date

1818 Dec. 30. Parl Reform Bill
1818 Dec. 30.

Parl Reform Bill

Dialogue

Prelim

Evils & Remedies

Dialogue 3

II. Remedies

Recommendatory Certificate

6

6

Anti-Reformist. Very well then. Open the doors of your House to the /your/ full

width, and I will peer[?] in upon your swinish multitude, till all your principal

Election evils Miselection, Non-Election and Null Election are poured[?] in upon you

in a full tide.

Reformist. Excuse me Not you indeed.

Anti Reformist. How so?

One short paper stops your hands: - my Recommendatory Certificate. No person can be

susceptible /put in/ of receiving votes without a certificate declaring an opinion

/in pursuance/ of his aptitude, and after being eventually willing to serve, signed

by a certain limited number of persons: say half a dozen or a dozen. By these a

deposit in money towards the expence of the Election must be made. Unrespectable men,

in number sufficient to produce confusion would not be found thus to throw away their

money: respectable men would not throw away their reputation by proposing a man known

to be unrespectable.
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    Reformist continued. You will see how simple my Vote making Certificate is. No work

    {whatever} left for the lawyers. /long-robed enemies of mankind./ Call it visionary,

    you may be accordingly quite sure of their joining you in full chorus.

    Anti-Reformist. After all this it appears that your characteristic your appropriate,

    your principal evils – are but evils purely in tendency.

    Reformist. Nothing more.

    Anti-Reformist. But what a subversion of logical order and consistency is this into

    which you have betrayed yourself

    Reformist. I beg your pardon. When in the account of felicity and simplicity, the

    elements of values are considered, that of extent must not be neglected. By a certain

    degree of extent, the utmost[?] […?]lness in the article of magnitude seems to be

    more than compensated. This is the case with the whole class of those offences

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  • Title: [1818 Dec r. 30 Parl Reform Bill]
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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

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    Dialogue {2} /3/. On the remedies provided against the above evils.

    Evil 1 Miselection. Remedies appliing[?] to the situation of Proposed Member

    Anti-Reformist. Well, so much for your disorders for the disorders you have taken

    upon you to encounter. Now, for your remedies.

    Reformist. With pleasure. Having classed our disorders, we have thereby classed our

    remedies. Thus so much of our business is already dispatched /done/. Come I will not

    attempt to tax your memory any further. If it be not too much trouble, take this card

    in your hand this card. In it you will see the list of our Election Evils.

    Anti-Reformist. {Be it so.} I take it: take you my thanks for it. I shall call them

    in their order.

    Reformist. Do so. But first let me observe to you that with your leave on this

    occasion, and in the way of conversation, it will be advisable not to go into any

    minute explanation of particulars. These are given in the proposed draught itself: I

    mean that peculiar part of it which I have distinguished by the term /appellation/ of

    the rationale. In the rationale, attached to the leading word or words of each

    distinguishable claim, are the reasons by the consideration /contemplation/ of which

    the matter of that clause was determined. On this /This/ rationale, I hope you /a[?]/

    will do me the honour to cast an eye /honour by a glance/: this being presumed, were

    I /if/ at this time and in this way I were to attempt laying it before you in all its

    details, you would thus have double trouble.