1818 March 30

Parl. Ref. Bill

Reasons

III. Electors - Who

Vote-conferring Certificate

Explanations

5

For excluding as compleatly as may be all these inconveniences inconvenience in all these shapes, the ruling principle is not to present to the official person any evidence but such but of that sort of which the genuiness and sufficiency may be ascertained by a momentary glance the correspondence for example between two documents which to be genuine must be duplicates of each other, each of them occupying but an instant[?], and that so moderate in the discussion as by a practiced eye to be comprehended by a momentary glance.

Upon /Under/ this same principle, another expedient is to committ to the person /individual/ in question the choice of the Judges of the person by whom in quality /acting in the character/ of Judges, the validity of the title is to be pronounced.

Not many are the /great is the number/ cases in which consistently with any tolerable chance for justice, any such choice could be allowed. Of the numbers of them small as it is, this however happens to be one. Why? because so circumstanced is this particular case, that in the event of false decision /judgment/, conviction and punishment may be made sure. That the individual in question is /should be/ able to read, is able to read and write as the case may be this is all that is desired. But in relation a man who is not able suppose it declared by the person in question that he is able, let him but be called upon to do that which he has thus been declared to be able to do, by the supposition he will be unable: by his inability thus proved, the falshood, the guilt the delinquency of those by whom he was declared to be able is thus proved.

Out of spite and malice it may be said /will it be said?/ it may happen that a man shall in case of a judicial inquiry, learn upon his benefaction, and though in truth able counterfeit an inability by /on/ the demonstration or declaration of which they may be convicted. This is always possible: but such business is never probable: and his ability being supposed, scarcely can it happen but that by this or that individual who would testify to that effect, the ability of his will have been manifested by acts.