examined. The amount due the Bank is quite too large wholly to abandon; some officer or officers must be charged with the duty of liquidating the debts. The Treasurer, from the nature of his duties, cannot give them the attention necessary to insure their collection; the inevitable consequence will be to employ new agents to aid him in the performance of his duty, or otherwise the assets will remain in the vaults of the Treasury to swell the amount of unavailable assets annually reported by that officer. Many inconveniences would result from the employment of new officers to aid the Treasurer, that would, in my judgment, greatly over-balance the difference in amount between the salaries now paid the Director and Cashier and the price which would be expended in clerk's hire for this object; moreover the fund of information in the possession of the officers of the Bank in regard to the solvency or insolvency of debtors, would be lost by a transfer to the Treasury, which is doubtless important in adjusting the terms of the compromise inmany instances of doubtful debts. For these reasons it is believed not to be the interest of the Bank that any change should take place for the present; but I entertain the hope that the period will arrive in the course of the next or succeeding year when it may be done with safety to the interest of the institution.
The Speaker also laid before the House the report of the Directorof the Central Banker [and] the Darien Bank, which was referred to the Committee on Banks without being read, and
On motion of Mr. Phillips, one hundred and fifty copies of each of said reports were ordered to be printed for the use of the House.
The House took up the unfinished business on the subject of referring the election of Judges to the-people.
Whereupon the resolution offered by Mr. Gartrell as a substitute was taken up as follows, to wit:
Be it resolved by the Senate, and House of Representatives of this State in General Assembly convened, That at the next general election for Governor and Members of the Legislature, the people of this State be requested to express their wishes as to the manner in which said Judges shall thereafter be elected, by endorsing on their tickets, "By the Legislature," or " By the People."
Mr. Shackelford offered to amend the resolution by adding "And also that they endorse upon their tickets either "majority" or "plurality," also "alternate" or "stationary;" which was read and rejected by the House.
Mr Welborne also offered the following as an amendment, to wit:
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