ppointed by the vote. The
meeting finally broke up in great confusion. The adjourned meeting was
attended by only the opponents of the treaty; and Brockholst Livingston,
chairman of the committee of fifteen, reported twenty-eight condemnatory
resolutions, which were adopted by unanimous vote.

"These resolutions," says Hildreth, "while expressing great confidence
in the president's wisdom, patriotism, and independence, were equally
confident that his 'own good sense' must induce him to reject the
treaty, as 'invading the constitution and legislative authority of the
country; as abandoning important and well-founded claims against the
British government; as imposing unjust and impolitic restraints on
commerce; as injurious to agriculture; as conceding, without an
equivalent, important advantages to Great Britain; as hostile and
ungrateful to France; as committing our peace with that great republic;
as unequal toward America in every respect; as hazarding her internal
peace and prosperity; and as derogatory from her sovereignty and
independence."[81]

On the very next day (July 22), the New York Chamber of Commerce,
representing the commercial interests of that city, adopted resolutions
diametrically opposed to those offered by Livingston. These set forth
that the treaty contained as many features of reciprocity as, under the
circumstances, might be expected; that the arrangements respecting
British debts were honest and expedient; and that the agreement
concerning the surrender of the western posts and for compensation for
spoliations, and their prevention in future, were wise and beneficial.
If the treaty had been rejected, they said, war with all its attendant
calamities would have ensued, and they were satisfied with what had been
done.

On the twenty-fourth of July a similar meeting was held in Philadelphia.
Among the leaders who denounced the treaty by speech and acts were
Chief-Justice M'Kean, Alexander J. Dallas (the secretary of the
commonwealth), General Muhlenburg (late speaker of the house of
representatives), and John Swanwick (representative elect in Congress).
A committee of fifteen was appointed by the meeting to convey the
sentiments of the assemblage to the president, who was then at Mount
Vernon, in the form of a memorial. That instrument was read twice and
agreed to without debate. The treaty was then thrown to the
populace--consisting chiefly, as Wolcott said in a letter to the
president, of "the