date

1820 Oct. 12 liberticide measures 12 §. 2
1820 Oct. 12 liberticide measures 12 §. 2. I. Press violation Reasons against

libel laws

As whether in this advantageous /distinguished/ situation or not, any act

tending to the prejudice of his /a man’s/ reputation in any point will naturally

be apt to call forth his displeasure, so in the case of a man /on the part of a

man/ by whom any such advantageous situation is occupied a natural object of his

endeavours will be – to prevent and so far as that is not possible /endeavour

fails/ to avenge every injury or supposed injury done or endeavoured to be done

to him in that provoking /galling/ shape: and where power has not been wanting

the death of the offender has very commonly been regarded as a means not too

expensive to be employed in the prosecution of this end.

The more consummate the inaptitude, and thence in case of criminality, the more

intense and extensive the evil of which the /his/ criminal conduct has been

productive, the greater the evil which the functionary has to apprehend from the

disclosure of it, and thence the heavier the punishment with which it will be

his endeavour to visit the offender to visit all persons concerned in the

casting of the imputation the greater in a word the quantity of force /power/ in

all shapes which it will be his interest and endeavour to employ towards the

repression of it: in the case of an imputation not yet cast but apprehended,

self-preservation will in proportion to the magnitude of his guilt be earnest in

applying to this purpose the utmost quantity of force possible: in the case of

an imputation already cast, the care of self preservation will dictate the

employing of this same quantity of force against all such offences /evils/

apprehended in future, to which the desire of vengeance will add its claims in

satisfaction for what is past.
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    3. From the evil, be it what it may, supposing the assistance and support

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    shapes in which the assistance employed is afforded.

    2. The evil that results from this liberty is misrule.

    It is less in the case where the object of the imputation is a public

    functionary than where he is a non-functionary /in the case of an individual at

    large/: it is less and less as the place of the functionary in question is

    higher and higher in the scale of power. Against the imputation whatever be its

    nature The public functionary as such is furnished with means of defence and

    protection over and above all those which the individual at large can have.

    If the imputation be specific as in case of defamation, charging him with

    /alledging the existence of / some specific act /matter of fact/ by which an

    evidence of his inaptitude /deficiency/ in respect of one or other of the three

    branches of appropriate official aptitude as above is demonstrated /indicated/,

    he has, for the finding of /his situation affords him such a probability /in his

    case/ of his finding to an amount adequate in quality and number/ persons able

    and willing to assist him in repelling the imputation /allegation/ over and

    above any that has place in the other case. This probability and the support and

    advantage afforded by it is greater and greater as the place of the functionary

    in question rises /stands/ higher and higher in the scale of power. True it is

    that Having one common interest common to them all let the place of the person

    in question be the lowest in the scale, having a common interest common to them

    all /the whole number/, in all who have or look to have any share in the power,

    will a disposition more or less strenuous to concurr in yielding such support

    and assistance will have place. But the higher the person in question is in the

    scale of power, the greater the facility he will have /more efficient the /his/

    faculty/ of serving or disserving their respective particular interests and

    thus, while the common interest is the same, the /added to this will be a/

    particular interest more and more powerful and efficient the higher the place of

    the party affected by the imputation is in the scale of power: and thus in the

    case of a public functionary the evil from an imputation on his reputation /as

    such to any given effect as such/ is essentially less than in the case of any

    other person: in the one case the evil is less because in that case a man is

    furnished with a remedy against it over and above any which has place in the

    other case.