1819 May 15

I Disfranchising II. Boroughmongers Apology

§.2[?] […?]disfranchised

{3}

1

It will never do for the people to practise insincerity themselves while they are blaming it on their opponents: they have every thing to lose, nothing to gain by insincerity: sincerity should be their characteristic attribute

Under these circumstances, it is not without regret /concern/ that I observe so much use of the word Borough-mongers – Borough-mongering {and so forth}, and so little use of the words Terrorists and Terrorism and so forth /with their respective conjugates/.

1. My reason is – in the first place in the case of /as to what regards/ the evil itself, viz the substitution of unfree and spurious votes, to free and genuine votes of the two modes by which this effect is produced it confines the attention with the just indignation and wish and endeavour towards prevention that belongs to it to that which is least mischievous: leaving that which is most mischievous unnoticed and thence unopposed.

2. In the next place as to what regards the original cause of the evil it leads /points/ to a wrong object.

The original cause of the evil is in my view of it, the excessive and irresistible power of the Crown /Monarch/: and in particular that branch of it which consists /is composed/ of the sinister and corruptive influence that corruptive influence of will on will which without so much as the trouble of a separate wish he exercises in every case over the Members of that House which sit in it on pretence of having been sent into it and employed as Agents by the great body of the people.

Now in this case seeing distinctly the causes of the evil, I see with equal distinctness the two modes and only modes of cure /remedy/: the one, the diminishing the quantity of the matter of /amount of that portion of/ that influence which is applicable to that purpose: the other consists in the establishing /lodging/ a counterforce in the only hands in which any power can be made to operate to this purpose: namely the causing those persons who are said in formal language to be chosen and removable by the great body of the people in such sort that their wis[?] /opinions/ and wishes are a general expression of the opinions and wishes of the great body of the people to be really so: to be really so, as, by the bye, though it is not necessary to the purpose of the argument once they were