1820 Feb. 16

Radicalism not dangerous

III. Experience

II. Ireland

2

(a)  Insert afterwards sole benefit of the representatives two or three of the Members so alien that they may speak so confusedly[?] to the virtue of a people: and so much[?] the known[?] strength[?]

When on the occasion of the land so indefatigably bestowed /[…?] heaped upon/ the English Constitution, as compared with that of every other Monarchy, the /any such/ question is asked in what the excellence /characteristic feature the feature indicated/ consists, the answer constantly given for no other can be given /indicated/ is in in the share by which their representatives the body of the people have in the legislature /by means of a body of men who are stiled their representatives having the great body of the people for their constituents/ meaning thereby the supreme power in /and all directing power of/ the state. If in virtue of the share /fraction of power/ possessed and exercised by these so stiled representatives of the great body of the people, the great body of the people possessed in fact any such power, it would be because, it would be by means of this circumstance, namely that on such occasion, the majority of these agents being placed and removable by their principals, the will and correspondent course of conduct maintained by these /their/ functionaries could not for any considerable length of time be otherwise than conformable to the will and wishes of the majority of the people, the will declared and acted upon by the representatives being thus at all times dependent on the will and wishes really entertained by their constituents. As[?] then how the fact stands, the answer that which is most notoriously the only true answer is that there never is nor ever can be any such dependence that at least for several centuries last past no such dependence ever has taken or without a correspondent change in the constitution ever can take /have/ place. (a) The alledged cause of this excellence being a fiction, what is the consequence? that the excellence itself is a fiction likewise. But excellence itself is a mere word a word without any useful meaning, unless by it be meant an efficient and effective cause of felicity on the part of the great body of the people. But as the alledged dependence in question is an fiction, and the alledged excellence in question is another fiction, a further consequence is that the alledged felicity is an ulterior fiction.