date

1818 Sept. 26 Parl Reform Bill
1818 Sept. 26

Parl Reform Bill

VI

Reasons 3 o

'.2 Electors Who

13

24. The following are The sets of hands which with reference to that prescribed by the principle of virtually universal suffrage may be considered as a rival hands, claiming the each of them the exclusive possession of the faculty of electing the Members of the Commons House endowed with those powers with which at present it is endowed are these /the following/. 1. The hands of a Monarch. 2. The hands of an aristocratical body corporate consisting at all times of a determinate set of members such for example as the House of Lords: 3 the hands of the proprietors of seats {temporary and permanent proprietors included} whether Members or not Members of the House of Lords temporary and permanent proprietors {included}, and whether become so /such/ by gift /inheritance/ or purchase included. After addition made of the few instances in which seats are filled by a nomination made directly by the Crown, to wit by the Monarch or his Ministers, this may be stated as the set of hands in which the faculty of filling the seats in question is at present lodged. 4. persons possessed of property in this or that shape to a certain amount, and in that respect considered /spoken of/ as possessing a primary qualification. 5. Householders: persons having at the time of voting, been for a certain term in possession /the occupation/ of a dwelling called for this purpose a House.

Of these two last sets the comparative incompetency will be shewn further on under these two /two correspondent/ heads.

25 Active talent being in this case needless and thence out of the question, it the following consideration may suffice to shew, that in respect of appropriate probity and appropriate intellectual aptitude taken together, and thence in respect of aggregate appropriate aptitude in comparison of and in preference to the set of Electors prescribed by the principle of virtually universal suffrage, of no one of the three firstmentioned set of Electors can the claims be respectively supported.
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    15 On the occasion here in question, in the situation of Elector in the consideration of appropriate aptitude the question being in what hands the power in question shall be lodged must be included - not only absolute aptitude, that is to say aptitude with reference to {the accomplishment of} the above {great and universal} end, but moreover comparative aptitude, aptitude with relation /reference/ to any and every other set of hands in which the power in question might by possibility be lodged: in one word any rival set of hands.

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  • Title: [1818 Sept. 26 Parl. Reform Bill]
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    Suppose for the whole kingdom two different sets of proposed Electors: the one {the more numerous} {such to [...?]} /that {for example,} which would be the result of the principle of universal suffrage, the other a set less numerous. {Compared with the more numerous} the less numerous set would as such be inferior in point of appropriate probity. But, though less numerous, it might to such a degree be numerous, and at the same time in such a degree superior in point of appropriate intellectual aptitude that by no sacrifice which the Representatives chosen by it would make of the universal interest would so much evil be produced, or by that deficiency in point of appropriate intellectual aptitude and active talent taken together which would have place in a body of Representatives chosen by Electors voting on /taken on/ the principle of virtually universal suffrage.

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