Robert Treat Paine Papers, Volume 4
In obedience to their direction that the Attory. Genl. shod. reduce to writing his verbal report to them respectivleying his doings on the Allegations of Jas. Sullivan Esqr. against J Temple Esqr., refered to him by the Genl. Court at their last Session.
The sd. Atty. Genl. answers that the above mentioned allegations were referred to him “to be acted upon as to law & Justice appertaineth”: that upon considering these allegations, there appears to be some of them bottomed upon great political questions, & exceedingly extensive beyond Mr. Temples particular case, & therefore not cognizable by or suitable to be submitted to the determination of a Grand Jury:
that had he passed over those questions & Allegations & prosecuted Mr. T——e for the single high crimes & Misdemeanors expressed in the sd. Allegations, it might have been considered as such acknowledgmt. of Mr. T——s citizenship, & such a superceeding of the Allegations & questions respectg. the same, as he thought he had no right to make:
that as to the Question respect of Citizenship respectg. Mr. Temple & many others who may be thought to be in like circumstances, he knows of no law or regulation of tryal provided by this Common Wealth that comes within his department:
that as to the Question of procedure prudence, whether Mr. T—— shall be admitted to a Citizenship, he conceives it to be a political question beyond the extent of his Office: and that for these reasons he has not acted upon the sd. Allegations.