[mainly in copyist’s hand]

1819 Oct. 2 Nov 9 + +

Benthams Radical

Reasons

§.1. Seats & districts

Over number Remedies

1

4

Supposing the time arrived, when the evil from superabundance of Speakers became sensible and serious, the following expedients present themselves in the character of Remedies.

1. Limit the length of time allowed to each speaker; allow suppose in the first Instance half an hour. This, in free debating Societies, has been a not uncommon practice. Add, or add not, five minutes for eventual explanation.

2. On occasions of adequate magnitude, on which full justice (it is supposed) can scarcely be done to the argument, without an extra length of time – power to the House to choose a certain number of persons to whom an unlimited time shall be allowed.

N.B. Here the difficulty would be so to order matters as to prevent the predominant party from having all such unlimited speakers on its side.

3. In full view of all the Members, keep suspended a Table of Fallacies: a table, in which the irrelevant and other fallacious arguments to which the nature of the business is apt to give rise, are designated by appropriate names. Place it within reach of the Chairman, who, being provided with a wand, points, upon occasion, to any head of fallacy, which it appears to him that the Member who is speaking is endeavouring to employ.

By an instrument of this sort, not only might time be saved, but the reasoning faculty improved.

In the case of any Assembly, which is, not either by sinister interest or pride, precluded from the faculty of improving its mode of procedure – in a word in the case of any Assembly not clothed with power – the adoption of an instrument of this sort may be regarded as not altogether improbable.

Even by a Governing Assembly – and how great soever might be its power – the adoption of it might be regarded as a less evil, than the taking from half or two thirds of its number their prospect of reassuming their seats.