JB_172_201.xml

Title: [1821 Feb. 21 Rid Yourselves]

Description: 1821 Feb. 21

Rid Yourselves

'.1. Interests concerned

III. Public Creditors. While to any

individual belonging to the class thus denominated, so much as a maravedo that

remains due - due whether on the score of money or money's worth originally advanced,

due or on the score of intervening interest, remains imposed, if any thing that,

without prejudice to justice as above explained, could be defalcated from the

provision made in all shapes for the two just-mentioned classes, remains unapplied to

the satisfaction of this third class, it seems not easy to say how the giving of any

thing that continues to be given to those can be reconcialiable to justice. What is

more - it seems not altogether easy to see how, even in respect of which has above

been stated as due to those on the score of fixt and authorised expectation any thng

more can be required by /requisite on the score of/ justice than their being admitted

to come in as creditors, and being paid in the same times and proportions. True it is

that, the greatest happiness os the greatest number being the all-comprehensive and

only alternative end - justice itself no more than a means

with relation to that end rather than that end should be contravened, under the

pressure of necessity, if it be a real and absolute necessity, not a mere nominal and

relative necessity, the demands of justice, as on other occasions so on this, may and

might to be, left, as long as the necessity continues, unsatisfied. But to produce

any such extreme pressure, which is requisite? Nothing less than the state of things

thus expressed, namely, if such is the [...?] at the same time such is the

disposition of this - two domineering classes of creditors, that, if they remain

unsatisfied they will, one or both of them excite insurrection: in such sort as to

overthrow the Constitution and thus restore the excruciating tyranny; or at the least

produce more mischief than would have been produced by the continuance of the

injustice. Yet, even in this case, there remains something to be considered on the

other side: and that is whether by the corruption and

delusion which are among the inevitably resulting effects of so vast a mass of wealth

in such hands, the disastrous consequences just mentioned, though not so [...?] are

not the less certain not to say still more certain, than any of the mischiefs likely

to be produced by those same hands in the shape of that civil warfare, of which the

country has already obtained but too much knowledge, from recent perhaps from not yet

terminated experience.

Unhappily, wheresoever remains [...?] in a less matured state of

society has left them stationed, the Monarch, the Monarch with the body of those

dependents, of those who have access to him form a choice of [...?]: another,

naturally ever attached to the former and inferior the Clergy, another: Public

creditors. In Spain and every where else a rope of sand.

In Spain, as elsewhere, the class of Public Creditors being destitue

of power, destitue of all means of defending themselves, all classes, who being

possessed of power regard themselves, all classes, who being possessed of power

regard themselves as exposed to retrenchment, fall of course upon this class, and

join hands in the plunderage of it. It is accordingly at the expence fo this helpless

class, that so long as possible, all retrenchmetn is made.

For the eventual refusal of whatever below or is due by time either

to the Monarch or to the Clergy, reasons, which how far so ever from being

conclusive, are not the less entitled to that /the/ appellations, of reasons are supplied by the nature of the case.

Spaniards in yours as in every other Monarchy, whatsoever labour is

employed in defraying the person expenditure of a Monarch, upon any the smallest

scale, in which that expenditure has place is employed in a manner much worse than

useless. Physical fixes, intimidation, corruption and delusion, are the great

instruments of misrule. Exactly in proportion to the quantity of wealth employed in

defraying the personal expences of the Monarch, is the quantity of corruption, and

the quantity and degree of delusion produced by it: produced by it, even without any

exertion, much more if with and by exertion directed to that end, as it no where

fails to be. If, instead of being thus employed the labour were employed in the

building of pyramids or in casting the stones into the sea, it would be beyond

comparison better employed than it is at present any where.

So in regard to the Clergy. Not only has the wealth enjoyed by this class been in

every country, among the instruments of temporal misrule, in the hands of the

temporal Monarch, or in a spiritual Monarch, or both, but, as above, an instrument of

spiritual mischief, operating in opposition to the great spiritual end for the

accomplishment of which as pretended it has every where by a mixture of fraud[?] and

force, been lodged in such ill-suited hands.

JB_172_202.xml

Title: [1821 Feb. 25 Rid Yourselves]

Description: 1821 Feb. 25

Rid Yourselves

'.1. Interests concerned.

III. Creditors

How different is the cas of whatever is by contract dear to Public

Creditors!

If so it has that service special and indubitable service - rendered

to the public, a man is constituted a public functionary, Public Creditors are in

effect Public functinaries. But, though not commonly so stated, in effect so far as

service and choices[?] upon justice are considered more than circumstanced have

several titles to regard, by which they are not merely placed upon the same level

with, but upon a much higher level than any to which that title has commonly been

bestowed.

1. On an occasion of this sort by the appellation Public Creditors are commonly understood the protectors[?]

of [...?] sold by government. Of the whole mass of the money due by the government of

a country to individuals so large a proportion is every where in this case, that,

saving all due regard to particular exceptions, such if there is /are/ in this case

may be considered as representatives of the whole. See more than the titles of the

regard due to Public Creditors.

There can be no doubt either as to the fact of their having rendered

service to the public, or as to the question of that service.

2. So far as has depended upon them, this service has in every

instance been real and beneficial.

In the case of every other sort of public functionary, what may have

happened int eh instance of any number of individuals is - that in retribution of

that which they have received, they have either rendered no service at all, or in

accordance less in quantity or quality than they ought - or even that instead of

rendering useful service, the power stated in their situations has in a greater or

less proportion been employed in doing positive mischief.

3. The occasion has been rendered by them have always been such, on

which the need of it had place to an extraordinary degree.

4. For the service of those, whatever retribution has been allotted

to them has in every instance been the least for which the service could have been

obtained. In the case of any other sort of public functionaries, the retribution is

capable of being in one unlimited degree excessive.

In opposition to the thus established claims of those never

unfaithful public servants, an observation that has been made, is that the inducement

by which they have been led to because such has been no other there, in the instance

of each: a regard for his own private intersts.

1. If, in the instance of every one of them this time, it would

distinguish his case from that of any other public functionary: not in a word from

any individual, by whom in the ordinary way of [...?], labour, or commodities

produced by labour, are bestowed upon brothers[?] for an equivalent. The observation

how true so ever, is therefore nothing to the purpose.

2. What is more, it has in this case less truth in it than in any of

those other cases.

In this situation of the original leaders[?], there has commonly been

a number more or less considerable in whose instance regard for the universal

interest, at any rate for what in their eyes has been the universal interest, been

constituted, put more or less considerable of the inducement, by which their conduct

as to this matter has been determined: and unless the existence of social affection

having the universal interest for its object be deemed altogether incredible the more

extraordinary the pressure, the greater is the proportion in the aggregate mass of

the inducement has been constituted by this part.

JB_111_081.xml

Title: [1818 Aug. 26. Things as they are]

Description: 1818 Aug. 26.

Things as they are

§.5. Matter of Corruption

7

No folly to receive the Bill: folly to honour it.

7. Factitious Dignity. In the manufacture of this commodity as /a more/ curious an instance /may be seen/ of the union of human folly on the one part with human knavery on the other as is to be seen any where /will scarcely any where be to be found/. It is a manufacture the monopoly of which is in the hands of the Monarch for the purposes of the Monarch will the produce be therefore of course be bestowed, and though not an altogether unexampled one the case in which it is given /bestowed/ for any other purpose than that of corruption will always be a rare one. The pretence on which it is carried on is that of bestowing the produce of it in the character of a reward for the encouragement of merit of merit {or where merit means any thing beyond /other/ than the state of the affection on the part of him who applies the word as towards him to whom it is applied,} meritorious service rendered to the public. That of which it is evidence at the bar of common sense - and in all cases nearly conclusive evidence is merit of that sort which consists in /in the habit or supposed disposition to/ obsequiousness: in obsequiousness as towards the Monarch and those who in this behalf are his advisers.

Factitious dignity is either spiritual or temporal: in both cases it is of various sorts and sexes.

1. In the spiritual department according to the title employed in the giving the certificate, the quality or quantity or degree of merit rises in degrees designated by various appropriate epithets: in the ascending scale 1 Reverend, 2. Venerable 3. Very Reverend, 4. Right Reverend, 5. Most Reverend: Status and titles those of 1. Simple Clergymen by whom as such the holy Ghost has been received and whether by means of the holy Ghost money in the shape of benefit has or has not been made. 2. Very Reverend the Dean: 3. Venerable, the Archdeacon who in the office of doing nothing is to some purposes assistant and subordinate to the Bishop. 4. Right Reverend, the Bishop: 5. Most Reverend the Archbishop. 6. Most religious as well as Gracious, the Monarch, whose seat /sitting part/ whether male or female tops all the hierarchy.