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AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION.
2. NOTES FOR A SPEECH BY STEPHEN F. AUSTIN AGAINST CHARTER OF THE RANK OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 1 Reflections respecting the Bank question 1816-17 I cannot reconcile it [to] my concience that I should have exe- cuted the duty which I owe to my constituents to posterity and my •country were I to content myself with giveing a Silent negative to this Bill and shall therefore claim the indulgence of this House for a few Moments untill I again attempt to assign the reasons why I thing it aught not to pass but in doing this I most sensibly feel the dis- advantages under which I labor, in consequence of my connection with and Interest in the Bank of St Louis as a Stockholder, I am wel aware that however forcibly I may urge any arguments against this Bill and however cogent those arguments may be, were I so for- tunate as to advance any such that a counterpoise is already fixed in some of your Minds to weigh them down and distroy their e:ffect, in the Supposition that they fl.ow from Motives of Self interest more than from a conviction that the public good will be promoted by their adoption The conviction I say that I have such an impre~ion to remove before I can hope to have any weight in the discussion of the main question would have discouraged me from again speeking on this subject-did I not feel an internal consciousness-a proud internal conviction that as the Representative of freemen as One of that Body in whose integrity and unbiased judgement the people have reposed the guardianship of their Prosperity of their Happi- ness and their dearest blessings. I should spurn those traitorous ·motives and recoil with horror from those incentives of individual Interest which would·lead me to adopt a course in the slightest degree incompatible with the interest of my Constituents or inconsistent with the Individual as well as aggregate wellfare of my Country- and I can not but flatter myself that the Members of thise House will do me the justice to believe my solemn asseveration that were I as disconnected with the Bank of St Las I am with that of M that the course I have adopted would have been the same for sir it is s. course which my understanding of the Gen 1 Interest of.the Com- munity_ pointed out that understanding may have been an improper an erroneous one, but that the intention the Motives of my opposi- tion to this Bill spring from selfish view, I denounce as a most in- famous and malicious implication of my principle as unfounded as uncharitable and base Sir I wish my conduct as a Member of this House at all time to pass in review before the awfull tribunal of the People and shall allways wave those privileges so far [as] they
, The original notoe were confused and without pagination. This copy therefore pre- sents 1n some degree editorial arrangement.
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