date

1819 Apr. 19 To Erskine Lett
1819 Apr. 19

To Erskine

Lett 5 Whig fallacies

5 Matchless Constitution!

No theory!

Tumults of the people to which (says his Lordship) mere Republicks are so liable." Mere Republicks? what Republicks?

No other Republic does his Lordship know of, expect those he used to read of when he was at School: These Republics were liable to tumults, and thence he concludes that so must all other Republics

How much longer will his Lordship and those who chant[?] or at least speak with his Lordship how much longer will they continue ignorant of that which the meanest /most ignorant/ of my fellow citizens to Westminster Electors is so well informed of, to wit that in the only Republics which any man ever wishes to see in any particular copied or imitated, there are no tumults? But among Whigs there exists a covenant - and to this purpose Lordship is a Whig man to look into a Newspaper without shutting their eyes and ears against the passage, wherever a passage comes in which any mention is made of the American United States.

It is since this speech was made, that in[?] the purse[?] of the Prince Regent in the course of what I suppose his Lordship would not refuse to call a tumult, the Monarch was hit by a potatoe: one of those potatoes which according to the discovery made by a willing Magistrate, speak for themselves which, for the affording as some say the better pretence for some of those further encroachments of the Crown of /against attack the steady mind of/ his Lordship has so effectually secured itself, a glass of the coach was broken by somebody that was with it. Now by what potatoes, speaking or not speaking, was any President of the United States ever hit or aimed at? Guarded /protected/ against potatoes, the Monarch has not thereby been always protected against hootings or hissings. By what hootings or hissings has the car of any President of the United States, now for these

forty

forty years that those States have been States been ever assaulted?
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    Oh but (says Your Lordship) Lord Milton has told you expressly and pushin[...?] in what his theory of the Constitution consists, and therefore it is not for you to fish for it /thus to pretend/. What makes him so fond of the Constitution is that it affords so apt a balance of powers, so by which balance it affords a check you are to take for grated an effectual one against the encroachments of the Crown, and on the other hand protects the crown against the [...?] of the people.

    Alas my Lord mere theory /vision/ and nothing else. The principle unintelligible: the facts opposite to those stated in support of it

    1. Counterpoise, effectual none: effectual /adequate/ check to the encroachments of the Crown, none: were it even ever so adequate as to encroachments still that would be as nothing: for it being without any further encroachments, already a virtual despotism.

    2 Against the tumult of the people the Crown i.e. the Monarch not protected. Not protected so effectually as is the Chief Magistrate in the United States

    3 Protected the Crown might be that is to say the Monarch - for I leave it to deceivers to use fiction and figures of speech instead of the proper words - protected the Crown /Monarch/ might be against tumults ever so effectually and the people be never the better for it. The by thousands might by the people the rioting of tumults, and in his Lordship regard as here their case not be worth. [...?]ing so that the individual the one Monarch were thus protected /(personal connections particular relations out of the question)/. For my part, my sympathies being governed altogether by the numeration table, setting aside the abuse and danger on the part of the people, if a certain [...?] producing to the patient a certain quantity of pain or uneasiness were to be given /suffered/ I had rather any one King should be the sufferer by it than any two paupers. I mean of course always setting aside in both cases all consequences in respect of alarm and danger considered as capable of being spread /spreading themselves/ around in the body of the people.
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    3 Matchless Constitution

    No Theory

    Lord Milton

    "I reverence the democracy". Oh yes, the democracy he thus tramples upon, and forces to elect him or be ruined. "I reverence the King". Oh yes, in shew and demonstration, every man to /by/ whom the name and power of King is possessed: to every such man whatsoever be his conduct equal reverence. As his Lordship does so do all other Lordships and all other Honourables /Right Honourables/, and after them the corruptest and silly part of the people, and that it is that makes Kings so selfish and so silly as they are, because be they ever so much so /and govern ever so badly/ they are regarded with equal reverence. And /whereas/ Behold there are differences between them and a President for example of the United States. If during the few[?] years for which he serves uses or is thought to use his power badly or less well than what another would have done in his place he loses his place he is President no longer: and that is the reason why while we have /Europe has/ such mischievous and such idiot Kings America has no mischievous or idiot Presidents. Idiot? no nor any but those who are the very ablest men and [...?] the State affords is at east are amongst the ablest and honestest and in the eyes of the greatest number of those whose affairs they manage are the very ablest.

    His Lordship reverence the King? So much the worse. His Lordship reverence the Democracy? as the rider reverences the jaded beast he rides on. King. Democracy - No: let him look in the glass, [...?] his Lordship may see the man whom his Lordship reverences the Lordship? yes and in many others /[...?]des/ as can not help it.

    Now what is Yorkshire the better for being so represented? Yorkshire a County the population of which equals that of the whole of his Majestys German kingdom. Were I a Yorkshire man, how much rather would I not be represented at all than so represented. I should at any rate escape being so insulted.

    Mistake me not my Lord. By honest speaking of these Presidents I do not mean that if they had the power that Kings have they would not deal by those their fellow Citizens as Kings do by their subjects. But they have no such power: and therefore knowing it would be no purpose, they neither attempt ever to treat their fellow-citizens in any such manner, or so much as think of it