19 Sept 1815

Parl. Ref. Necessity

The American war. Of the thinking and not unduly biased part of the population - out of Parliament and even in Parliament - was, from the first, against the American war. Why? Because to speak on technical principles and in technical language in the British Parliament the Americans were not fairly represented: because on the principle of utility - in natural and rational language, the interests of the ruling few would not, in the event of the taxing of America in a British /an European/ Parliament be coincident /concordant/ with but adverse to that part /portion/ of the subject many/.

But as it is, with the exception of a comparatively small /minute/ portion in Great Britain and Ireland taken together to speak on technical principles and in technical language, the subject many are no more /as far from being/ fairly represented as were the people of the American Colonies: to speak on the principle of utility and in natural and rational language, in the most essential particulars the interests of the ruling few are not coincident /concordant/ with but adverse to those of the subject many:- yes those of the whole of the subject many. It is the interest of the ruling few that there should be as many offices of all sorts as possible, and those as highly paid as possible, filled with as many idle men and as many incapable men as possible, with as many sinecures as possible. For the sake of giving to the number of these offices as possible, that there should be as many wars, and those as long[?] and as expensive as possible and as many dependencies as possible and those as burthensome and that they may be as burthensome, as distant as possible: with an allowance to the chief of the State as high as possible. But it is the interest of the subject many that as consistently /so far as consistent/ with the good of the service, the number of offices should be as small, and those as low paid as possible, with as many capable and as highly capable men in them, and as few idle men in them as possible: i.e. as above.