114 ALEXANDER HAMILTON 



gress. He also advocated extending the powers of 

 the federal government and placing the departments 

 of war and finance in the hands of individuals instead 

 of committees. His views made a great impression 

 upon Robert Morris, who was appointed in 1781 

 superintendent of finance. In December of that year 

 the Bank of North America was established, and 

 Hamilton must share with Robert and Gouverneur 

 Morris the authorship of that scheme. About the 

 time he entered the bar he was appointed continental 

 receiver of taxes for the state of New York. In that 

 capacity he visited the legislature at Poughkeepsie, 

 had an earnest conference with a committee of both 

 houses, and presently the legislature actually passed 

 resolutions calling for a convention of all the states 

 for the purpose of enlarging the powers of Congress, 

 especially with regard to taxation. Nothing ever 

 came of this action, but in view of the subsequent 

 course of New York, it is remarkable that Hamilton's 

 first attempt should have succeeded so well. But 

 there can be little doubt that between 1782 and 1788 

 the politics of New York were somewhat corrupted by 

 her custom-house. In the general confusion she found 

 herself prospering at the expense of her neighbours, 

 and the strength of the Anti-federalist or Clintonian 

 party was naturally increased by that circumstance; 

 it would have been so in any state. 



In October, 1782, the New York legislature chose 

 Hamilton as one of its delegates to Congress. There 

 he first came into familiar contact with Madison, and 

 met James Wilson, with others of less note ; and there 

 he witnessed some months of barren and almost 

 purposeless wrangling which convinced him that 



