date

20 Jan y 1817 Necessity Cat
20 Jan y 1817

Necessity Cat

II. Application

§.4. Constitution - present real state

V. Corruptive mode of operating

1

1. His susceptibility. 2. he not being susceptible of any adequate restraint.

Q. < >. V. Well. The view we have taken of the mass of the matter of corruptive influence capable of operating in that character in support of the separate and sinister interests of the Monarch and his adherents is pretty extreme, and can not it should seem be much if any thing short of being adequate. Now, as to the next[?] in which it operates or may be made to operate to /towards/ that end.

A. It operates of itself so powerfully and effectually of itself, that to render it effectual and irresistible and sufficient for this sinister purpose, scarce is there any need of a directing hand.

On this occasion among /of/ the classes of persons on whom it was capable of operating and is in use to operate to this end the first class to be considered if not the only class to be considered are the Members of the Houses and in particular the Members of the House of commons of the House in which the deputies real and pretended of the people have their seats: for in these are the acting powers /is a[?] whole of the self acting power/ of government: and so long as these are bent and moulded to the sinister purpose in question while they are there, it matters not by whom they are placed there.
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    Q. < > At first view, this seems a little novel: but I look to hear it familiarized and justified.

    A. In the first place then let us consider how far in the persons to be operated upon the requisite sort and degree of susceptibility has place: for if the individual is corruption /poison[?]/ proof, all the poison[?] in the world if applied to him will not be productive of any effect. But in the nature of the case although in the class in question there should be here and there an individual who in every state of things is corruption proof though even this might be too much to depend upon yet unless this were the case with the greater number, no power in the […?] of political arrangements would be warranted on the supposition on any such supposition as that this sort of […?] /[…?]/ incorruptibility is to be found any where.
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    Q. 4. Good: well and to begin with the Electors, by what circumstances in the composition of that body is it fitted for being moulded to that sinister purpose.

    A. 1. In that of the whole number of those each of whose interest and happiness composes so large a part of the universal interest as that of any other does and for whose intellectual aptitude with reference to /for/ the exercise of the power in question there is as good security as for that of any other no more than a comparatively small part are actually admitted to the exercise of it: one /the/ consequence of which is, that the whole of the mass in which the mass of the matter of corruptive influence has to operate being rendered so much the less, the ratio of the mass of the matter of corruptive influence to it is the greater, and so therefore the force with which it operates.

    2. That whereas matters might easily be so ordered

    2. That whereas of the Electoral bodies into which the aggregate /whole/ number of Electors in the state were as they might be and ought to be in such a number that while the number of the deputies sent by them was as great as and no greater than the number capable of carrying on the discussion in the same place at the same time, the numbers of the Electors in each Electoral body should be so great as to render the majority of it greater than the greatest number which any sinister interest capable of applying itself to the purpose should find or regard it worth its while to engage in making an improper choice, yet so it is that in many instances and to a great extent these bodies are so small that every sinister influence operates upon them to this effect with irresistible /force and/ advantage and force.
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    1. Pocket Boroughs 2. Close Boroughs. 3. Open or disputable Boroughs. 4 Counties

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    /expressive/ of the means by /manner in/ which they have found entrance into such

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