1821 May 2

First Lines

/Supreme Constitution

Election

2 Secresy/

2. Secresy of Suffrage

When suffrage is as secret, no man who wishes to give a vote, and is not by want of time or length of distance, debarred from giving it, is debarred fom giving it by fear of loss of mony or friends, of money or friends debarred from giving it, and giving it in favour of the person whom he prefers. /,by fear of loss of money or friends./

No man is made to sufer, or /is/ exposed to suffer, loss of money or friends, on account of the vote that he has given, or any vote he has forborne to give.

In so far as the course taken by men's suffrage is known, some men are by fear of loss of money or friends, debarred from giving any votes at all; some men who would otherwise have given their votes in favor of a certain person, are by fear of loss of money or friends debarred from giving their votes in favor of that same person; some men who would otherwise have given their votes in favor of a certain person and thereby against another person his rival, are by fear of loss of money or friends not only debarred from giving their votes in favor of the person they approve, but compelled to give their votes in favor of a rival of his, whom they disapprove

A man who being a candidate for a situation, for the failing of which, suffrages are given as above, declines using his endeavours to cause them to be delivered in the secret mode, proves thereby /that/ the following wishes, one or more of them, have place in his breast: 1 to see men who have each of them a right to vote, debarred inindefinite numbers from the exercise of that right; 2 to see men who if free, would have voted for a rival of his, debarred from doing so; 3 to see men who if free wold have voted for a rival of his whom they approved, debarred from doing so, but by fear as above compelled to vote in favor of himself, in whatoever /degree/ he may have been the object of their disapprobation.