njurious to general business, he drew
upon Baring Bros. for sums of money to be transferred to the United
States. This was hailed as a public benefaction. But what did Girard do?
He disposed of the money to the Bank of the United States and charged
ten per cent. for the service.

BRIBERY AND INTIMIDATION.

The reestablishment and enlarged sway of this bank were greatly due to
his efforts and influence; he became its largest stockholder and one of
its directors. No business institution in the first three decades of the
nineteenth century exercised such a sinister and overshadowing influence
as this chartered monopoly. The full tale of its indirect bribery of
politicians and newspaper editors, in order to perpetuate its great
privileges and keep a hold upon public opinion, has never been set
forth. But sufficient facts were brought out when, after years of
partizan agitation, Congress was forced to investigate and found that
not a few of its own members for years had been on the payrolls of the
bank.[63]

In order to get its charter renewed from time to time and retain its
extraordinary special privileges, the United States Bank systematically
debauched politics and such of the press as was venal; and when a
critical time came, as it did in 1832-34, when the mass of the people
sided with President Jackson in his aim to overthrow the bank, it
instructed the whole press at its command to raise the cry of "the
fearful consequences of revolution, anarchy and despotism," which
assuredly would ensue if Jackson were reelected. To give one instance of
how for years it had manipulated the press: The "Courier and Enquirer"
was a powerful New York newspaper. Its owners, Webb and Noah, suddenly
deserted Jackson and began to denounce him. The reason was, as revealed
by a Congressional investigation, that they had borrowed $50,000 from
the United States Bank which lost no time in giving them the alternative
of paying up or supporting the bank.[64]

Girard's share in the United States Bank brought him millions of
dollars. With its control of deposits of government funds and by the
provisions of its charter, this bank swayed the whole money marts of the
United States and could manipulate them at will. It could advance or
depress prices as it chose. Many times, Girard with his fellow directors
was severely denounced for the arbitrary power he wielded. But--and let
the fact be noted--the denunciation came largely from the owners of t