Send a Quote Enter a brief message. SendOk2 “[It is not the purpose nor right of Congress] to attend to what generosity and humanity require, but to what the Constitution and their duty require.” ~ William Branch Giles (1762-1830) American statesman, US Senator and Congressman from Virginia, 24th Governor of VirginiaSource: 1796, spoken on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives concerning a proposed relief measure for fire victims.