He was disgusted with the ostentatious display of wealth, the result not of industry but of speculation, and not in the hands of the most deserving members of the community.

Later he became more reconciled to the tone of Pennsylvania society, comparing it with that of New York; he was especially pleased with its democratic spirit, and the absence of _family influence_.

"In Pennsylvania," he says, "not only we have neither Livingstons, nor Rensselaers, but from the suburbs of Philadelphia to the banks of the Ohio I do not know a single family that has any extensive influence.

An equal distribution of property has rendered every individual independent, and there is amongst us true and real equality.

In a word, as I am lazy, I like a country where living is cheap; and as I am poor, I like a country where no person is very rich." Hamilton's excise bill was a bone of contention in the national and state legislatures throughout the winter.