[clxvii. 97]

1821 March 28

Rid Yourselves

Anti-Constitution evils

2. Corruptive influence

/Compleatly/ To exclude altogether the operation of the matter of corruptive influence in the hands of the members of the Executive department on the probity of the members of the legislative, is absolutely impossible: towards it all that the nature of the /this/ case allows to be done is the reducing to its minimum the number of beneficial official situations, and the value of each. With the addition of punishment in case of legally proved corrupt obsequiousness and public reproach in case of corrupt obsequiousness believed though no legally proved

You can not punish /make/ a man /punishable/ for the act of another: doing so, you would put it in the power of a man's adversary to punish him - to draw down punishment upon his head. Though a man has given his vote for an unnecessary augmentation to the corruption fund, you can not punish him because a son, a brother or a nephew of his has received a lucrative office. But in any case it will at the time of the next Election be for his constituents to choose whether he is the fittest representative they can have.