ever required by the proper authority, all or any portion of the services now performed by the Bank of the United States, or which might be lawfully required of it in the vicinity of said contracting bank.

6. If the Secretary of the Treasury shall think proper to employ an agent or agents to examine and report upon the accounts and condition of the banks in the service of the Government, or any of them, the said bank agrees to pay an equitable proportion of his or their expenses and compensation, according to such apportionment as may be made by the said Secretary.

7. Whenever required by the Secretary of the Treasury, the said bank agrees to furnish, with all convenient despatch, bills of exchange on London, payable at such sight as may be required, at the usual market price for the time being, without commission or advance for the profit of said bank, or any charge whatsoever beyond the actual cost; the payment of said bills to be guaranteed by said bank.

8. It is agreed that the Secretary of the Treasury may discharge the said bank from the service of the Government whenever, in his opinion, the public interest may require it. In witness whereof, the said The Girard Bank in the city of Philadelphia, has caused to be affixed its corporate seal, attested by the signatures of its president and cashier, on the day and year first above written.

[L.S.]

JAS. SCHOTT, President.
WM. D. LEWIS, Cashier.

No. 93.

Constitution of the American
Anti-Slavery Society

December 4, 1833

A CALL for a convention to meet Dec. 4, 1833, at Philadelphia, to form an American Anti-Slavery Society, was issued Oct. 29 over the signatures of Arthur Tappan, Joshua Leavitt, and Elizur Wright, Jr., officers of the New York City Anti-Slavery Society. About sixty delegates assembled at the appointed time and adopted a constitution, together with a "Declaration of Sentiments," the original draft of the latter being drawn by William Lloyd Garrison.

REFERENCES.

Text in a pamphlet entitled Platform of the American Anti-Slavery Society and its Auxiliaries (New York, 1855), pp. 3, 4. The fullest account of the convention is in William Lloyd Garrison: Story of his Life told by his Children, I., 392–415, where is also a copy of the Declaration. The Declaration is also in the pamphlet above cited. For Whittier's account, see Atlantic Monthly, XXXIII., 166–172 (February, 1874).

Whereas the Most High God "hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth," and hath commanded them to love their neighbors as themselves; and whereas, our National Existence is based upon this principle, as recognized in the Declaration of Independence, "that all mankind are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"; and whereas, after the lapse of nearly sixty years, since the faith and honor of the American people were pledged to this avowal, before Almighty God and the World, nearly one-sixth part of the nation are held in bondage by their fellowcitizens; and whereas, Slavery is contrary to the principles of natural justice, of our republican form of government, and of the Christian religion, and is destructive of the prosperity of the country, while it is endangering the peace, union, and liberties of the States; and whereas, we believe it the duty and interest of the masters immediately to emancipate their slaves, and that no scheme of expatriation, either voluntary or by compulsion, can remove this great and increasing evil; and whereas, we believe that it is practicable, by appeals to the consciences, hearts, and interests of the people, to awaken a public sentiment throughout the nation that will be opposed to the continuance of Slavery in any part of the Republic, and by effecting the speedy abolition of Slavery, prevent a general convulsion; and whereas, we believe we owe it to the oppressed, to our fellow-citizens who hold slaves, to our whole country, to posterity, and to God, to do all that is lawfully in our power to bring about the extinction of Slavery, we do hereby agree, with a prayerful reliance on the Divine aid, to form ourselves into a society, to be governed by the following Constitution:

ARTICLE I. This Society shall be called the AMERICAN ANTISLAVERY SOCIETY.

ARTICLE II. The objects of this Society are the entire abolition of Slavery in the United States. While it admits that each

State, in which Slavery exists, has, by the Constitution of the United States, the exclusive right to legislate in regard to its abolition in said State, it shall aim to convince all our fellowcitizens, by arguments addressed to their understandings and consciences, that Slaveholding is a heinous crime in the sight of God, and that the duty, safety, and best interests of all concerned, require its immediate abandonment, without expatriation. The Society will also endeavor, in a constitutional way, to influence Congress to put an end to the domestic Slave trade, and to abolish Slavery in all those portions of our common country which come under its control, especially in the District of Columbia, - and likewise to prevent the extension of it to any State that may be hereafter admitted to the Union.

ARTICLE III. — This Society shall aim to elevate the character and condition of the people of color, by encouraging their intellectual, moral, and religious improvement, and by removing public prejudice, that thus they may, according to their intellectual and moral worth, share an equality with the whites, of civil and religious privileges; but this Society will never, in any way, countenance the oppressed in vindicating their rights by resorting to physical force.

ARTICLE IV. — Any person who consents to the principles of this Constitution, who contributes to the funds of this Society, and is not a Slaveholder, may be a member of this Society, and shall be entitled to vote at the meetings.

[The remaining six articles are purely formal.]

No. 94.

Act to Regulate the Deposits

June 23, 1836

In his annual message of Dec. 7, 1835, Jackson announced the extinguishment of the national debt,, and renewed the recommendation contained in his annual message of Dec. 2, 1834, that suitable regulation of the public deposits be made. In the Senate, Dec. 29, Calhoun brought in a bill for that purpose, together with a joint resolution "proposing an amendment to the Constitution, providing for a distribution of the surplus revenues among the several States and Territories, until the year 1843." The joint resolution was laid on the table March 4. The bill to regulate the deposits was taken up April

21, and debated at intervals until June 17, when, with an amendment providing for the distribution of the surplus revenue among the States, it passed by a vote of 39 to 6. The House passed the bill on the 21st, by a vote of 155 to 38, with an amendment making the distributed revenue a loan to the States, instead of a gift. In each house attempts to divide the measure were unsuccessful. The Senate concurred in the House amendment, and June 23 the act was approved. A bill for regulating the deposits had been introduced in the House March 21, but repeated efforts to secure its consideration failed. A supplementary act of July 4 authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to make transfers of the public money from the banks of one State to those of another, whenever necessary "to prevent large and inconvenient accumulations in particular places, or in order to produce a due equality and just proportion." Quarterly payments under the act were made in January, April, and July, 1837, to the amount of $28,000,000; after that there was no longer a surplus, and the distribution ceased. The money thus loaned to the States was never recalled.

REFERENCES. - Text in U. S. Stat. at Large, V., 52-56. For the proceedings, see the House and Senate Journals, 24th Cong., 1st Sess.; for the discussions, see Cong. Debates, or Cong. Globe, or Benton's Abridgment, XII. Webster's speech of March 17, on the deposit banks, is in his Works (ed. 1857), IV., 235-237; speech of May 31, on the surplus revenue, ib., IV., 252–264. For Calhoun's speech of May 28, on the regulation of the deposits, see his Works (ed. 1857), II., 534-569. The treatment of the surplus and public deposits was discussed in the annual report of the Secretary of the Treasury, Dec. 6, 1836. Jackson, in his annual message of Dec. 5, criticised the deposit act at length. See further Bourne's History of the Surplus Revenue of 1837.

An Act to regulate the deposites of the public money.

Be it enacted. That it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to select as soon as may be practicable and employ as the depositories of the money of the United States, such of the banks incorporated by the several States, by Congress for the District of Columbia, or by the Legislative Councils of the respective Territories for those Territories, as may be located at, adjacent or convenient to the points or places at which the revenues may be collected, or disbursed, and in those States, Territories or Districts in which there are no banks, and within which the public collections or disbursements require a depository, the said Secretary may make arrangements with a bank or banks, in some other State, Territory or District, to establish an agency, or agencies, in the States, Territories or Districts so destitute of banks, as banks of deposite; and to receive through such agencies such deposites of the public money, as may be directed to be made at the points

designated, and to make such disbursements as the public service may require at those points; the duties and liabilities of every bank thus establishing any such agency to be the same in respect to its agency, as are the duties and liabilities of deposit banks generally under the provisions of this act: Provided, That at least one such bank shall be selected in each State and Territory, if any can be found in each State and Territory willing to be employed as depositories of the public money, upon the terms and conditions hereinafter prescribed, and continue to conform thereto; and that the Secretary of the Treasury shall not suffer to remain in any deposite bank, an amount of the public moneys more than equal to three-fourths of the amount of its capital stock actually paid in, for a longer time than may be necessary to enable him to make the transfers required by the twelfth section of this act; and that the banks so selected, shall be, in his opinion, safe depositories of the public money, and shall be willing to undertake to do and perform the several duties and services, and to conform to the several conditions prescribed by this act.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That the said banks, before they shall be employed as the depositories of the public money, shall agree to receive the same, upon the following terms and conditions, to wit:

First. Each bank shall furnish to the Secretary of the Treasury, from time to time, as often as he may require, not exceeding once a week, statements setting forth its condition and business . . And the said banks shall furnish to the Secretary of the Treasury, and to the Treasurer of the United States, a weekly statement of the condition of his account upon their books. And the Secretary of the Treasury shall have the right, by himself, or an agent appointed for that purpose, to inspect such general accounts in the books of the bank, as shall relate to the said statements: Provided, That this shall not be construed to imply a right of inspecting the account of any private individual or individuals with the bank.

Secondly. To credit as specie, all sums deposited therein to the credit of the Treasurer of the United States, and to pay all checks, warrants, or drafts, drawn on such deposites, in specie if required by the holder thereof.

Thirdly. To give, whenever required by the Secretary of the