date

1818 Dece r 23 Parl. Reform Bill
1818 Dece r 23

Parl. Reform Bill

Dialogue

Preliminary View

II Election Evils

1 Evils

28

9

Anti-Reformist. So much for your uncharacteristic Election evils: Now for your

characteristic ones.

Reformist. A little patience, and you shall have names as familiar to you as {any

of} those others. But first you must allow me a division or two, or if you please a

distinction or two.

Anti-Reformist. To be sure I must /Oh yes, any thing you please/. But then you on

your part you must allow me to yawn if I cant help it, or to take my hat up and walk

off.

Reformist. {Both are always in your power.} /I see you have a mind /an inclin/ to be

in the fashion. You have been lately I suspect/ There is a great red house, in which

if you attempt to distinguish any one thing from any other, or to make any use of the

numeration table, every body leaves /runs out of/ the room that instant But to

proceed. You admitt /There is nothing very alarming to you/ the distinction between

the public and individuals.

Anti-Reformist. Not much: although individuals, if I am not mistaken are the matter

/stuff/ of which the public was made.

Reformist. Well then, if it should turn out that by such and such individual, would

be made to suffer, be it more or less, such sufferance you will admitt would be

sufficient to constitute an evil – an Election evil – although it should not appear

that by the cause in question evil in any other shape would attach upon the public at

large

Anti-Reformist. To be sure I will /No objection do I see/.

{Reformist. Evils hurtful to the public only, evils hurtful to individuals only,

evils hurtful to the public and to individuals together – /in/ this division you see

is /I have/ an exhaustive one.}

{Anti-Reformist. Oh yes: much good may it do you with it:}
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    Description: 1818 Dec. 22

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    Anti-Reformist. Come then, set to work your exhaustion-pump: give us /produce/ your

    divisions: if they suit my taste /I like them/ they please me/ I will call them

    logical ones: if they do not suit my taste /I dont like them/ /they displease me/ I

    will call them metaphysical. Let us both be at liberty you produce what you please: I

    give what name to it I please.

    Reformist. Agreed: First then, these Election evils I divide them into

    characteristic and uncharacteristic or not characteristic.

    Anti-Reformist. What do you here mean by characteristic?

    Reformist. I mean such evils as have are not only liable to have place on the

    occasion of the sort /mode/ of Election in question, but could not have place without

    it.

    Anti-Reformist. Then by your uncharacteristic evils you mean such evils as are

    liable to have place on the occasion in question, but are moreover liable to have

    place on other occasions. {Well, your characteristic Election evils what are they.}

    {Reformist. Before I tell you what they are I must divide them in the first place

    into hurtful | | the mischief of which falls upon men in their public capacity alone,

    such the /injurious to the public alone, evils hurtful to individuals only and evils

    hurtful to the public and to individuals, both at the same time/. }

    Reformist. Exactly so. It is a real satisfaction /comfort/ to me, to see you thus

    beforehand /going before/ with me.
  • Title: [1818 Dece r 24 Parl. Reform Bill.]
    Description: 1818 Dece r 24

    Parl. Reform Bill.

    Dialogue

    Preliminary View

    Evils & Remedies

    1 Evils

    1

    35

    16

    Inserendum

    {Anti-Reformist. Proceed.

    Reformist. I obey. Among Election evils such as are characteristic or say

    appropriate I divide in the first place /at once/ into 1. Mis-Election. 2.

    Non-Election. 3. Null Election.}

    Anti-Reformist. Good: now I find myself at home {already}. Not that I remember to

    have ever heard of any such Miss /Mis/ as Mis-Election. But I have heard and but too

    much of other misses of the bad sort, such as Misconduct, and so forth /the rest of

    them/: so that I believe I must allow you this one. But this division of yours how do

    you prove that it is an exhaustive one? I thought that for proving a division to be

    such, you had found it necessary never to divide the whole into more than two parts

    at the same time? +

    Reformist. Your /This/ recollection of yours does me honour /honours me/. My wish

    was to have saved you trouble. When and where an Election takes place, either you

    have an Election or you have none. If you have one either it is the right one or it

    is a wrong one. To be /If it is/ the right one, that individual is the person elected

    /put /placed/ into the seat/ who of all individuals that could have been placed in it

    is the fittest. If so /yes/, there is no evil in the case: if not, here there is an

    evil, comparative /comparatively/ at least if not absolutely such. comparatively at

    least: absolutely if when in the House he either does nothing or does more mischief

    than he does good: comparatively, if there be any other obtainable person that could

    have done better.

    + Chrestomathia Part II
  • Title: [1818 Dec r. 30 Parl Reform Bill]
    Description: 1818 Dec r. 30

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    Anti-Reformist. As you please. Come then, card in hand, I proceed to call over once

    more your evils, and under the head /on the occasion/ of each evil to call for such

    general conception as in your judgment may for the present be sufficient of the

    nature of the remedy or remedies which your scheme provides for it.

    1. First then as to your Principal Election Evils: and amongst them those which

    apply more directly to the situation of representative: to wit 1. Miselection. 2.

    Non-Election and 3. Null Election: and in the first place Miselection: for that of

    itself will, I expect find you work enough.

    [marginal note:] 31 Dec r 1818. Postpone or discard what follows?

    Reformist. Indeed it will. But /Mean time/ in the first place before I present to

    you /bring to view/ any specific /particular/ remedy I must beg to remind you of my

    three leading words – my cabalistic words you may call them if you please universality, equality, annuality: virtual universality of suffrage, virtual

    equality of influence on the part of each such suffrage, and annuality of election,

    i.e. annual recurrence of the faculty of substituting to a less approved a more

    approved representative.

    In the next place {you must allow me to include} under the head of Miselection, you

    must allow me to include the election of ever so apt /good/ a representative, so long

    as by a different arrangement one still more apt might have been found

    /provided/.