The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1856-03-19
PROGRESS OF BANKs.

Il os1SS- !.
cies between preeept and practice IN the fundaT
mental articles which constitute their summary
/ of political faith Free traders by profession,
j and the clamorous advocates of tariff for rev
enue alone, they are sustaining system OF IN
nosts Welding a revenue far above the wants OF
1.-THE government, and which their ministerial
Officers at Washington often recommended
4 should be modified, and reduced to a strictly
revenue standard, but in vain. Opposed to APP
i preparations for works of a national character
II and the improvement Of rivers and harbors,
4 thew have donated millions of acres Of the pub
i lie lands for the construction of railroads; and
Il two successive democratic congresses have pass
i ed river and harbor bills contemplating the APP
propriation Of millions of the public money
i But the most palpable contradiction and party
profigacy have been exhibited in the course Of
i the party on the bank question and the curren-
CIV. The democratic party obtained Its ascen-
dancy mainly in consequence ofits opposition
to a '.rag currency" and its obstreperous de-
4 nunciaton of banks. The destruction OF the
United States bank was, as the sages the par
4 ty predicted, and as the weak, credulous people
believed, to be Immediately followed by the
golden age,'' when mint drops were to
take the place of shinplasters, and the country
blessed with safe and universal metallic cur
rency.
The history Of the times discloses some
strange facts, which are striking memorials OF
/ democratic inconsistency and nslncerity. In
| 1880 the anti-ba mania commenced; 1.-THE bank
notes in circulation was then So 900, 600. In
! / 836 the charter of the United States bank ex-
PRED, and the suppression of the bank imme-
diately raised the circulation of bank notes from
| SlO3, OOO, 900 to $4,000, 600. The sub
treasury, established in 1910, was repealed in
1941. During its existence at that time there
was no perceptible influence on the circulation.
In 1916 the sub-treasury was reenacted, and
| the circulation of bank notes rose from $780,
600, 600 to S1O5, 900, OOO The .shard money
treasury as it was called has continued down
to the present day; and during the existence of
this democratic measure the paper circulation
has increased from 800, 900, 900 to S2o4,OOO,-
OOO-that is to say. it has more than doubled.
The several specifics used by political en-
pyrics and eharlatans, professedly to alleviate
and cure the evil, had the effect Of aggravatIng
and increasing it. The removal of the depo-
sits, the specie circular and the pet bank system
were all designed to be curatives-to suppress
the State banks, and of course substitute hard
money for paper circulation; but the effect has
just been the reverse. While these democratic
panaceas were tlourishing to the widest extent,
the banks had increased to 9o7, with a capital
of 1868, 100000 Since the commencement
of the ostensible warfare against banks and pa
per money, they have more than doubled their
number, and almost doubled their capital
Commercial Bulletin.
SUPREME Court OF LoUIsIANA.-Watts and
others VS.. Police Jury of Carroll-Spoford, J.
The question presented in this case was, wheth-
er the court erred in issuing peremptory man
damus to the defendants commanding them to
proceed to assess and causeto be collected a
special tax, to defray the expense of a new
courthouse and other public buildings for the
parish, as located by the report Of The commits
soners, and to cause the said buildings to be
erected, as required by the act Of the 4th of
March, 1858.
The petition sworn to by the REALTORS alleges
that they live in the parish near bayou MACON,
and are put to great trouble in being compelled
to go so far from the centre Of the parish as the
town of Providence, for the purpose of attend
ing court.
Held:-That, if it were necessary for the re-
iators to alege any further interest than that
which all citizens Of the parish had, that the
law relative to the public buildings of the parish
should be executed, the allegations of the pc
ttion were certainly sufficient
Held:-That the vote of defendants refusing
to make an appropriation for the building of !
courthouse and their inaction with regard to /
the levy Of tax for many months, after the |
parish site had been selected and reported by
the commissioners, We're in violation of the com
mand offthe 9th section of the act of 4th of
March, 1858, and the mandamus was the suit
able remedy. Whatever discretion was left to
the police jury as to the mode Of assessing the
tax, it was not discretionary with them to omit
it altogether. The court did not err in grant
ing the peremptory mandamus. a.s.a,
1t would appear that a ferocious war has
been decided upon, in prvy council at Wash
lngton, against the Buchanansts in the N. York
and that SO long as there is the
slightest chance Of a denomination of general
Pierce to the presidency, the s'friends'' of
Pennsylvanla,s tavonte son-t'the Mordeeai
Of the kings gate''-are to be shown no quar-
ter. sHeads off, are the words uDa
The Sunday Atlas, the tendencies of which
after are rather Buchananish, under the head
Of s.customhouse, ;, give us tendery some par
.iculars. It says: as-sg a.,..'sa-s,.5 :, 81
There has recently been thorough purga-
ion in the subordinate places in the custom
house. Onthe first Of the present month, eev-
IN removals We're made from the night-watch
and yesterday twenty six laborers were dis
charged from the public store, No 12 Broad
street. 1t is not understood that these reno
9als are intended to reduce the force employ
d, for others are to be, or have been, appoint
d to the places ofthose dismissed Among the
,emovals on Saturday, were some of the most
althful and efficient laboring men in the de- I
,artment, and the cause of their discharge is t
perfect mystery to their friends. s422s g-~r a
It is said that the men removed are all known l
0 have expressed themselves in favor of James r
Buchanan for the next presidency, and that +
hey have been removed on that account. eaf
stszs s-l A--y~l>l94> E=s z.s n
CONGRESS- committee on territories of n
he house have reported bill to authorize /
he people ofaOregon to form a State govern a
nent. Alsoa bill to annul sundry acts Of the d
legislature of Kansas which are alleged to C
bridge the freedom of speech and of the press; d
lso acts which impose-as disqualification il