Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1851-03-01
aayarre and McWhorter.
MR.. GAYARRE,S REPLY TO DR.. Nc
WHORTER.
Baron RouGE, Feb. 10, IS.

your QDC!0l communication OF The l4th INST, as
state Treasurer, which appeared in several Of the
regret, an c1tra-gdNiol reply, and an address to you
as Mr.. G. c. NlcNhorter. | was very far from
supposing that my temperate and guarded official
letter to the Attorney General on a constitutional
question or dry matter of law, could degenerate
into anything personal between YOU and me. To
your incubation, rs shall demonstrate, is this at
tempted .,4sls;orIaetion Of the question to he at
tributed.
On the 9th and 7th Of February last VIC pro
ccedcd together. as the Board OF Currency, 10 the
examination Of the several banks located in the
city OF New ORLEANS. On Friday, the 7th Of Feb
ruary, as above stated, in your presence. and in
the presence OF our clerk, Alex. Legendre, | in
qnired OF Mr.. Rondeau, one of the Cashiers of the
Louisiana State Bank, why, as appeared by the
Banks statement of the 1st of February, its capt.
tai being ST. s 4.440. its operations were extended
to Sj.jOj,79 1876 81, exceeding by ST ,536,916 50, the
amount TO which it is limited by its charter. The
reply of the Cashier was, that, for the extension
Of It's operations, the Bank relied on the act TO re-
establish a Branch Bank at Batou Rouge. | OBJ
served to the Cashier that | thought the law TN
constitutional, and therefore that it conferred no
such powers. We then separated.
On Sunday the 9th reduced my reasons to WI
ting, and early on Monday, the 10th, repaired to
the office Of the Board of Currency, and told our
clerk that | had g communication to submit to you.
He answered that you had not put up at any OF the
hotels. and he did not know where to find YOU
What was 70 be done, sra 1t Was necessary that
! should depart the nextday for Baton Ronee, as l
did, and | deliverodth the communication to Our clerk,
with the direction 10 spread it on the minutes Of
the Board, and TO transmit a copy Of it 10 you. I
also directed him 10 80 TO the Louisiana State Bank
TO ascertain if my were correct as to
facts. He did SO, ard i'll ashort time atte- inform
ed me that I had committed an error, On receiv.
ing this information: ! repaired with him TO tho
Office of Mr.. Rcld-au. tie cashier. and made the
correction --Ich was deemed necessary
NoT', sir, how was the entry TO be made in tho
! minutes Of the Board? Il is true that You were
not present, but It was presumed You would be
met with in the course Of the day. Il seems, there
fore, that the clerk correctly wrote in the minutes
under my direction, what follows. and what was
published as all extract from said minutes, to Wit:
>Fehruarv 10. ls51-Charles Gayarre, Secreta.
rv Of State, presented the following document to
the consideration OF his colleague, G. c. McWhor.
ter. State Treasurer. and invited his concurrence
thereto" Just as tie Secretary Of the Senate
would have put down: "On such a day the Hon.
&C. \I@#tlorter Senator from Concordia, intro.
dueed a l!li.H &c. The presentation OF d bill Of
yours 10 he Senate would not have implied its inn
msIittf taking i!io consideration by your coll
leagues, nc r2Orc t!an the presentation Of my re.
port 10 the Board Of Currency implied It's immed!-
ate consideration BY You.
ltthere1ore passes my comprehension TO under.
stand what could offend you in the phraseology of
the entry Oh the minutes. But. say you, after
such al entry WIS made, how comes it that your
report was published. before it Yves spread on the
record, a. TIE entry implies? l viii tell YOU; and
our CLERK, who was the proper person 10 apply To-,
would have gwen YOU the same information, had
YOU taken the trouf'le 10 inquiries 1t would have
saved you a great deal CT unnecessary Indignation
Sometime after I mad given our clerk my report,
to he copied on our record, | returned to the olilel
and addressed HIM pretty much 10 the follow ing eff,
feet: You are now very busy at 1hn Custofnhouse.
The papers aid the public have taken hold of this
affair; without knowing very we'll on what j.
turns. There is a good deal Of excitement; some
talk Of a run on the Bank. think it viii bs best.
il Justice to the Bank, and TO allay apprehension.
to publish Immediately my report, a.A 10 show
the public that the present soiidi1 of the Bank ID.
not questioned, but that nothing but the right #
the Bank to extend its operations under 4 certain
act of 1850, is controrer1ed. As soon as nv ma
nuscript is published, You will copy II on the re-
cord; and, in order 10 save you the trouble of pre-
pairing another manuscrip copy, you! will furnish
my colleague with a printed one. He will then
have time 10 state his objections at leisure. Il
never occurred to me, nor to him, | suppose, for
! do him the Justice to believe he would nave call
ed my attention 10 it, that this course would be
otIenelEc 10 YOU.
linen went TO the editors of the Courier, of the
NN~s -ItH 1t-N N4S'- &tt "lAclIi L "
the above reasons, 10 publish my communication
as soon as possible. Knowing the editors of the
lruc Delta, Gu a ternner occasion. had made hersh
s~trctures on your action in the Board of Currency,
| heggcdlhe editor. whom | had not seen since my
acting with You III the Board, to abstain, in pub
fishing my document, from any comments on
what he might anticipate TO be vonr course. |!
told him that II would be gratifying to my feelings.
He gave me his word, and kept Il, that my report
would come out witlout.his making any ~allusion
atossynn. -
This was on the 10th. On the 18th, the dav
when my report appeared, you met me in Ex-
change Alley, and asked for an explanation, which
gave, and which proved satisfactory, according
TO your written declaration. On your expressing
your regrets that the papers might reflect on your
not having acted on the communication presented
Tor your consideration. | answered How could
they, with proDriety7 In the very papers pub.
hshlns the document. It is stated that it was pre-
scented on the 10th. This is the 18th. How can
you be expected to give the reasons for your dis
sent in so short a tinc2 The subject is important:
take all the time Won want to consider" But then,
you observed. / shall make it right in the papers,
by mentioning how the thing occurred. and that I
have taken the subject into considerations DO
So said /, and We parted with so mutual a good
understanding, that you entrusted me with several
commands for Baton Rouge.
On the 18th you published the letter to which
you had alluded III your conversation with me,
and, in that letter, you called me your friend and
declared yourself satisfied with my explanations.
What reasons You can have for having changed
your tone since, without any further action on my
part, is best known to you.
In your official reply of the 18th, you complain,
of my letters conveying an implied censure on
YOU, for being less ~vigilant and less conscientious
than myself; in the performance of the duties that
devolve on the Board Of Currency, to take care.
that the paper money of the State be not depreci.
ated, and to supervise the faithful execution Of the
act OF 1912, and of the charters and bylaws Of
ali banks working under it.
Whence The inference, sir7 In obedience to
the 18th section Of the act of 1912, which makes