[clxvii. 91]

1821 March 26

Rid Yourselves

Anti Constitutional Evils

2. Corruptive influence

In Confessionary[?]

Well then. A year has elapsed: and at the end of it the Member is loaded with pensions and covered with ribbons The load and the covering will they prevent him from sitting in any succeeding Cortes? Not they indeed. /No such thing./ What is the consequence? that under this Constitution - this unamendable Constitution in a few years you may not have a Deputy in the Cortes the Cortes may not have so much as a single Member that is not a King's pensioner during pleasure, slave to /instrument of/ the very power to which /it is the pretended object of/ his function is pretended to apply a check.

Great is the care taken /Anxious is the solicitude/ to keep excluded from the Sovereign Assembly all persons characterized by the marks which had presented themselves as conclusive evidences of inaptitude to the wisdom of the scribe: Article 91 the /a man's/ not being a Citizen in the exercise of his rights, he not being so much as twenty five years old /of age/ his not being born in the province, or settled therein by a residence of at least seven years, his not having an annual income of his own property to a certain amount, in conclusion his being a foreigner: and so formidable is this taint, negative as it is that it is not in the power of any letters of Citizenship though granted by the Cortes to wash it out. Art. 96.

Let but any one of these repulsive marks be on the mans forehead, no service that it may be in his power to render the country is the country to have the benefit of. In the opinion of The Electors to whom the individual /he/ is known, he /the individual/ is in a preeminent degree fit: no matter? in the opinion of the scribe to whom the individual is altogether unknown, it is not possible he should be fit: wisdom, with a sufficiency not to be controverted /above dispute/ supplies the place of knowledge.