date

1819 May 15 I. Disfranchising – II
1819 May 15

I. Disfranchising – II Boroughmongers’ Apology.

Disfranchisement

§.2[?] […?] disfranchised

6

2. In the next place, in the public mind a sort of antipathy is in the habit of pointing itself against every thing to which in the case of a public trust any such term as venality can be applied. You are a slave: you set yourself up to be sold in that quali /to serve in that character./ But at the command of his master a slave finds /may find/ himself under the obligation of making himself an instrument to the commission of all manner of crimes, be they ever so atrocious and mischievous. He who without is[?] consent is in this abject condition is an object of well-grounded contempt and commiseration: he who with and by his own consent is so[?] is an object of well grounded contempt and abhorrence.

Such are the ideas which in experience have become generally associated with the words venality and sale thus applied to a public trust.

But in the instance of the public trust in question it has been seen how inapplicable they are. The mischief of any would in respect of duration and frequency be confined to the time occupied in the giving of a single vote: from a vote thus given /the practice of giving votes in that mode/ it has been shewn that no real sensible /perceptible/ mischief ensues: and if there were any it there ends: as to all other purposes the conduct and character of the sort of person in question is as free from the /as that of any/ imputation of mischievousness in any shape
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    As to the diminution of the quantity of matter applicable /operating/ in the hands in question to the purpose of sinister and corruptive influence, this is an effect that may be produced in both or either of two ways. 1. in /by/ diminishing the whol quantity of the matter in question: 2. by vesting in other hands the disposal of a greater or less portion of it.
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    Well then in so far as the number of the seats in question extended, the House of Commons would be converted into another House of Lords. The Aristocracy would so far be enlarged and strengthened: the Democracy excluded /diminished/ and weakened.

    In a word the term supposes that the mischief consists principally if not exclusively in this, viz the facility and frequency with which the faculty of filling those seats changes hands. But it has been shewn already that by this facility so far from being encreased, what mischief there is in the abundance /existence/ of those unfree and spurious votes is lessened.
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    Thus then[?] it appears to me that the exclusive use of this term in the case in question has been shewn to be deceptitious This being supposed it remains to be shewn to what causes its prevention is /ought/ to be ascribed

    1. In the first place neither is the mischievous effect nor the existence of the fact in those individual cases in which the mischievous estates of things respectively take place so conspicuous in the case of terrorism as in that of bribery: not to speak of those other modes of operations to the same end by receipt or hope of good which do not in the ordinary acceptation of the word come under the head of bribery