Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1857-05-14

nifty Mr.. Lanier against your legislation
The sam, thing is true Of other sales mad
, at other branches. When you assemble
: this winter, there were outstanding bond
, to the amount Of hundreds of thousands
the validity Of which depended upon YOU
: action. AS matter of course. the maker,
of tho bonds Were disinlersstsa lob5v mem.
bers in advising you as to what should b:
, your action upon the Bank.
Gentlemen Senators! Do You know ir
the history of civilization u parallel tc
this? Can you furnish an example thai
|. will compare with this? Where in tn.
history of the world will You finJl such ,
state of things-Commissioners selected tc
do a given thing-to let no person have
stock, except the privileged few, not bank.
crs. mere speculators-Banks located for o
certain sum of money-books opened and
closel in few mnutes-stocks sold before
the banks are located in which the stock is
to be taken. Your privileges, your fran.
chises. your rcre;.gaty, your dearest rights,
put up and sold like sheep in the market,
to the highest bidder. and bonds of indem.
nifty given to provide against your lcgisla-
tion etfecting it. If there was no fact in
that record proven but this one, it should
startlc every Senator in his seat to rise up
and apply some remedy, aud wipe this
disgrace from the Statute, affect whom il
may.
But, Senators. there is one charge bring
against you. lou needed not any testimo-
ny upon one subject. One fact stands out
so prominent that no man can mistake it.
You voted for this Charter with the 10Th
section attached, (known as the '.pcrcus-
sioa or 'gunpowder' section, which gave au-
thority to open or close the books in one
minute, at any time within the discretion
of the commissioners. at the same time
insisting that this power would not be
used to the injury of our people; that all
would have right to participate in taking
stock, and many of you believed in the ar
gument that this section was copy of
similar laws in other States. Whatever
Wow you had upon the subject two wears
ago-how is it now? What do YOU say
from the knowledge you have of its opc-
ra.ions at home? Do the Democratic Sem
ators-Republican Senator's from Wayne.
Clarke. Vanderburg, Jefferson, Lawrence.
Floyd, Rush and other counties, want proof
OF what the percussion section has dons9
Do You want any evidence? Have YOU
no knowledge from yoar constituents l.
not TIA, fact known to your people? Does
1t not stand out, clear aethe sun Mt noon
day, tha. books were never opened in the
light of truth and honesty? In som, pla-
ceS the farce was enacted in third storie, of
buildings, while tn. people were waiting at
the proper place to take stock: at Others.
the farce was enacted in bank vaults: at
others, behind doors. every device and
stratagem was used, within the Ingenuity
of man. At others, men in the same room
where the stock was said to be taken h,a-l
nothing Of the kind; at others, men steppel
In at side doors, and we.e said to take stock
lou, Senators, know as wella as lido. with
out any proof before this COMMITTEES. that
In majority of these case, the thing was
a solemn .tarce-d msre mockery; an my
charge against you Is, that YOU have not
raisel your voice this winter to condemn
this conduct. To those of you who live in
districts where these things were not done
l ask you to read the evidence on your table
When you have done this, you will agree
with me that the whole arrangement was
made and understood, at the time of the
passage of the bill by some few ind;v;5u-
ais. The whole thing was then put in
shape for future action. The fraud was
consummated, and that which followed was
only the consequence that must ensuc from
such outrageous powers, to wit: The poclk- /
eting. by few persons, of more than two
hundred thousand dollars. Yet. strange
to say, believe no voice was heard in fa- /
vor OF sustaining any suit or prosecution. /
to bring this question before the Courts of
the country, or even to enter protest a.
gainst such gross outrages against the char |
acter and integrity of the State.
Substance of Calvin Fletcher. James
NJ. Ray, and Judge Smiths testimony on /
one subject:
CALVIN FLETCHER says:-At the
close of the May Session of the State b ,ard
one of the delegates, Mr.. Blanchard. was
telcgraphed to visit Madison on important
business pertaining to the Bank, the nature
OF 1t not mentioned. We feared lest some +
thing was wrong. On his return we were
informed that proposition had been male
from Wall Street. New York, that certain
persons would procure re-charter. or
Charter of the old Bank, if the Board would
pay two hundred thousand dollars. Ths
was deemed corrupt. and was
not answered, but was made known to manv /,
members of the Board, at the August or
November Session of the Board-tho for
ner. i think
Col. Taylor. of Chicago, l think, after
ne Board had adjourned; rose and stated
20 the members that Judge Smith and an
other person would take steps to procure
Charter. if the Board or delegates would
advance them $4,000. understood that
hose who made the proposition were wait
ng for an answer. In December, 1854. or
January. 1855. the Indianapolis Branch
vas notified that at the instance of Judge :
Smith. meeting of the delegates was to
% held, in order to procure Charter from
he Legislature. Tho Indianapolis Branch
icclIned sending delegates. II
JAMES NJ. RAY says:-Judro Smith
allied at my Office prior to the Legislature !
II 1860, to talk about re-charterinr the
State Bank. An informal meeting Of the
delegates was called, Judge Smith present. !
4 WAS euoooofod xl.ok