date

[129b-616] 10 March 1817 + D
[129b-616]

10 March 1817 + D

Plan Cat

2 o

Introd

§.9. Freedom of suffrage

II Extent

1

23

23

V. Extent. As to the extent to which in one or other of the /its/ two shapes the /this/ spuriousness has place impossible /scarce possible/ it is /does it seem to be/ for observation, calculation or so much as conjecture to follow it. In the shape of bribery, yes: circumstances may here and there afford a clew. Not so in the shape of terrorism. Principal seats of it the County seats, in general. In general terms thus much may be said. But along with it and in a proportion /quantity/ never exactly distinguishable mixt with it there will be a proportion /quantity/ more or less considerable of free suffrage. That[?] much however may be pretty well understood viz. that to command a County with its two seats – to hold it even in everlasting chance not an atom of free suffrage is necessary. Without an atom of free suffrage terrorism in its two branches, viz. the vote-compelling and the competition-excluding branch is altogether /of itself/ compelled to the production of the effect In the competition-excluding branch it operates of course in the mode most convenient and agreable to the terrorist: since in that mode its operation is not attended with either trouble or expence: of the other the vote compelling branch, the powers are /the power is/ not called on but as a last recourse.

In regard to the two /joint force of/ operating in conjunction by tradition nor is it of old standing – the generation that witnessed the state of things is not all of it passed away, gives its testimony is given to the phaenomenon.

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    But seats which by the power of terrorism are vested in the hands of great landholders may for any length of time continue in the hands of persons who during that whole time been in a state of pecuniary pressure in his instance a lucrative situation may be a matter /an object/ of urgent concupiscence whether to enable him to pay interest or principal of a mortgage lying on his Estate, or to make provision for sons or other dependent relatives, of the male sex, or to buy husbands for daughters or other dependent relatives of the female sex not to speak of other dependants at large whose interest is connected with his by some tie not unless by accident as that which is constituted by genealogical relationship.

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  • Title: [1819 June 19 To Erskine ult]
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    But then this number 204 is it to /can it with truth/ be looked upon as the number of the seats in the instance /case/ of which a reform giving the faculty of filling them to the people at large would not be /have been/ regarded by the existing occupants as an arrangement having /the/ for its probable effect the depriving them of those seats? No: out of the 204 persons so circumstanced perhaps not a third perhaps not a fourth, perhaps not a fifth would in the event of such a charge regarded themselves as not in the way in question prejudiced /made sufferers/ by it. For in this number are included all those which though in the list in question are not spoken of as being filled by influence were not in fact /truth/ no less filled by influence; to wit partly by money employed in trucking[?] and fetching up distant voters, and thence by competition-excluding terrorism, partly by intimidation of voters, and thence by vote-compelling terrorism. In those case was all the County seats but the /17/ very few to wit 17, mentioned in that text: in that all but the 61 borough seats mentioned in M r Oldfields work as being open to competition in respect of the largeness of the numbers of the voters, which numbers he accordingly gives: and among these there are those (Barnstaple for example) which have since been proved to be seats of close boroughs, closed against candidates at large and opened only to purchasing Candidates by the golden key of bribery.

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