304 ANDREW JACKSON 



Congress he created some alarm by expressing doubts 

 as to the bank's solvency, and recommending an inves- 

 tigation to see if the deposits of public money were 

 safe. In some parts of the country there were indica- 

 tions of a run upon the branches of the bank. The 

 Committee on Ways and Means investigated the matter 

 and reported the bank as safe and sound, but a minor- 

 ity report threw doubt upon these conclusions, so that 

 the public uneasiness was not allayed. The conclu- 

 sions of the members of the committee, indeed, bore 

 little reference to the evidence before them, and were 

 determined purely by political partisanship. Jackson 

 made up his mind that the deposits must be removed 

 from the bank. The act of 1816, which created that 

 institution, provided that the public funds might be 

 removed from it by order of the Secretary of the 

 Treasury, who must, however, inform Congress of his 

 reasons for the removal. As Congress resolved, by 

 heavy majorities, that the deposits were safe in the 

 bank, the spring of 1833 was hardly a time when a Sec- 

 retary of the Treasury would feel himself warranted, 

 in accordance with the provisions of the act, to order 

 their removal. Secretary Me Lane was accordingly 

 unwilling to issue such an order. In what followed, 

 Jackson had the zealous cooperation of Kendall and 

 Blair. In May Me Lane was transferred to the State 

 Department, and was succeeded in the treasury by 

 W. J. Duane of Pennsylvania. The new secretary, 

 however, was convinced that the removal was neither 

 necessary nor wise, and in spite of the President's 

 utmost efforts refused either to issue the order or to 

 resign his office. In September, accordingly, Duane 

 was removed and R. B. Taney of Maryland appointed 



