14484. Tradesmen's Bank (New York, NY)

Bank Information

Episode Type
Suspension → Reopening
Bank Type
state
Start Date
May 10, 1837
Location
New York, New York (40.714, -74.006)

Metadata

Model
gpt-5-mini
Short Digest
a9be6b7af957d2f5

Response Measures

None

Description

Articles (Sept–Oct 1837) list Tradesmen's Bank among banks resuming/specie-paying after the May 1837 suspension caused by the broader panic. No article describes a depositor run on this specific bank; evidence indicates it had suspended with other banks in May and had resumed/specie payments by late September/October 1837.

Events (3)

1. May 10, 1837 Suspension
Cause
Macro News
Cause Details
General suspension of specie payments during the Panic of 1837 (systemic financial panic affecting many banks).
Newspaper Excerpt
Since the suspension of specie payments by the banks on the 10th of May last
Source
newspapers
2. September 22, 1837 Reopening
Newspaper Excerpt
the notes of the following banks in this city...Tradesmen's Bank...will be received as equivalent to specie; and also silver will be given for them in change ... New York, Sept. 22, 1837.
Source
newspapers
3. October 16, 1837 Other
Newspaper Excerpt
Two or three of these banks, the Tradesmens of N.York, and the Canal in Albany, pay all their issues of $5 and upwards. SPECIE PAYING BANKS IN NEW YORK.
Source
newspapers

Newspaper Articles (3)

Article from Morning Herald, September 22, 1837

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Article Text

MORNING HERALD. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1837. The Beginning-Resumption of Specie Payments-Separation of the Sheep from the Goats. To THE PUBLIC.-I hereby give notice that from this day henceforth, the notes of the following banks in this city (with the reasons annexed to them) will be received as equivalent to specie, and also silver will be given for them in change for advertisements, subscriptions and other payments made at this office. NAMES OF THE BANKS. REASONS FOR RECEIVING THEIR NOTES Specie. Circulation. Bank of America, 656,596 440,769 82,564 65,713 Leather Manufacturers' Bank, Seventh Ward Bank 76,390 77,592 Tradesmen's Bank, 28,932 32,993 Thus do I show Mr. Van Buren and his chef de euisine, Amos Kendall, the right path to popularity. Will they not fellow ? JAMES GORDON BENNETT. New York, Sept. 22, 1837. In making this announcement to the publie, it may be expected that I should assign further reasons for taking such a step. I will do so. It becomes the duty of every good citizen and upright man, to aid, in seasons of calamity, the general effort made towards an improvement and restoration in trade and commerce. On many occasions I have honestly and fearlessly laid bare to the public view, what I deemed to be a wide departure from the scienificeprinciplesof: and currency, in the conduct of our banks. I pursued this course through every species of threats-in the midst of inducements to the contrary,-and in opposition to all sinister attempts upon what I believed to be the duty of an intelligent and fearless editor towards an honest, cheated, butenlightened public. When the banks expanded their eirculation last year, in the midst of an inflation of prices, I denounced their policy, their ignorance, their cupidity, and predicted the consequences we have all seen. When the thick-headed and stupid bank commissioners, who seemed to me always like three asses all in a row, were certifying rottenn and giving character to bankruptey, I told the public not to believe these charlatans, and they did not believe them. Thus far thus well. But after the severe revalsion which we have seen, the last throes being yet felt, the banks have at last come to their senses-they have looked into the principles of their peculiar business, and many of them have wisely retraced their steps, and come back, like the prodigal son, to the paths of honesty and correctness. Let us do them justice. We know the fact-personally and beyond the reach of cavil-that the measure of suspension was forced, and urged, and threatened upon them, by speculators in lots, lands, and other articles of cupidity, aided and assisted by corrupt and unprincipled peliticians of this and another city, for the purpose of making the government and the people succumb to the authority of certain bankers and their confederates. It is our deliberate opinion that this self-inflicted calamity was produced by the intrigues of Nicholas Biddle, Esq., of Philadelphia, aided and assisted by his corrupt instruments in this city, the Courier & Enquirer, the Star, with others, in order to destroy the commercial character of New York-extort a new charter from Congress, and make the insolent institution in Philadelphia, the centre of the money market of this Union, instead of New York. Had we aided or assisted in approving such a policy as Mr. James G. King, of the house of Prime & Co., and other Wall street financiers, did, on the day after the suspension, in a public meeting in the Exchange, we should have considered ourself recreant to national honor, to moral principle, to commercial integrity, to correct financial science, and to the interests of New York and the whole country. Instead of pursuing that atrocious policy, only capable of being adopted by ignorance, and hailed by reckless presumption, we insisted upon the banks gradually but rapidly recovering their former strength, and putting themselves in a position to resume specie payments at an early day. On this question a great difference of opinion has existed-but fortunately for correct financial science, nearly one half of our institutions have adopted the right policy, and rejected e advice, and despised the threats of the intriguers and agitators with equal contempt. The banks which we named in the foregoing notice, are at this moment in a condition to resume specie payments. They have duly published monthly statements since May last, and on their statements we, so far as our individual operations extend, have came to the resolution to receive these bills equivalent to specie, and to give that confidence to their paper which their proper management deserves. We find, also, that the following banks, by the policy they pursue, will probably be ready on the 1st of October, to be placed on the same list


Article from The Madisonian, September 28, 1837

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Article Text

SPECIE-PAYING BANKS.-The following list of banks that were paying specie at the last advices, has been compiled by a friend from the recent statement made in various newspapers. It holds out great encouragement to others to go on and do likewise, now the panic is so much over. People's Bank, at Bangor, Maine ; Waldo Bank, at Belfast, do.; Belfast Bank, do. do.; Mequinticook Bank, at Camden, do.; Lime Rock Bank, at Thomaston, do.; Connecticut River Bank, at Roxbury, Massachusetts Yarmouth Bank, at Barnstable, do.; City Bank of New Haven, Conn; Brooklyn Bank, at Brooklyn, New York ; Bank of Rome, at Rome, do.; Patterson Bank, at Patterson, New Jersey ; Franklin Bank, at Washington, Penn.; Northwestern Bank of Virginia, at Wheeling, Va.; Insurance Bank, at Columbus, Ga.; Bank of Columbus, do. do.; Commercial Bank of Macon, do.; Central Bank, at Milledgeville, do.; Citizen's Bank, at New Orleans, La.; Consolidated Association Bank, do. do.; Louisville Savings Institution, at Louisville, Ky.; Shawneetown Bank, at Shawneetown, Illinois; Dayton Bank, at Dayton, Ohio ; Dank of Marietta, at Marietta, do.; Bank of Xenia, at Xenia, do.; Ohio Trust Company, at Cincinnati, do.; Pontiac Bank, at Pontiac, Michigan.-Globe To which may be added, the Tradesmen's Bank, at New York ; the Canal lank, at New Orleans ; and the Bank of Wasington, in this City.


Article from Morning Herald, October 17, 1837

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Article Text

e e e e not e e MONE Y M A R K E T. Monday, Oct. 16, 6 P. M. The news of the defeat of the Sub-Treasury scheme of finance, has created a great sensation in Wall street. It is considered a great and overwhelming victory by omeparty-apiece of humbug by the other. For our own part, we cannot see that its defeat amounts, practically, to a pin's value to either party. Since the suspension of specie payments by the banks en the 10th of May last, the Sub-Treasury system has been in operation. Who have been the depositories of the beggarly funds of the government since that period? The present officers of the customs, postmasters, and disbursing agents. A sort of an irregular or loafer Sub-Treasury scheme has been the law of the land for the period of time we have specified. By the existing laws, the President has almost the entire control of the revenue, and is empowered to withhold it from the banks till they resume cash payments. By the same law, the government is forbid to receive any money in payment of public dues, ,exceptspecie, or the notes of specie paying banks. The Sub Treasury scheme was merely the distinctand separate recognition of the practice which has beeni existence for six months, and which, until the banks resume specie payments, will be continued unconditionally. The noise made about the victory obtained in the House, sinks therefore to the merest twaddle that ever a set of loafers at the Five Points could rejoice about. If the opposition had defeated the Treasury Note Bill-defeated the fourth Instalment Postponement Bill-and after these defeats. if they had brought forward their OWN measures of relief, and carried them too, then indeed they might have claimed a victory, worth talking about. But in the face of losing every practical, tangible, distinct point of any importance mooted by the administration, to talk of triumph and victory, is to indicate boyish weakness, unworthy the name of common sense. In the midst of this state of feeling, stocks rather took a start, arising, however,more from the complexion of affairs,generally, than from the distinct action of Congress. Yet there is more political than commercial activity in the street. For six or seven years,from the time the late President began his "tinkering the currency," the commercial affairs of thiscountry have been in a constant agitation. We have lived through a panic of six years. Any other country, but the patient and long suffering Yankees, would have generated and carried through an organic revolution long since. At this moment, the elements of panic and political agitation are commencing a new conflict with the elements of prosperity and returning confidence. All the bankrupts, spendthrifts, speculators, visionaries, shinplasterers, are combining together to prevent the measures of Congress from producing that salutary effect which they might do by giving them a fair and candid trial. Several of the banks, struck by "the compunctious visitings of conscience," have shown a disposition to return to hepaths of honesty and specie payments. In this city and Albany, six banks now redeem their five dollar notes, and two all their issues. The following is the list, with their condition, at the last returns on the 1st of September:SPECIE PAYING BANKS IN NEW YORK. Loans. Cir. Specie Depes. Bank of America. 440,769 4,108,750 656 596 1,489,321 737,852 28,932 Tradesmens' bank, 32,993 331,582 851,860 98,735 Lafayette bank, 42,818 126,296 Phoenix bank, 226,889 149,927 2,163,545 768,464 736,905 76,390 Seventh Ward bank, 77,592. 244,435 Manhattan bank, Jan. 1, 5,451,890 568,417 601,427 1,546,344 SPECIE PAYING BANKS IN ALBANY. 986,241 435,747 70,373 Farmers' & Mechanics, 148,280 Canal bank 601,700 59,550 3,085 81,819 Two or three of these banks, the Tradesmens of N.York, and the Canal in Albany, pay all their issues of $5 and upwards.These and other banks, united with the action of the government, and the harmonious feeling of the solvent portion of the community, might be able to begin a movement calculated to lead to general confidence in our solvent banking system, and the ultimate recovery of all our former prosperity. In addition, we have the pleasure of stating the following as the condition of the UNITED STATES BANK for the month of September :New notes in circul'n. Old Circulation. Specie. $6,175,861 $601,40S. $3,016,230 It will be recollected that the old circulation of the bank is not redeemable on demand, the new circulation is so. This being the case, the United States bank may be considered as baving resumed specie payments, and we learn that this institution will accordingly pay in specie from this week forward. For further particulars we refer to our valuable correspondent's letter in another column. One of the most effectual instruments of the movement, might be the new issue of Treasury notes, but from what we hear, we fear that Secretary Woodbury will not take the advice of sound practical men, preferring the opinion of his ignorant kitchen advisers at Washington. The object of the government in these issues is o-fold. First to pay the public creditor what is due him, and secondly, to furnish a currency that will pass as such at par for a year. For this purpose it is said that the Treasury will first issue abent $1,600,000 at 2 per cent interest, and if it should be found that they fall below par, then to raise the interest on future issues. An issue at 2 per cent interest, will inevitably depress them to 95 or 96 at least. The objection that these notes are not redeemable in Lowdon, fall to the ground, not only for the reason that we gave yesterday in connection with the cotton trade, but for another and a stronger reason connected with emigration. If a large amount of these notes reach Europe, they will be bought up by emigram: coming to the United States. Receivable s they will be for all debts due the government. they will form bet. ter mode for emigrants of transferring values from Europe to America, than specie, bank of England notes, or commercial bills of exchange. Again, of their receivability at the custom house, a point which has been disputed. No orders have yet been received there, directing the public officers to take them in pay of duties before the day of redemption. At this mement there are $7,000,000 value in foreign goods in the public stores, waiting the action of the new compromising bill. As soon the department determine what course to pursue on the treasury notes, a decided action wil: take place in commercial affairs. At present we are loafers. Sales a the Stock Exchance