date

1818 Dec. 30 Parl Dialogue
1818 Dec. 30

Parl

Dialogue

Prelim

II. Remedies

Miselection

Election

Females

2

Inserendumae[?]?

Anti-Reformist. As to that laugh, you speak as if /one would think/ you were not

aware of more than one half of what caused it /gave birth to it/ /the cause/ - the

other half was the word consistency. If you knew the world

a little better than you do you might know that in that honourable house there is not

a quality that makes a man more thoroughly ridiculous.

Reformist. Small as is my knowledge in that way it has served me to know that.

In that honourable Assembly, not to speak of one still more thoroughly honourable,

one standard of right and wrong is acknowledged and that is custom. So long as they are used to it, especially if they are used to make

a profit by it, nothing /no practice/ is so /howsoever/ atrocious ever exciting their

disapprobation: if indifferent to their interest they regard it with indifference /it

is matter of indifference to them/, if subservient to their interest or regarded

/supposed/ as being so it is dear to them they support /applaud/ and cling to it

oppression, extortion, depredation homicide so it be upon a large scale, and the

larger the more honourable in their eyes. If it be adverse to that sinister interest

it is then of course odious to them: and it being odious, in proportion as it is

odious odious to them is their endeavour /anxiety/ to prevent it from obtaining

acceptance at the hands of others, and for that purpose, as being /to make sure/ the

most effectual means to render it ridiculous to cause it to be scorned and in token

of scorn laughed at.

Anti-Reformist. A truce! a truce! You are running riot again. You are upon your high

ropes again.
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  • Title: [1818 Dec. 25 Dialogue 41]
    Description: 1818 Dec. 25

    Dialogue

    41

    22

    Reformist continued. These are your three plague sores. {what do you think of them?}

    {is the appellation misapplied} {the appellation does it want any thing of being an

    apt one? In the case of election procedure indeed, so long as the business rests

    there, the appellation /expression/ may be somewhat of the strongest. But, where the

    procedure is of the judicial kind – of that kind which has been made by and ruined[?]

    by fee-fed learned and honourable gentlemen in conjunction with noble and learned

    law-lords for the sake of the profit extracted out of the expence and pocketed in the

    shape of fees or offices sold or given to their children which that justice which is

    thus denied to all but the few is there sold to those few at an excruciating price –

    in this case, if you can find any reason for stating /calling/ the expression too

    strong an one I should be glad to hear it.

    Anti-Reformist. {For peace sake, a truce to personalities} Nay, nay, my friend now

    you are at your personalities – Judicial Establishment, Scotch Reform and so forth.

    Consider – let me beg of you – I am breeding up my second son to the bar, and hope to

    see him a Chief Justice at least before I die /T’other day my wife brought me my

    second son whom I intend to breed to the bar, and to baptize him by the name of

    Colin[?] Littlebore[?], or Hellin-barrow[?] Endless I am not determined which, and

    whom like Lord Bathurst I hope to see Chancellor before I die/. And who would accept

    any of those offices, if they were prevented from selling any of those offices, or if

    the fees of /in/ any of them were lessened, or if there were any bounds to the

    encrease of them. Come come; we are got no further in these collateral evils than the

    sensible ones; let us have your /the/ insensible ones.
  • Title: [1818 Dec. 23 Parl. Reform Bill]
    Description: 1818 Dec. 23

    Parl. Reform Bill

    Dialogue

    II. Election Evils

    26

    7

    Anti-Reformist. Though as was natural enough you have given to your /these same[?]/

    uncharacteristic evils of yours the last place, do in the first place have the

    goodness to tell me what they are /name them/. I wish to know what they are, that I

    may see at once what it is you thus propose to put aside.

    Reformist. They are neither more nor less than Offences offences /evils/ of all

    sorts by which individuals as such are liable to be made sufferers: evils by injuries

    to person, d o by d o to property, d o by d o to reputation. I might add perhaps

    /possibly have added/ evils by injuries to condition in life: but these will so

    rarely come in question, that we may /to save perplexity it may be better to/ lay

    this out of the question, which may be done with very little inconvenience /little if

    any loss/.

    Anti Reformist. A most formidable truce this! Why, have we already all the contents

    of Pandoras box. Pray in mercy, release me /my conception/ by the mention of a few

    particulars.

    Reformist – that I can do in a trice. You know what Election riots are: you know

    what Election lies are. As to riots, if you wish to vary the phrase, call them

    tumults, disturbances, disorders, annoyances fightings […?] breaches of the peace

    nuisances – what you

    Anti Reformist. Alack a day, we all know them but too well.

    Reformist. Well then, there is not a mischief imaginable either to person or

    property that is not liable to be produced by an Election riot: by a riot in any

    case, and therefore in that case. Then /So/ again as to reputation there is not that

    mischief to reputation that is not liable to be produced by an Election lie. You know

    M r Hunt[?] /the two Soccas[?]/. You remember the arm he fights

    with /they fight with/ in addition to the arm of flesh. For person and property

    gentlemen have /he has/ the arm of flesh; for reputation, the tongue and the hand

    that holds the pen
  • Title: [1819 Jan. 3 Parl. Reform Bill]
    Description: 1819 Jan. 3

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    Dialogue

    Preliminary View

    Evils & Remedies

    Remedies

    Miselection

    Electors

    17

    12

    Reformist. Well – you have now I must confess placed /planted/ your objection at

    once upon the plainest and broadest ground. But the more narrowly /closely/ you

    examine into it, the more thoroughly, if I am not over sanguine, you will be

    convinced of its being one[?] ante[?]

    Anti-Reformist. Let us see.

    Reformist. Very well. But the assertion being yours and that assertion a positive

    /an affirmative/ one, it lies upon you to prove it: not upon me to prove the

    negative.

    Anti-Reformist. It seems to me that I have sufficiently proved it already. It is of

    every man the wish /desire/ to possess himself of the good things of this world and

    in particular of property in the largest quantity possible. This you yourself

    acknowledge. Of every man and therefore of the majority: and by the supposition they

    have the power: be the effect in question what it may where the desire and power to

    produce it unite in the same hands, the effect follows of course.

    Reformist. Bravo! Quite logical all this I must confess. Forgive me. I wish I could

    always find you so. Taken singly your words /the words of these propositions of

    yours/ are as clear as they are familiar: but when thus put together and thus

    applied, you will not find them so. Well: since you have thus instructed yourself,

    and since you will have it so, it shall be my endeavour /part/ to force you in your

    entrenchment