1823 Feb. 12

Greek Constitution J.B's Observations as to 3 Executive Council useless

With regard to the First Lines of a Constitution Those United States afford an

approved model, by the copying of which with the slight variation /omission/

above indicated, the point of perfection or some thing very little short of it

might be attained. President, at the head of the Executive Department: under him

for the four Sub©Departments, four Ministers as above mentioned The President is

placed and at the end of four years displaceable by the Citizens at large

Members of the Supreme Constitutive authority. The four Ministers all of them

placed by him, all of them displaceable by him at pleasure. Thus there is

compleat unity of action throughout the whole: no obstruction any where.

At the same time responsibility © responsibility to all purposes exists in

perfection: responsibility to the purpose of dismission /eventual removal/ in

case of blameless inaptitude; responsibility to the purpose of eventual

punishment in case of criminality: 3. responsibility to the purpose of eventual

dishonour in case of /inferior[...?]/ inaptitude not so high a degree as to call

for dismission. Not that To the purpose of eventual dishonour only in the case

where in the execution of the business of his Office a man stands alone can

responsibility be at its highest and requisite pitch of efficiency: by every

additional individual by whom the business is shared with the first the

efficiency of the motive /tuletary force of public opinion/ is more and more

impaired /rendered less and less./

As to the Executive Council with its five Members it forms a dark Conclave into

the proceedings of which the guardian eyes of the Public Opinion Tribunal can on

no occasion penetrate.

It has a sort of parallel in the guardian Directory of France ruling likewise in

secret and composed in like manner of five Members. In no such secret Council is

agreement and unity /concurrence/ of action ever effected but by mutual

sacrifice of the interest of the whole community to the separate and sinister

interest of each: and whatsoever disagreements have place among them have that

sinister sacrifice for their object and their result.