[clx. 343]

1822 July 11

Constitut. Code

Securities

4 Moral Counterforce

5 Public Opinion Tribunal

So much as to the case of a Monarchy.

In /Now as to/ the case of a Representative Democracy. In this case at the charge of the Members of the supreme Operative power - of all of them without exception legal responsibility, may have place without difficulty: legal responsibility - not nominal /in name/ only, but effective /in effect/, namely to the purpose of exposure to punishment. During their continuance in that situation, and to the extent of the absolute majority of them, no: a proposition asserting the affirmative would be a self contradictory one. But even during their continuance in office, the minority remain, in the very nature of the case, in a state of legal responsibility as towards and under the majority: and from and after the expiration of their power /authority/ being on the /a/ /no other/ footing /no other than that/ of all the other members of the community they remain each and every of them responsible in the legal sense for whatsoever they may have done - whether in that situation or any other. An arrangement for that purpose has accordingly been proposed in the Text. See Articles