much of his term, seemed clearly to indicate a concurrence
with him in sentiment on the part of the people.
After the public moneys were withdrawn from the United
States Bank they were placed in deposit with the State
banks, and the result of that policy has been before
the country. To say nothing as to the question
whether that experiment was made under propitious
or adverse circumstances, it may safely be asserted
that it did receive the unqualified condemnation of
most of its early advocates, and, it is believed,
was also condemned by the popular sentiment.
The existing subtreasury system does not seem to stand
in higher favor with the people, but has recently
been condemned in a manner too plainly indicated to
admit of a doubt. Thus in the short period of
eight years the popular voice may be regarded as having
successively condemned each of the three schemes of
finance to which I have adverted. As to the first,
it was introduced at a time (1816) when the State
banks, then comparatively few in number, had been forced
to suspend specie payments by reason of the war which
had previously prevailed with Great Britain.
Whether if the United States Bank charter, which expired
in 1811, had been renewed in due season it would have
been enabled to continue specie payments during the
war and the disastrous period to the commerce of the
country which immediately succeeded is, to say the
least, problematical, and whether the United States
Bank of 1816 produced a restoration of specie payments
or the same was accomplished through the instrumentality
of other means was a matter of some difficulty at
that time to determine. Certain it is that for
the first years of the operation of that bank its
course was as disastrous as for the greater part of
its subsequent career it became eminently successful.
As to the second, the experiment was tried with a redundant
Treasury, which continued to increase until it seemed
to be the part of wisdom to distribute the surplus
revenue among the States, which, operating at the
same time with the specie circular and the causes
before adverted to, caused them to suspend specie payments
and involved the country in the greatest embarrassment.
And as to the third, if carried through all the stages
of its transmutation from paper and specie to nothing
but the precious metals, to say nothing of the insecurity
of the public moneys, its injurious effects have been
anticipated by the country in its unqualified condemnation.
What is now to be regarded as the judgment of the
American people on this whole subject I have no accurate
means of determining but by appealing to their more
immediate representatives. The late contest, which
terminated in the election of General Harrison to
the Presidency, was decided on principles well known
and openly declared, and while the subtreasury received
in the result the most decided condemnation, yet no
other scheme of finance seemed to have been concurred
in. To you, then, who have come more directly