THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



179 



tract from a comraunicaiion lo a late number of the 

 Maesachusetis Ploughman, and the balance is ihe 

 comment thereupon, by the editor, who is also 

 understcod to be a praclical and experietifed 

 farmer. ' The liming farmers on James river 

 might adduco their large experience, and a large 

 part of their present increased productions and 

 profits, as proofs of directly the opposite of the 

 opinions above stated. We had before learned 

 that liming in Massachusetts had been attended 

 with but little profit — (or what reason we had too 

 Jitlle knowledge of existing circumstances to 

 pretend to determine. But we would not have 

 expected, from any degree of such ill success, 

 whatever, in recent and limited trials of a new 

 practice, so sweeping and general a condemnation 

 of lime as manure, and eo dogmatical and entire 

 a denial oferooJ efi'ectp, which eo many thousands 

 of practical and prosperous improvers have be- 

 lieved in and asserted. It would have been much 

 more like philosophical inquiry, and more likely 

 to be conducive to the profit of the inquirers, to 

 search, by investigation and experiments, for the 

 peculiar circumstances, whatever they may be, 

 which (according to facts stated above) have pre- 

 vented liming in JVlassachusetis having the {rood 

 efiects undoubtedly produced by limmg elsewhere. 

 —Ed. F. R] 



remarks on th e present condition and 

 operation of the banks of virginia, 



AND THEIR PROSPECTS. 



We had designed to state generally the result 

 of the latest legislative action on the banks oi Vir- 

 ginia ; but that action was not completed unt'l 

 just before the rising of the egislature, and too 

 late for the last number of the Farmers' Register. 

 We shall now give a general and cursory view 

 of the existing condition of things connected 

 with our fraudulent banking system and its ope- 

 rations; which condition will probably remain 

 until new legislation shall vary it, or until the grow- 

 ing distrust of bank solvency, and growing popu- 

 lar indignation and execration, phall operate to 

 close the banks, and put an end, for a lime, to 

 the whole system of legalized falsehood, fraud, 

 and villany. 



It is not worth while to state particularly what 

 is the purport of the existing banking laws of 

 Virginia, as fixed by the latest act. Indeed, we 

 doubt whether a single member who voted for 

 the last law has any correct or definite opinion 

 of Ihe actual measure of obligation, or of penalty 

 for violation of obligation, now imposed on the 

 banks J or whether any two lawyers, if consulted, 



and advising deliberately, would agree in opinion 

 thereon. The presidents of the banks in Rich- 

 mond, it is generally understood, have written the 

 new provisions of indulgence of most or all the 

 bank relief laws that have been enacted since 1837 ; 

 and at any rate, whether from the restrictions being 

 thus cunningly devised /or the purpose of being 

 total'y inoperative, while seeming to threaten 

 avvlLiI penalties on bank failures and frauds, or 

 whether the stupidity of legislators has alone 

 served to reach this same desired result — it is cer- 

 tain that all legal penalties on the banks are, by 

 various obstacles, rendered totally unavailable to 

 the injured and cheated individuals who would 

 dare to seek legal remedy for their wrongs, and 

 for the (rautis practised on the whole community. 

 The legislature of Virginia, during its whole 

 course of collusion with and thorough support 

 of fraudulent banks and fraudulent banking, has 

 not ventured directly to violate the constitution 

 so lar as to forbid individual creditors lo co'lect 

 debts from the banks in any and every legal mode 

 to which other debtors are subjected. But, in 

 practice, (he same end is as completely reached. 

 For when ilie claim for justice is so beset with 

 difficulties and delays, that to obtain the benefits 

 would cost the creditor more than he would lose 

 by (he dishonesty and discredit of his debtor, (the 

 bank thus legalized to swindle,) it follows ofcourse 

 that he will continue to submit to be cheated by 

 the debtor, rather ihiin pay double as much to 

 obtain legal redress as his loss so incurred. 



The action of the Cincinnati mob, more than 

 the voice of reason or the demands of honesty, 

 caused the legislature of Ohio to compel the 

 banks of that state to resume specie payments 

 forthwith. The distant but plainly audible mut- 

 terings of popular discontent and indignation 

 acted power ully to produce the similar unlooked 

 for events which have since been consummated, 

 of resumption of payments by the banks (or such 

 as did not avow bankruptcy) of Pennsylvania 

 and Maryland. Thus then the sole excuse for 

 continued suspension in Virginia, (which had 

 been relied on solely because it was thought im- 

 possible to cease to serve,) was completely taken 

 away. A little time before, it was the universal 

 cry of all the bankiies, from the wise, patriotic, 

 moral and religious leaders and wire-pullers, 

 down lo their lowest and basest tools and mouth- 

 pieces, that " the banks of Virginia certainly 

 ought to resume payment, and could safely re- 

 sume, as soon as those of Pennsylvania and Mary- 

 land should resume — but not before." Well ! in- 

 stead pr e^spen^iQn being continued ia these 



