6 Sep. 1809

Parl y Reform

I Necessity

'. Kings dependence necessary

2 Uncorruptive system self-ameliorative

12

9

2

10

Aye, but they don't understand their interest: and there the great mischief lies. Constantly Blind to their interest, they require to be constantly led by those who can see.

Blind to their interest for the moment, be it so: but if to their interest they are at present blind it is as new-born puppies are blind, blind for want of a little age and exercise in the art of seeing not of those who have lost their eyes.

If it be in the power of information - appropriate information - to open men's eyes and by degrees, and if not to remove to relieve /mitigate/ at least this blindness, the more information they receive the less and less inaccurate will be by degrees their conception of this interest of theirs: and be the rate of progress ever so slow some progress at any rate they will make.

The system of uncorruption would therefore howsoever slowly yet constantly be growing the better: while with equal constancy, with whatsoever degree of rapidity, with equal constancy at least the system of corruption will be growing worse and worse.

Under the system of corruption As the people are making their advances in the track of information and intelligence, their rulers, reciprocally corruptors and corrupted, will be on that same track making theirs. But, for those advances the system what will it be the better? On the contrary it will be but so much the worse. They will /With the information they will/ acquire more skill more dexterity. But this additional dexterity to what end and purpose will they apply it to the advancement of what interest will they apply it? By the very supposition, not of the public interest: that is not the interest to the promotion of which their exertions /endeavours/ are directed: not of that, but if that particular and sinister interest of theirs, in the pursuit of which to the prejudice of the public interest the corruption consists, and to the promotion of which the continually accumulating mass of the matter of corruption /money and power/ is continually applied.