Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-02-01
The Bank of Tennessee.


Start not, neighbor of the Union and
American. We do not propose to disturb
the harmony of your reluctant" auditory
nerves with any remarks of ours on the sub
ject of the Bank to-day. We see from the
Columbia Herald that the leaders of the
Maury democracy are in ferment, and we
wish to let our readers know how their or
gan talks about the parent Board" The
Herald of the 26th ult. says:
The conduct of the present Board of the
Bank Of Tennessee in reference to the Branch
at this place, merits, rs it will certainly re-
ceive, the hearty condemnation of the entire
Democracy of this County. Twelve months
ago that body outraged the wishes and feelings
OF the party here, by so organizing our Board
as to secure the election of Mr.. AKIN, a Know
nothing, as its President. After this the Hon.
GAVE Johnson, the Presiden: of the Parent
Bank, in letter to the Democracy of this
County, took high ground against Know-no-
thingism; and believing that be would prac
tice what he preached, we were encouraged
to hope that justice was at last about to be
done US. Bat in this it seems we were mista-
true, in Democratic colors, but arranged as
before with view to the election of Mr..
AKIN, as its President, and with it comes the
kind permission of "the powers that be-" TO
elect h Democratic President if we can. For
this privilege, so magnanimousy accorded to
us, we should feel bound to acknowledge our
selves profoundly grateful, did we not regard
it as a poor attempt on the part of Col. JOHN
SON and his coadjutors TO shift responsibility
from themselves to the Board of Directors for
the Branch at this place. By refusing to re-
elect Mr.. AKIN, which we honestly believe it
will do, that Board can retain to itself the coz
idence and respect of the Democracy but its
action can in no way excuse the conduct of
Col. JOHNSON, and those who acted with him
in his attempt TO forestal our wishes and feel
ings--an attempt, we must be permitted to
say, which the facts and circumstances, con-
nected with it, show to have been as fixed and
deliberate as it was nnmerited and ittiberGk
Placed in power by a Democratic Governor
Col. JOHNSON, certainly because Of bis politics
these men, in more instances than one, have
gone to the ranks o: party that assailed him
with all the bitterness of personal and poiitl-
cal rancor, and selected therefrom men upon
whom to bestow the offices of an institution
over which the man so assailed had called them
found among his political friends, individuals
eminently qualified to fill those offices with
usefulness to the Bank and credit 70 their par
ty. This Is not only acting IN bad faith to
Democracy, but 10 IS such black ingrGtitude to
Governor johnson, as ought to justify him. an
the eyes Of .tair-nsinded men Of all parties, an
remOUing them.
These remarks indicate considerable bit
terness of spirit on the part of the Maury
democracy; but, we apprehend, they will
not trouble the parent Board much. The
offence of this Board appears to be the con-
struction of the Board of Directors Of the
Columbia branch so as to retain Mr.. Akin
as President The question, therefore,
arises-is Mr.. Akin a competent officer,
and an honorable gentleman The Herald
admits that he is, and that it "has not
word to say against him." Furthermore,
Col. CAVE JOHNSON, in his letter to the
Patriot, states that under Mr.. Is admin
istraton last year, the Branch at Columbia
"toas managed Nth energy, actirity and good
judgment, MAKING MORE MONEY THAN AT ANY
OTHER PERIoD--iS deposits more than trebLed, -
AND WITHOUT HAVING MADE A
BAD DEBT" Surely, these are sufficient
reasons for retaining Mr.. AKIN as Presi-
dent The parent Board are responsible
for the good management Of the Branches,
and they ought to be permitted to select
officers whom they know to be competent
and reliable, without regard to politics.
1t appears to us as exceedingly unkind,
under the circumstances, to charge the
Board with "acting ia bad faith to the De
mocracy." Reasonable men will rather think
they are endeavoring to place feather in
the cap of the Democracy by securing the
greatest degree of success in the manage
ment of the Bank under its democratic ad-
ministration.
As honorable, high-minded men, we pre-
sumo the parent Board, Col. Johnson at its
head, will spurn Indignantly the idea that
in accepting the Offices they hold, they
agreed to become mere instruments to regis
ter the edicts Of ANDREW JOHNSON and are
guilty of "BLAcK INGRATITUDE to him. We
should think Gov. JOHNSON had gone far
enough when he inaugurated new era in
the appointment of Keeper of the Peniten-
Tertiary and that it is high time every citi-
zen Of Tennessee had determined 10 resist
his attempts to grasp all the power of the
State, and to make all her officers his sup.
pie instruments.
The GAzErrE.-0ur contemporary, Ma
NEY. of the Gazette, announced in his able