Washington was probably without any clear views of his own on constitutional questions, and what evidence there is on this point supports Jefferson’s claim that Washington was more disposed to confide in him and in Madison than in Hamilton.  When Jefferson relinquished the State Department, Washington proposed to give Madison the post, but was told he would not think of taking it.  Washington then transferred Randolph to the position because he could not get anybody else of suitable capacity.  Whatever Washington’s personal inclinations may have been, he was in a position in which he had to act.  Hamilton was the only one whom he could find to show him the way, and thus circumstances more and more compelled Washington to accept Hamilton’s guidance, while at the same time it seemed increasingly clear to the opposition that it was above all things necessary to crush Hamilton.  This state of sentiment must be kept in mind in order to make intelligible the rabid violence of the party warfare which had long been going on against Hamilton, and which—­now that Jefferson had left the Cabinet—­was soon to be extended to Washington himself.

When Giles went to the front in this war, both Jefferson and Madison were busy behind the firing line supplying munitions.  Giles was elected in 1790 to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Theodorick Bland, and took his seat in the third session of the First Congress.  The assumption bill had been passed, but that was only the first of the series of financial measures proposed by Hamilton, and Giles followed Madison’s lead in unsuccessful resistance to the excise and to the national bank.  Giles was re-elected to the Second Congress, which opened on October 24, 1791.  In the course of this session he became the leader of the opposition, not by supplanting Madison but through willingness to take responsibilities from which Madison, like Jefferson, shrank, because he, too, preferred activity behind the scenes.  This situation has often occurred in parliamentary history—­a zealous party champion scouting the scruples and restraints that hampered the official leadership, and assuming an independent line of attack with the covert favor and assistance of that leadership.  In the effort to crush Hamilton a series of raids was led by Giles, whose appetite for fighting could never be extinguished no matter how severe might be his defeat.

After much preliminary skirmishing which put heavy tasks on Hamilton in the way of getting up reports and documents, a grand attack was made on January 23, 1793.  A series of resolutions, in drafting which Madison and Jefferson took part, was presented, calling for minute particulars of all loans, names of all persons to whom payments had been made, statements of semi-monthly balances between the Treasury and the Bank, and an account of the sinking fund and of unexpended appropriations,—­all from the beginning of the government until the end of 1792.  The resolution required Hamilton to complete and state