Question

read the end of the passage again, paying attention to the underlined sentence.
why do you think the author compared those who opposed the tax to \donkeys\?
he respected their opinion, even though he disagreed with it.
he agreed with their opinion and admired their stubbornness.
he thought they were stubborn, and their argument was silly.
to save american credit from destruction, it was at least necessary that the interest on the public debt should be paid. for this purpose congress in 1781 asked permission to levy a five per cent. duty on imports. the modest request was the signal for a year of angry discussion. donkeys fond of reasoning from analogy asked, if taxes could thus be□levied by any power outside the state, why had we ever opposed the stamp act or the tea duties?

Explanation:

The author uses "donkeys" as a critical metaphor. Donkeys are stereotypically seen as stubborn, and the context frames the opposition's analogy-based argument as flawed: linking the 1781 import tax to the hated Stamp/Tea Acts ignores the urgent need to pay public debt to save American credit. This framing shows the author views the opponents as stubborn and their argument as silly.

Answer:

He thought they were stubborn, and their argument was silly.