National Gazette

Many have condemned the plan which was adopted on receiving subscriptions, the fourth day of July last, for shares in the Bank of the United States, as they say the payment then required of 25 dollars was too trifling a sum, and therefore furnished the greater field for speculation, by encouraging persons to venture, who were not men of property, and had no intention of becoming stockholders, but merely subscribed for the purpose of selling immediately, without ever thinking of filling up those shares.—The Canal between Susquehanna and Schuylkill afforded a still wider scope for speculation as to the numbers, although not as to value, for there no money was required, and one thousand shares were subscribed for by nearly 5,000 persons—so that a lottery could only decide the business.

The next Canal from Schuylkill to Delaware, it was thought, would not be so eagerly subscribed for, as 10 dollars were not so easily to be pared amongst the middling class of people for speculative uses—but here again we find that this precaution had no effect; as great a crowd appeared to subscribe for the second canal as for the first. And lastly, the present Lancaster road-scheme, where 30 dollars were to be paid down, exceeded all calculation—for although there are only 600 shares, upwards of 2000 persons attended at the state-house on Monday last with 30 dollars in every man's hand—Surely this must be the richest country under the sun—for notwithstanding it may be said that many were hired on that day to pay in these 20 dollars for others, still the money was there on the ground.