University of Virginia Library

3622. HAMILTON (Alexander), Giles resolutions and.—

You have for some time
past seen a number of reports from the Sec

retary of the Treasury on enquiries instituted
by the House of Representatives. When these
were all come in, a number of resolutions were
prepared by Mr. Giles, expressing the truths
resulting from the reports. Mr. Giles and
one or two others were sanguine enough to
believe that the palpableness of the truths rendered
a negative of them impossible, and forced
them on. Others contemplating the character
of the present House, one-third of which is
understood to be made up of bank directors
and stock jobbers who would be voting on
the case of their chief; and another third of
persons blindly devoted to that party, of persons
not comprehending the papers, or persons comprehending
them, but too indulgent to pass a
vote of censure, foresaw that the resolutions
would be negatived by a majority of two to
one. Still they thought that the negative of
palpable truth would be of service, as it would
let the public see how desperate and abandoned
were the hands in which their interests were
placed. The vote turned out to be what was
expected, not more than three or four varying
from what had been conceived of them. The
public will see from this the extent of their
danger, and a full representation at the ensuing
session will doubtless find occasion to
revise the decision, and take measures for ensuring
the authority of the laws over the corrupt
maneuvers of the heads of departments
under the pretext of exercising discretion in
opposition to law.—
To T. M. Randolph. Ford ed., vi, 194.
(Pa., 1793)