'Villi BIA M1I0CUT. "I ht-re sworn upon the Altar of fiod, eternal liostlllty to every fo'rm of Tyranny over the Mind of Man." Thomas jeffenrin. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY JOHN S. INGRAfa. iighn If Til Volume I. ibfthc Committco appointed by the Fourth of July S? Anti-Uank Comentlon KtO THE PEOIM-E OF PENNSYLVANIA. Fkllow Citizens The crisis that now imnpnila over diir countrv will uislifv this 'address to your calm judgment and enligh tened patriotism, and secure for it, wc trust, a .careful and dispassionate consideration. I It is less the duty, than it is the natural disposition. of inteliioent and reflecting, men. fon nil 'occasions of doubt and difficulties to fwcigh well every source from whence light fKSto direct their course, or relief to m'itigatc fJthc evils, they suffer can he jcxpected. We ."53hall make no apology nor invoice your at Ltcntion further, than to appeal at once to your KU-.-ll! . l:L 1 . jniunigcni uiiuursiuuuiiig, iiuu asii yuu to 511 'J i...:.u 1 . a Vnhc high duties which fall to the lot of every C, r., . .i:i rr ...'.' Vliu ui lis lu uioi.iiui gi;. ii i u ivuuiu, tvu "cannot evade or escape from the fulfilment of that obligation which rests on every rc- Jithcr from within, or without, thniaten to prostrate the prosperity of tjie country ami ;'ith it, all thatbclongs to individual happi ness and rtai6nal glory. - The occasion is too solemn and momcn- Itous'for political 'influence, or partizan riv- UllJ, LU UlilO cllljr lllilll O .11.UUII. J.1UII11II mt tne.purestlove of country, shotrld dictate -the line of policy lo bo adopted, and in this 'address, if wc are guided by any other spirit V .than this, discard its suggestions and its ar .'gum'cnLs with Contempt: Drawn, from a- mong the great mass ot people at this season of general engagement and industry, by the araniuuiu uuiy oi ucvoiion 10 me public m jrest, the individual members of this conven- ion, cannot but feel that they tlavo as tlccp a stake in the favourable issue of the nro- Sent deranged and distracted ""condition of c... ',. r..: ' .i..,. .i viti niuiicuii uuuua, .19 uuy ) liuill inuy address. E It would We Idler, therefore, if not critni- L.i r . AVi" i -i'U'i. i iiuii, iui ua iu aim ui any 'uiiiui uujlui, ill unr proceedings, than the Dublic frond, in wlii.-li tils involved the rights, interests and welfare ,vi an. True wq may not be cxcVript from mtk takc in opinion, hYit the associated wisdom s-3hd experience of a bodv of vour fellow cit izens, respectable, we hope", boWi fi 'Aum "Jjbr and in standing, will be worthy of some 'Regard. v 'M Our sentiments arc offered to you as llic iruii oi mucn rciicction, anu attentive ob . "3$3Crvation on the cxistimr state of thinira "rtjThc first consideration that must present it T(self to every man's mind, is what is our ftfrc'sent condition: The scconu, what pro educed it; and third, how is it to be rcmedi "SRed. To these three nronositions. vour nt. Atniiun ia cuniusuy iiiviiuu. , m 1. The present condition of the United States, in reference to the currency, and all V l r i j l i,. ... . , ui.uiciica oi uusincss mat are luutnaieiv connected with, and dcpendiiiff-upon it, is written in characters too plain and vivid to need much illustration from im. tin Pennsylvania especially it is deeply graved on every fopt of our sriil. ;.;If wp turn to the deserted streets of our ;ciucs, it is proclaimed in language not to ;6 misunderstood. .ffclf wo traverse our canals and rallrd&d, wc ''find the "panic," prophecy fulfilled, they lag! indeed "a barren waste," and hear the irfdubitablc marks of premature desertion jand decay. Nearly one half the cars and b'bals, aro withdrawn from operation, and what remain have little to do. The officers hro almost sinecures. Their pay; aild the jntercst on the debt, contracted in tho con struction of our canals and rail roads, rc ntain the same as in seasons, of prosperity, ' Mule the revenue denvcU iron! them, is lamentably deficient. Unless this down- Awaru course be speedily arrested, the State Pennsylvania is on the high way to bank Tuptcy and ruin. ff wc survey tho smaller towns, and 1HS fc'ciuhlry at large, what do we behold but bu siness interrupted, merchants uiid nicclian- tftln. fill thn nnnoaanvina C ..IiaJ,! lantly high, tho moans to purchase .them straitened. lreditbrs pressing their dc- .;rnanus, anu aeutors unable to pay. Tho banks closed, the specio in their vaults, - iMjfit up from the public, their notes not comrcrtable into gold and silver, tho laws of iliejBtato shamefully violated, and immense Issues of unlawful paper rlioney rushlilg Into circulation in all quarters of tho state, to the banishment, and exclusion of tho specie, with which, one year ago, tho coun- !r abounded more plentifully than at any prmer period, in tho History of our rcpub- icT Brokers, shavers and speculators, tho "Womened birds of prey that swarm round P08lrat0 carcase of tho public currency,' t are increasing, and thriving on the wants jand misfortunes of tho community. The hTpfes of the easto'rn banks, at a high dis iCMnt la the western part of the dtate, and BLOOHISBVRG, COOTBIA the notes of the western banks at a still higher discount in the eastern part of the state, and pie citizens ofthc different ex tremities of our wide spread unionnlirio3t cut off from each other in commercial 'in tercourse, and rendered aliens in their own land. ( In a word the 'durrency, the very lilc-blofjd of business in this active enter prising and thrifty nation is so deeply di seased already, that a general paralysis has seized upon our prosperity, '& although our government is the most free, and fostering in the world, menaces, 'if some corrective be not applied, to sweep it, with the besom of destruction. To tho general view ofthq subject 'here given may be addcJd, 'ih'is of an individual nature, that every man who thinks he has the honest representative of (tive dollars in his pocket, in the shape of a five dollar bill, is cgrcgiolislv 'mistakc'if, for owing to tho depreciation of bank note's, 'it is in reality worth little more than irec dollars, so that every man who has in his possession, oris compelled to take paper money of great or small denominations, has at once a practical illnstratf6n of the injus tice and fluctuation of the system. This is no .exaggerated picture, fellow citizens, proofs of its sad reality arc before us, ami around us, on all sides. The description harrowing ns it is, is re-echoed from city and country, frflmjiill top siM Valley, in all sections of the land. The foundation of our national prosperity is shaken; but not overthrown. The na tion is toll youthful and vigorous, the holds of corruption are too weak, the energy 'of industry, and the impulse ot patriotism are to'o strong to yield 'more than a temporary submission to the storm. Let us be on the alert, and call into action the inborn spirit of t)ie American people, ascertain the cau ses that have produced these evils, and the remedies that are practicable, and we will rise again with new strung nerves for the contest, and augmented wisdom to provide against their future rccuVrence, obtained hi .1. .1 I 'A I . I 4 ' , I n me near uougni oui precious scnooi oi ex periencc. After this general depression has donejts work, the resuscitation ot general and nidi vidual prosperity, will in otte or two years by the adortli'6n of proper measures, not only restore to us what has been lost, but will fully compensate for every evil, in the stability and security that will lie imparted to our currency. II. Having adverted, to the existing con dition of the country, it Viext becomes ne cessary, in order to provide a remedy, that the causes winch have led to it, should be examined, and if possible that means to c ra'dicatft them be pointed out". It will not become essential, to take up and consider separately the various causes that have been assigned by yifl'erent .writers. It will be enough to say, that neither the re'lhbV'al of the depositcs the specie circular, nor all, or a.ny of the measures of President Jack son sTadministration have produced, or could by an? natural possibility, have produced the present state of affairs Those meas ures important as they were, to check the spread bt the disordors in the currency, and to lay the foundation for their final cure, and correction could no more produce the vast ami violent convulsions, that we have already described than according to Mr. Kiddle's metaphor the shifting of the baL last, could arouse tho storm that dashes tile ship on the breakers or the bubblcS that dance on the bosom of the ocean could pro dil'ce the hiightv upheaving waves, that toss them to the winds. The causes lie deeper than any measures, within the constitution al power of the whole legislative and ex ecutive departments of the general govern mcnt to devise, and adopt. Touching the immediate interests of tho people, ili so few points, any system of le gislation on me pari ot tnc national govern ment, must, of necessity merely regulules ami cannot create tho multilanous opera tions of the whojo community. Let it be I'ccdllcctcd too' that in this instance, the premonitory symptoms of the final catas trophe, began to be -exhibited before Gen Jackson was elected to the presidency at alt. it is true, that during his administra tion the causes that were before al work silently and secretly, have been accelerated by his efforts to remove them, and thus prove most incontestibly that they were seated in the system he sought to amend, and not in Iuh measures to" affect It. This ji'bsltidfi is susceptible of such clear demon stration, that no honest man can doubt it. What was that system, against which all the energies of President Jackson's power ful mind, and transcendant popularity aided by the zealous1 t'o'-opcration of (he people, was directed for eight eventful years, with out completing the salutary reforms, thai were essential to render it beneficial to the country! Your own experience and good judgment will point at once to the uncheck ed & uncontrolled uamvimT aya'risju, that has been for years, growing up in this .a 1 --- - ' ' " 1 'ii COUNTY, country, under our short-sighted and im provident legislation. That system com mencing on a small scale, shortly after the establishment of our government, amidst tile w'ahts and fluctuations of the times when our boundless extent of territory and our mineral and agricultural sources of wealth, opened fruitful fields for enter prise and speculation, and when pdpital, or something that would nnatvnr no tl... senliitivo oT capital, was alone wnniinrr m devclopc them fully, and elevate our coun try to a condition independent of the capi talists of Europe, has been steadily and constantly extending itself, under various pretexts', until it 'lias finally, become so firm ly interwoven with all the business con cerns of the country, as to hold them abso lutely in its embrace, and to 'crush ilfem in its fall to the dust. Whether tho origin of una Bysium was rigiu or wrong, it is need less now to inquire. ItTs sufficient, tliat at its very commencement there wore not wanting men of profound sagacity, and dis- uiiuri'sicii patriotism who predicted the very result, that has been realized in our bto. and who tinrcd was then prophecy, but is now fact, that .ui 3iuni uasuu on sucn erroneous prin ciples as the banking system, would in tin's free republic, tend to the establishment. of lavoreil crasscs-T-distmtioiifi between the "I"1 yum u iiuiuiuiiig tuiruncy anu a spirit of foster! schemes of speculations, which would even .. . ,i. . ... ninny ovuriurn uie most stable government, uim reuuee to poverty and wretchedness life most active and industrious people on the face of the globe. c submit to your candid judgment, fel low citizens, whether such has not been its tendency. , Wc know it is sninnlmips 'sniff wu.u, mui im. euls have been brought on by "overtrading mill Knfi'iilnlinn"nnl cirnun. ... x . 4j..wug uioidliuca jlfU Kvcn to prove the truth of thjs statement. Th'at these caVlse3 have contributed to the general result, will not be denied but not as primary causes. To a certain extent. they arc rfiuta, and not causes. They are all powcrlul, when nourished and sustained by an uncontrolled banking system like ours Wit without it, they would be harm less if not laudable manjfestalions of enter prise. No man will nnirnrrH in iruiK.il.i:n.. or in overtrading, unless he has capital, or ,1 t""l"" yiauuL-ui purposes IS the same thing'. Credit is the greatest in centive iu uom, anu credit is the corner stone ol our system of banking: The fun damcntal defect is, that according to the luiiiuijucB on which ouroatiKS have all been incorporated', they mav be established, and go into operation oil creditt or a "fictitious capital" alone. Their very existence is ideal. , They arc mere phantoms that in habit their own vaults. The officers and stockholders, when acting jn their official capacity, are vested with artificial intangi uiui uiiu iiuiiuu in uicir dealings will me.n' i"py arc governed by different con si'd'cralloiis from IvMnt llifcv i!.,.,i,i u : J UU, each acted for himself, and was directly and .ouiionni.- iui ins conduct From these peculiarities of the banking sys tPm.lt fnllnilfQ flint 10 nvlilnn.. .v...., .w..w U, ...ui. 1 W lAlOiCUti; IU a COUn try, supplies a vast amount of false capital and holds out a lure to the speculator, and trader, to engage as deeply as ho can, for he i oiui buii;. winie ne is aoie to obtain cred it, no matter, what may be his debts, and his obligations. Thus a false impulse is given to all kinds of business and proiects uiu UIU31 luuiu aim ausurtij nnu promoters Utld Ubundahce of mbnev to nili-n nrA tlm. Thus also it happens in the prosecution oi iiiuac opurauons, men cecomo indebted to foreigners, to each nthpr nt tinmo ,.,1 tho baiiks and the bahks cd.ritract thc same Kinus ot debts and when pavment is de manded, it can onlv be matin hv nnlnrrn,i urcuiis dv iiicornoraung auuinonai h.mk. -and IhhrrinKnrl fiina nf ninn. When individuals or hanks lipfnmn in vftli'nrl m debt, they resort to the same means fo extrication. Thnv nlav n Imld mma trn. , . . J l J Jj...W It game it is,) stretch their credit to the utmost limit, and in common phrase, "make or brqakf" by the adve'niurc. fll ifu wan Ul IMU1X IUIIU19, WI1CI1 CtCUll K'l I . .1 . . inns, me ocnciitoi me insolvent law i: their remedy and in the case of linnWa a suspension of specie payments. And "iv wivu. Mjjuil IIIUII UIUUIIUID UUU U1U 1UU nnv.i .,: .i:. 1 ,1 1. ne, are in uoiu cases me same. This is the process, and this tho courso that has led to the existing stato of things. Wo appeal to the history of illb couhtry for its conhrmation. Let any man examine the amount of nominal banking cnnltnl. nt different periods and also tho, spirit of speculation and overtradirfg as Indicated by tho imnnrts nf tlin nnnnlrv- thn snloa nC public lands the prico of labor and of the vaiioti8 commercial comm'odltics and tho Proiects of new towns, and cities, tnrnnikn. . 1 ( canal and railroad companies, and ho will una 111 an cases, the latter near a strict rela tive proportion to the lonner, Am pffuks 1 SATURDAY, JULY 22, 183T. have increased, so have th just enumerated, increased in the same pro- ,,u iiiigiu nave spread the sta- uauuui lacis uciore you, but we do not wish to swpll( this address, tq a greater length than is necessary and if any doubt,- let them consult the records that arc accessible to all. The ruth of this view of tho subject, is further illustrated by tho mad tenacity, with which President Jackson's attempt at rc" form were resisted on the part of the banks and their friends. The rottenness of the system is proved by, the trc,mor and agita tion, with which .the first exposure of it's deleterious operation was received. The Bank of the United States, the great self styled "balance wheel" ofthc system W forth its most .tltinnst utinrnins nnA ,,. t t - , aill. 1 a.T joined by itsstripnling co-adjutors, to pros trate President 'Jackson, and to grasp the sceptre ol supreme power. Instead of co-operating with the govern ment, to remove some, at least, of the most obvious defects of the, system, they clung with Inflexible resolution to them all, and it the very time when the issues of paper money ought to have been gradually and prudently contracted, they were expanded to an inordinate degree, & many additional banks were chartered by tlm several state legislatures, under the influence of threats, panics and pressures, created for that pur pose. To counteract the wide spreading evil, under, a wise recommendation of the national executive, a large amount of gold and silver had been forced into ciiculation, but the increase of bpnksa))"! the expansion of the paper circulation verc so great, that this specie has been swallowed up already, and is now expelled or withdrawn from cir culation, by small notes, or is.hoarded up by the banks and nrivnti? inrlUiilinU ml exported to Europe, scarce a vestige of it, itnmnqiHiliirnlir r-.-wi ..!.!.... T . f v,...,,ui....i.ij oycauui, remaining in cir dilation', flliatbahlsinff 'nvsfim. wl,;h n,t . ' - J "'I 'T . mu- mits of such results, is radically wrong, and opposed to the best interests of the people. In England, similar results have followed similar cau'sas, and the experience of the namung system mere, aitords powertul and conclusive proof, that the positions which we have endeavored to maintain, in regard to our own banking system, are undeninhlv true. Indeed, so intimate are the commer cial relations of England and the United stales, and so blended together arc the transactions of the bank of England, and the bank of the U. States, that nothing can materially affect the one. without nfonr.tinir the other. The bank of England, having agrceu to export go much, ol the gold and silver of that couiilry, as lo render it incon venient to command, at all times, enough to redeem its own notes, anil to meet its other specie engagements, had thought prop er to require from the batik's of this coun try, its debtors, to return the necessary sum for that purpose. This was either an excellent real or pretended cause for tho bank of the United States of Pennsylvania, to suspend specie payments, and to c'dinpel all the other hank's lo follow suit, and like wise to enable their friends to put forth a copious supply of small notes, to take the place of the specie, and to bolster up the immaculate credit system, iust totterinir to its fall. Such is the true secret of two of tho most important events, tho "suspension of specie payments," and the "issue of small notes," that characterize tho present times. And such also is the univprsnlitv and identity of effects, Jlo wing from this credit system throughout, tho old and the I1PIV worlfl. Tt id nnnnnrl tlin cnmA tiii.v wherever it reaches, and has a kindred in terest 111 an parts ol the commercial world. Tint as this f!nnvnmimi llrw linpn nim. bled to consider the state of affairs, more particularly m J'ennsylvania, we will turn our attention to this state alone, for a few moments, although what has been already rfininrkflil nfthn pnnilitinn nf tliliifri' ht Inrrrn hns inr.hlflpd nncnu'ti in rrnnprnl annsn 'IMio j. " - C.. III. extent of our territory the fertility of our son me inexnaustioio resources oi our mineral wealth tlin indnstrv. pntprnriio: and number of our citizens, have all desti- !lP.d Pp.llllRvl vniliri in Yt'n tlin TrpTfctniin nCl l.n TTr 1 p. ;'i iiiu uuiuii, anu uiiu ui uiu ursi in uusiiiesa and importance, among tho sister states I1hnt Wn sfimllfl fiml lini-p no innpli lionbinrr capital as any other state, is thercforo natu- 1 1 0 .1 r t t . .1 rai, anu perieeuy coniormaoie 10 me gener al order of things in other states. Hut that we should Possess nearly treble tho amount of banking capital of any othpr state df ilie union, is a most surprising fact, and one that demands some explanation. Did our business- operations bear the same relative nro- portion to those of New York, and other large states, that our banking capital does to theirs, wo might, have sup'posed, that it Wa. in Cnmfl Aotrrnn ihn nlTanHnnifn .nl or supposed necessity, but tins is not tlm fact. Our bankill!? canitnl is of ninslirnnm Kiuirui, iui ujMvariio ui tivu minis oi i has sprung into- being within the last two j Ye&n' j growth, for upwards of two thirds of it Wifmlicr 13. The amount of bank capital incorporated in Pennsylvania, when Govcnor Ritner was elected, was $17,00t),000 the amount now existing in Pennsylvania, is about Fifty.eight Millions of Dollars, so tha under the auspices of Gov. llilner and his menus, it nas been improvidently increasad about Forty-one Millions of Dollars in less limn iwo years. i either reason nor neces sity can be nleadedin iiiRtinV.i (inn nr avahoa r I .....v-.iwh v VAbUOl of this ruinous policy. IU origin can be lounu only in a morbid excitement of that wildspiritofsneculation.wbip.il ha un always nurtured & sustained by our empty liiuuii system, as wo nave already observ ed, the measures of the national administra tion, during the last eight years, were cal culated . to impose some .check on ihn cv. tension of this system, and ift tneir opera tion, had levelled the most powerful and the most dangerous of the foster mothers of speculation and qvertrad,ing with the dust. The bank of the United Stales, the head & front of the credit system in this country, connected with, and supported by the bank of England, was Obliged to yield to the su premacy, of thq popujar Will, and had it been suffered to sink quietly to rest, it would have been not merely a barren victory over that all-pervadmg spirit, that has terminated in the presqnt djsprders of the currency, but it would have coris'tituted a substantial an& salutary reform. A concurrence of most extraordinary events had placed .Governor Ritner and liis friends in power, just as tins was about to be consummated, and they, with that bljnd disrcgard.pf.iconscquences that ever signalizes the speculator, and the .disciple of credit delusion, snatched the ex piring institution from impending dissolu tion, and,. conferred urrtm it a prolonged ex istence, witli -unhearu of powers. So great an increase of the nominal capital of a simile state, and at, one point, the city of Phila delphia, jn so ..short.a. ti,me, was sought to be justified, on theegrnund tbt it would be an actual addition of Thirty-five Mllions of Dollars to the capital of the state, which would not only enable it to meet the shock attending the extinction of the banks ofthc United States, but would.supnly abundance of Vnoney to complete out wjde extended in ternal improvements, and prepare Pennsyl vania to outstrip in the march of advance ment and prosperity, every other state and nation in the world. The charter of that institution was hailed as a new era, by Governor Ritner,i and.his adherents, which would be regarded by after ages as the prou- dfist in tbn nnnnl nf llip ctotp Wn wurii to be rescued from debt, bankruptcy and rqin, and ))c basis, of our prosperity resting on this bailk, was lo be as firm ana immo. vable as the everlasting hills. But how has experience falsified all theso cheering prophecies! The very reverse is jjjue. . '1,'he supporters of the credit systent in thn nlllPr stntpa nnrl in m frl 1 n rl wppn struck aghast at the temerity of Penn's'yl- ! rPL 1 1. 1 vuiiiu. 1 nu oanK, unucr wnose sway, as a national institution, tlin pnrrpnpv nf tlm cquntry had reclei anj rocked for Uy.e.nty. years, as soon sis it became a state institu tion, wns so ohvinnsK- disnrnnortionp.tl to the wants and condition of the country, as tu 14111 tv mi; uiiiuu uicuib ay aiuill llliu tuin fusion, and bring it nrecinitatelv unon our heads. This catastrophe has doubtless been has tened by the ruinous policy of the advisers of Gov. Ritner, in thqir conduct in reference to all the measures of tho national govern ment. They have spread panics, pressures, and false alarms throughout the country until public opinion, both here and abroad! is worked up to a.stato of feverish exciter ment, sinking and rising Alternately at every breeze, as unfixed and unsteady as the wind that swayed it. They seem to have labored to destroy confidence, and to depreciate our , credit, with so much assiduity and success. that both l(i this country and ipEuropej our merchants, business men, .arid blinks solvency. And how righteously does Di- T..:An l ii...! r.. ii, vine justice order its retribution, lor tilt hvfirv mpn who nmv pnrlnro thpsp snflpr. vjiiu jujutu uiuci iu) reinuuiiuii. iui 11113 liigs most deeply, arc the authors of those pnlilnmina- nn 1ia ..unl.tt nV'.l ! .ri.irnrii. calumnies" on tho country aVtlitsifovern- ment, which have accelerated the crisis! If, is now upon us, and let a candid world judgo w,ho is. to blame. III. The remedy to bo proposed is not as easily carried into pfTnp.t n it is suirircsted. , . , - - - - - op It is evidently to be found, in rcrnoving, or in checking and controlling.effectually, tho ByBii-ui, uc rauicauy ueiccuvc auu wrung in, itsplf. tlin rpmpflv mnat nnnaist in nhroirfltin(r . , ...,.... ....... the entire system, or in so regulating it, as iu raiati ip ucieuiB. mucii (iiuai uu icti iu tbn wimlnm nftlin lpftielntnrp nut wn mnv safely assert that it is enticj-ly practicable to restrict the banking system, soaa to pre vent the recurrence of the calamity it has now brought upon us, without materially af-. now orougnt upon us, without materially ai- fectlng the existing rights and privilege's of. any individuals. Render tb UablUUee $t