Search Results: BANKING from David M. Lesser, Fine Antiquarian Books LLC

Nashville, Tenn.: Printed at 'Union and American' Book and Job Rooms, 1872. 37, [3 blanks] pp, stitched in original printed wrappers. Light wear and bit of spotting to wraps. Text Near Fine. Weaver served as the Bank's Cashier from 1854 until 1861. In late 1860, the "political troubles began." After the election of Lincoln, Northern banks suspended the payment of specie; Planters' Bank followed suit. Panic ensued. "Here commenced the troubles of the Bank." Its "regular avenues of trade and commerce were now fatally obstructed." Under severe pressure, the Bank lent the State of Tennessee $250,000 for the defense of the State. To do otherwise would have brought about "certain ruin," as the State would have seized the Bank's assets. The sharp influx of Confederate notes then threatened disaster. Weaver chronicles the effects of the War upon the Bank's diminishing fortunes, and its heroic efforts to stay afloat despite insurmountable odds. FIRST EDITION. Allen 7866.

[Providence, 1860. Folio, [4] pp folded to 8-1/2" x 14-1/8". Pale blue paper, printed on middle two pages only. Final blank leaf with contemporary accounting notes, evidently by a Rhode Island farmer. Very Good. Members of the Coddington family were politically prominent in Rhode Island's and Newport's civic and political life from the 17th century onward. This memento of the Coddington savings bank appears to be unrecorded. "Deposits made by married women personally may be legally withdrawn by them." Not located on OCLC, or the online sites of AAS, U RI, Brown University as of February 2020.

[New London: Timothy Green, 1779. ]. 4pp (pp. 513-516). Caption-title [as issued]. Folio, untrimmed. Lightly browned. Ink signature in right margin of first page. Small split of inner margin on horizontal fold, else Very Good. The General Assembly passes, during this revolutionary year, an Act punishing counterfeiting of Bills of Credit and continental bills of exchange. Evans 16231. OCLC 52734640 [1]. NAIP w007508.

[Hartford, 1796. 8pp [pp. 439-446, as issued]. Disbound. Caption-title. Light foxing, uniform light tanning. Very Good. Acts concern proceeds from sale of western lands, establishing Counties, supporting schools, and incorporating Hartford Bank and Norwich Bank. Evans 30262.

Baltimore: Sands & Neilson, 1834. 30, [1], [1 blank] pp. Stitched, untrimmed, and partly uncut. Last two leaves foxed. Else Very Good, with the ink ownership signature of 'Hon. Nathaniel Silsbee,' a Massachusetts Whig who, when this pamphlet was printed, was a United States Senator. A rare pamphlet criticizing McKim, a Baltimore Jacksonian Congressman, for rejecting his constituents' instructions that he oppose Jackson's removal of the federal deposits from the Bank of the United States. McKim refused on the ground that about half the names of the alleged constituents did not appear on the rolls of qualified voters. R.D. Milholland, Matthew Kelly, George Thomae, Aaron Clapp, and Alexan. Kirkland, representatives of each of the five wards in McKim's district, angrily rebut McKim's assertion. They present a 20-page "List of Signers to the instructions to the Hon. Isaac McKim, whose names are found on the poll-books of the first five wards of the city of Baltimore"; a List of Signers to the… Read More

[Washington: Printed at the Congressional Globe Office, 1848. 8pp. Caption title [as issued], loose, untrimmed. Light wear and dust, Good+. McClernand was a contemporary of Lincoln's in Illinois. A Democratic Congressman, he was an ally of another Illinois politician, Stephen A. Douglas. As a Civil War general, a rank he gained largely through political maneuvering, he was considered incompetent and relieved of command in June 1863. Here McClernand addresses the voters of his congressional district after his renomination. He denounces his Whig rivals and describes their "madness of ill-gotten and temporary power," in which they depleted the treasury, enacted "an odious bankruptcy law," and sought to restore "a mammoth national bank." He is a proud supporter of the Mexican War, and endorses the presidential ticket of Cass and Butler. OCLC locates only three copies: at the Library of Congress, the Chicago Historical Museum, and the Lincoln Presidential Library. OCLC 13660731 [3] as of November… Read More

Boston: Eastburn's Press, 1841. Broadside, 13-3/4" x 22". Printed in three columns separated by rules. Signed at the end in type by Thos. Kinnicutt and 39 others [including Edw. Dickinson, father of Emily Dickinson]. Mild spotting, Very Good. This rare Massachusetts broadside endorses the Whig program and its candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, John Davis ["his fame as extended as the borders of the land"] and George Hull ["a specimen of the republican simplicity of the American farmer"]. This was a turbulent year for Whigs: their elected President, William Henry Harrison, had just died; his successor, John Tyler of Virginia, having vetoed several staples of the Whig program, was proving unsound. Whigs reacted with "deep-toned expression of dissatisfaction" and "mortification." But, emphasizing the bright side, the Central Committee is pleased with the abolition of the Sub-Treasury and the enactment of "a uniform system of bankruptcy." Rallying the troops, the authors emphasize the… Read More

[Washington, D.C.: Printed by Rufus H. Darby, Publisher of Greenback-Labor Documents., 1882. 3, [1 blank] pp. Folded to 6" x 9-1/4". Near Fine. The Party sought to unite farmers and other advocates of cheap money with the industrial laboring class, in opposition to the "national bank monopoly," "railroad monopolies," "telegraph monopolies," "land monopolies," and "the concentration of vast fortunes in the hands of a few men, who now exercise dangerous influence over our free institutions and threaten the liberties of the people." Seeking to unite blacks and whites on the basis of their common economic condition, the Party blamed Republicans and Democrats for deliberately stoking the fires of racial hatred by "appeals to sectional and race prejudice, which should not be tolerated any longer among our people." Like similar contemporary efforts to breach the Color Line, this one would fail as well. OCLC 902740866 [3- Williams, U MI, VA Hist. Soc.] as of January 2024.

[Harrisburg], 1838. 7, [1 blank] pp. Folded folio leaf, partly uncut and untrimmed. Light wear, Very Good. Armstrong County is about fifty miles northeast of Pittsburgh. A lawyer and a future governor of Pennsylvania, Johnston explains in this rare pamphlet his opposition to the "untried experiment of the Sub-treasury," which, if enacted, will clothe "the general government with power which will enable it to crush the state sovereignties and state banks." Not in Sabin or American Imprints. OCLC 39220125 [2- U TX, Humber Col.], 191244141 [1- AAS] as of June 2019.

[Springfield, 1841. Caption title, as issued. 16pp. Disbound, very spotted but a complete copy of a rare Illinois imprint. Good. "The text of this address appeared in the Illinois State Register, Springfield, December 24, 1841. It explained the system of apportionment for convention delegates, denounced the Whigs [the "artful, insidious, and dangerous foe"], and contained a tirade against banks, singling out the National Bank in particular" [Byrd]. Four columns of delegates, arranged by county, sign in type at the end. The Address nicely expresses the Party's philosophy. Democrats oppose "excessive legislation, by which the natural rights of man are unnecessarily interfered with, abridged or destroyed-- fostering artificial distinctions in society of rich and poor, the well-born and the rabble, and in giving the former a preponderating influence in the affairs of Government." Byrd 616 [U MO, Hickey]. OCLC 63189008 [AAS, U MO] [as of October 2015].

[Concord, N.H.: Patriot Office, 1838. Folio, 12" x 17". 8pp, untrimmed, partly uncut, folded. Caption title [as issued], printed in three columns. Light tanning, mild wear, Very Good. The last page includes a large illustration of the Screaming Eagle, with a statement of "The Democratic Creed." Very Good. A rare folio Address, supporting Jackson-Van Buren banking policies, and expressing the toleration for slavery that cemented Northern Democrats' alliance with Southern slaveholders. Democrats' denunciation of "aristocracy" reaches new levels of hyperbole: they compare abolitionists, protectionists, and supporters of a National Bank to the early, loathsome Federalists. AI 50044 [1- Nh]. Not in Sabin or online catalogs of Huntington, Newberry Library, Boston Athenaeum, Orbis, Hollis. OCLC 191240299 [2- AAS, NH State Lib.] as of January 2024.

New York: H.R. Robinson, 1838. Oblong lithograph broadside, 11-1/2" x 18-3/4." Lightly foxed, minor blank margin wear. Else Very Good. "The major figures in American national politics in 1838 are gently satirized, each characterized as riding a favorite issue of 'hobbyhorse'." [Reilly]. Van Buren's horse is "Sub-Treasury." He calls it his "old Hickory nag." Henry Clay and Daniel Webster share the "United States Bank" hobbyhorse. Thomas Hart Benton rides the "Specie Currency." A glaring John C. Calhoun is on his "State Rights & Nullification" horse. In full military uniform, William Henry Harrison is on "Anti-Masonic." John Quincy Adams, riding "Ebony," says, "This horse, instead of being my Topaz, is my Ebony." "Each makes remarks on the state of affairs" [Weitenkampf]. Reilly 1838-1. Weitenkampf 53. OCLC 299944539 [2- DLC, Clements], 1136569680 [1- AAS] as of December 2022.

Montgomery, Ala.: Gibson & Whitfield- State Printers, 1865. 30, [2 blanks] pp. Stitched in original printed wrappers. Some pages toned and foxed, Good+. The Comptroller, M.A. Chisholm, notes that, from May 1865, until "the date of the inauguration of the Provisional Government, July 20th, 1865, the operation of this office was suspended." Chisholm recounts the procedures he undertook to assure accuracy during this unique period of transition, and his proposals to deal with the fiscal problems resulting from defeat. Particularly with the extinction of slavery, and hence the elimination of the tax on slaves, "the resources of the State have been so crippled that any plan of taxation must be regarded in a large degree as experimental." Chisholm asserts that, as the result of the emancipation of the slaves, "It is morally certain, that, in consequence of the idleness and crime, to which this portion of our population is, and will be addicted, probably for years to come, the demands of the treasury for… Read More

[Boston, 1838. 12pp. Loosened stitching, lightly worn. A couple of closed tears in inner margin but text intact. Good+. Signed in type at the end, 'L. Child.' Josiah Dunham Jr., a Boston Alderman, was running for re-election. A Committee of the Massachusetts Legislature, of which Child was Chair, issued a Report condemning his conduct as the principal agent, first cashier, and Director of the Lafayette Bank, which was forced to "discontinue its business in consequence of its inability to meet its engagements." Dunham was convicted of perjury. This anti-Dunham pamphlet prints the Report and inquires, "If a man is found dishonest or incapable in private affairs, can it be fairly inferred that he will be otherwise in public affairs? We think not." Indeed, Dunham has "forfeited all confidence for honesty and integrity." AI 48883 [2].

Greenfield, Mass.: Printed by A. Phelps, 1844. 75, [1 blank] pp. Disbound, title page dusted and a closed margin tear [no loss]. Old rubberstamp on blank verso of title page. Text otherwise clean. Good+. Wyman was the Bank president. Daniel Webster represented him. Wells was the prosecutor. AI 44-6526 [4]. Not in Cohen.

Philadelphia: King & Baird, Printers, 1851. Contemporary plain wrappers. 35, [1 blank] pp. Disbound, lightly foxed, wrappers a bit dirty with a closed tear. Good+. Porter, representing the Trustees of the dissolved Pennsylvania Bank of the United States, opposed Henry Clay in the U.S. Supreme Court. Shelby was a Kentucky creditor of the insolvent Bank, which assigned its assets for the payment of its debts under the laws of Pennsylvania. Shelby disputed the Pennsylvania court's settlement of the Bank's claims, and challenged the settlement in federal court. The issue was whether the federal court could take jurisdiction of the case and overturn the State court's judgment. The Supreme Court held that federal courts were expressly granted jurisdiction to hear cases involving diversity of citizenship, that no ruling of a State could divest them of that jurisdiction; and that the State court's jurisdiction could not, in any event, extend beyond that State's boundaries. The case is reported at 51 U.S.… Read More

Geneva: Ira Merrell, Printer, 1839. 101, [1- errata] pp. Disbound, scattered foxing. Good+. Foot "traces the development of banks as private corporations and describes the legislative process involved in their regulation" [Cohen]. His prefatory 'Advertisement' says the case is of "unparalleled importance." The fate of "hundreds of millions" of dollars depended on its outcome. New York's Constitution strictly regulated the legislature's authority to create corporations; opponents of New York's Banking Law argued that the Act violated that constitutional provision. The case was entitled, 'Anson Thomas, President of the Bank of Central New-York vs. Samuel D. Dakin.' Dakin's checks were dishonored for lack of funds. When the Bank sued him, he claimed that the Bank of Central New-York, which was conducting business under New York's banking law, was doing so illegally because that law violated the Constitution. Foot, who argued for the Act's constitutionality, "has given a full history of the origin and… Read More

Boston: Printed by William S. Damrell, 1844. 24pp, Disbound. Light tan, Good+. A rare item, authorship unattributed, examining the boom-bust cycle through which the American economy has just passed, with emphasis on the widespread issuance of paper obligations which have flooded the marketplace. The author insists upon the moral and legal obligation of the States to repay the huge debts that they have incurred-- primarily to European lenders-- for internal improvements. FIRST EDITION. Not in Sabin, Eberstadt, Decker, AI. 23 NUC 0441610 [1].

Boston: Press of T.R. Marvin, 24 Congress St, 1844. 36pp. Original printed blue wrappers, stitched. Light spotting, several institutional stamps and release. Otherwise, Good+ to Very Good. Curtis, distinguished Massachusetts lawyer who was later appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, traces the "extraordinary" growth in State debt during the 1830's. He cites the influences of international trade, expanding American manufactures, consequent demand for more currency, the "war between the government of the United States and the Bank of the United States," and the "wild spirit of adventure" that overcame prudence and caution. Indeed, "prudence was generally considered little better than narrow-minded timidity." In fact, the Nation's exponential growth gave credence to boundless optimism. Sadly, this "unnatural state of things could not long continue." The bubble burst with the Panic of 1837. After dissenting in the Dred Scott Case, Curtis would resign from the Supreme Court. AI 44-1781 [5]. Sabin… Read More

Northampton, Mass.: The Gazette Printing Co, 1877. Original printed and illustrated wrappers [edgeworn, detached, verso of front wrap an advertisement for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency]. 80pp, printed in double columns, stitched. Tanned, Good+. The entire proceedings of the sensational trial, with testimony of witnesses, arguments of counsel, the jury's guilty verdict, and a contemporary newspaper account. FIRST EDITION. II Harv. Law Cat. 1184. Not in Marke.