted down by the aid ot
democratic votes, is the individual liability
as incorporated in the bill prepared by the
Chairman of the committee on Banks -
2 This every democrat upon this floor pledg
, ed himself to support, aud yet sir, as sat
before, it has been voted down by the aiC
= of few democratic votes. | AIN sorry
that any democrat should so far forget hl'
duty as to be found voting with the oppo
sition upon so important question as this
e warn gentlemen not to vote against lh
+ clause. If they do, the people will vote a
e gainst them. They will rise up in con
d demnation Of proceedings of this charac
ter, and teach US that they have rights, ant
that they sent us here to defend and pre-
Is serve them, instead of surrendering then
=, to soulless corporations and spectators.