If the
discontents were more extensive than he supposed, it might be, that the
desire that he should remain in the government was not general.
My observations to him tended principally to enforce the topics of my
letter. I will not, therefore, repeat them, except where they produced
observations from him. I said, that the two great complaints were, that
the national debt was unnecessarily increased, and that it had furnished
the means of corrupting both branches of the legislature; that he must
know, and every body knew, there was a considerable squadron in both,
whose votes were devoted to the paper and stock-jobbing interest, that
the names of a weighty number were known, and several others suspected
on good grounds. That on examining the votes of these men, they would
be found uniformly for every Treasury measure, and that as most of these
measures had been carried by small majorities, they were carried by
these very votes. That, therefore, it was a cause of just uneasiness,
when we saw a legislature legislating for their own interests, in
opposition to those of the people. He said not a word on the corruption
of the legislature, but took up the other point, defended the
Assumption, and argued that it had not increased the debt, for that all
of it was honest debt. He justified the excise-law, as one of the best
laws which could be passed, as nobody would pay the tax who did not
choose to do it.
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