20 Aug 1809 +

Parl y Reform

Influence V.

Corruption

'. Office corrupts more than Bribe.

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A contrivance (flimsy) for defending and [...?] or the cases in which it is most efficient and impressive.

'. Office is more corruptive than any /a/ bribe.

But a distinction is /has been/ taken, & owed[?] there are certain shapes forsooth[?], in which the application of a matter of good, though applied under the same conditions, and to produce the same line of conduct as it is applied to produce in the case where the application of it would be corruptive and bribery beyond dispute, is neither the one nor the other. And which are these cases? precisely those in which its influence is most feasible and irresistible.

For a Member to receive of a Member a bribe - say in the shape of a Banknote of ,10 or ,500 or ,1000, is dishonest wicked scandalous, shameful, in a word whatsoever in your indignation you may be pleased to call it. And why dishonest? - because by the conditions in which it is given the member by whom it is received engages himself to the Minister by whom it is administered, to give his vote and support to some one[?] measure which perhaps he thinks a bad one and to which perhaps he would not have given his vote or his support otherwise {- Now in this case where is the dependence of the Member? where is the dependence of the person corrupted on his corruptor? - None.}

For a /the same or any other/ Member to receive of the same or any other Minister not merely the ,500 or the ,1000 once paid, the ,5000 or the ,1,000 by which no dependence is created, but a place with or without duty, with or without dignity and power attached to it bringing in to him each and every year while he continues in possession of it a repetition of this same ,500 or ,1,000 - in all this there is nothing but what is fair and honourable. But why honourable the acceptance this so much greater portion of the matter of good while in the other case the acceptance of a so much lesser portion is so base and scandalous. By the base compact, the Trustee was barred /stood engaged[?]/ to nothing more than the committing a breach of trust on some one occasion at some one single instance. By the honourable compact he stands engaged to committ during his continuance in the receipt of this permanent bribe