7 Jan y 1810

Parl y Reform

Ch. 10. III. Seat Traffic

'.2. Objections insufficient?

2

2

The objections to the purchase and sale of seats - the "traffic" in seats as it has been called - the venality of seats these /this/ objections so far I mean as they apply to this mode of coming into Parliament in contradistinction to the /any/ mode of coming in by court interest /favour/ ministerial interest /favour/ or individual favour - in contradistinction in a word to any other mode than that of free election for a county or a populous and perfectly open borough - is founded on confusion of ideas and misapplication of words.

1. The term venality being without impropriety applicable to the seat, is by a confusion of ideas improperly applied to the man who sits in it.

In fact, on occasion of this transaction neither to this man nor to any other does /is/ the term venality applicable with any sort of reason.

But if it were, it is to the seller of the seat and not to the purchaser /buyer/ that it would be applicable. To the seller if to either it would be applicable: for though he does not sell himself outright, that is whatever services of whatever kind it may at whatever time be /lie/ in his favour to render, what he does sell is the /a/ service, viz. the service which he renders to the buyer in placing him in the seat.