date

1820. Octr 19 Spanish liberticide
1820. Octr 19

Spanish liberticide measures

14

Letter 2. Public Discussion

14

It is upon this principle alone that the /what/ change distinguished in England by the name of the Revolution ever was or ever could or can be justified. It is upon this principle alone that the late change (by whatever name called /call it Revolution or whatever else/) in Spain can be justified. No such past change can therefore be justified but upon that principle of eventual resistance by which all future Revolutions in case of like exigency are justified. It is therefore of the essence of every government that is not despotic, to foresee, and not only tolerate but cherish, a disposition to eventual resistance. For this purpose two instruments are necessary to be kept in activity /operation/ – instruction and excitation: instruction that the people may be in possession of apt and adequate notions relative to the demand and means for /of/ such eventual resistance: excitation that a disposition may be kept on foot, ready at all times upon the intervention of an adequate occasion to be converted into act. Now Of this instruction and this dispostion is the use confined to the opposing to misrule when arrived at an intolerable altitude /screwed up to an intolerable height/ that sweeping remedy which is applied by a Revolutionary change. For the disposition can not be kept alive, without manifesting on the part of the people a force of such a magnitude as to operate as a check to each instance of attempted or meditated misrule, and that to a greater or less degree serve for the prevention of it.
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  • Title: [1820. Octr 19 Spanish liberticide measures]
    Description: 1820. Octr 19 Spanish liberticide measures 15 Letter 2. Public Discussion 15

    To the keeping up this disposition to eventual resistance partly by instruction

    partly by excitation, the unrestrained communication of all ideas belonging to

    the field of government is necessary. It is therefore the characteristic of an

    undespotic government to give not only toleration but favour to such

    unrestrained communication: and this with a view not only to instruction but

    excitation: for without correspondent excitation all the instruction imaginable

    would not be productive of any effect. Instruction applies to the understanding;

    excitation to the will: both must be in a suitable state or no effect can be

    produced.

    In /Of/ popular meetings various sorts or modifications might in this view be

    distinguished: instruction and excitation can not in any case be altogether

    separated: of every such meeting it is the tendency to be in some degree or

    other conducive /contributory/ to both those effects: some however are in a

    greater degree /more particularly/ conducive to the one of these two instruments

    of political security, others to the other.

    A meeting in an open space /and unlimited space such as an unenclosed field/ is

    more particularly conducive /suitable/ to excitation than to instruction: a

    meeting within a limited space such as a room public or private is more

    conducive /suitable/ to instruction than to excitation.

    A meeting open to all /once for all/ without distinction, or even to all who at

    each time pay a small sum for admittance, is more suitable to the purpose of

    excitation than to that of instruction: a meeting held as one of a fixt and

    permanent series of meetings is more suitable to the purpose of instruction than

    excitation. A select meeting or meeting of a Society with which in addition to

    those by whom it was first formed none are admitted but by election is more

    suitable to the purpose of instruction than of excitation: in regard to

    excitation it is more suitable to the purpose of maintaining a constant and

    ordinary degree, than any such extraordinary degree as on extraordinary

    occasions may become necessary to the proposed end.
  • Title: [1820 Octr. 19 Spanish liberticide measures]
    Description: 1820 Octr. 19 Spanish liberticide measures 17 Letter 2. Public Discussion 17

    Mr Goreli makes no distinctions: at one crush he suppresses and for ever all

    free meetings of the people howsoever modified. Mr Goreli acts consistently –

    the government his endeavours are employed to organize and support is a despotic

    one: he will have no eventual faculty of resistance no possibility of resistance

    to misrule be it ever so consummate no relief to misery from misrule be it ever

    so excruciating: he will have no free communication of ideas on political

    subjects he will have no instruction no excitation no concert between man and

    man any where for any such purpose.

    Mr Goreli acts consistently; consistently with his principles in regard to

    government: whether with any that he avows I know not: assuredly with the

    principles he acts upon: assuredly consistently with the attainment of the

    object towards which this measure of his tends, the establishment of despotism:

    principles directly the reverse /the direct reverse/ of those which the

    Constitutional Code has set up, and to the giving effect to which the system of

    representation ordained by it is directed.

    Mr Goreli has not yet proposed a law abolishing the whole system of Election

    meetings. He need not: should this proposed law of his be established and be

    productive of its declaredly intended effect, they will be of no use to the

    people of whom those meetings if held will be composed, and whose interests they

    were intended to support and serve: in those meetings there will be neither

    excitation nor instruction: and to the production of any good effect both are

    necessary: at the meeting itself there will be no time for any thing like

    adequate instruction: indeed by the Constitutional Code itself (Article | |) all

    such use of the time appointed for Election is prohibited: at the time of such

    meeting there can not be any such instruction: and it is Mr Goreli’s care that

    there shall not be any at any other time.
  • Title: [1820. Octr. 19 Spanish liberticide measures]
    Description: 1820. Octr. 19 Spanish liberticide measures 16 Letter 2. Public discussion 16

    Confined to a single spot or to a small number spots in the whole territory of

    the state – confined to a single portion of time – to a single day in the year

    or to a small number of days – confined to days of casually occurrence and not

    capable of being fixt to the purpose of ensuring preparation and attendance such

    meetings would be contributory in no better than but a precarious and inadequate

    degree to the conjunct purpose of instruction and excitation. For the same cause

    /reason that/ this state of preparation for eventual resistance is necessary in

    /on the part of/ any one /place/ portion of the population it is necessary in

    /on the part of/ every other, for the same cause /reason/ that it is necessary

    at any one portion of time it is necessary at every other.

    To the exclusion of despotism a perpetual state of preparation for eventual

    resistance is therefore necessary; and to this perpetual state of preparation

    for eventual resistance not only a state of general appropriate instruction and

    excitation, but a universal and perpetual faculty of concert on the part of the

    people is necessary.

    {In a word To this state of preparation jealousy – perpetual and unrelenting

    jealousy – is necessary: a jealousy by the absence of which one of two things –

    either an absolute ignorance of the nature of man, or a desire that the

    government should be despotic, and the real happiness of the subject many made a

    compleat sacrifice of to the real or imaginary happiness of the ruling few is

    conclusively evidenced.