1823 Feb. 18

Greece

J.B.'s Articles and Reasons

Legislative

Sharers why many

Add stock of local knowledge already acquired, not sufficiently great.

The supreme legislative when the supreme executive is detached from it and the choice subject to popular election why lodged in many hands in contradistinction to a single hand or a small number of hands? Why made to constitute an exception to the rule To each function no more than a single functionary?

Reasons in the case of a single hand.

1. By the magnitude of the power, notwithstanding the appointed brevity of its duration, and the number /multitude/ of the persons on whom he would have to depend for the lawful continuance of it or renewal of it © by the magnitude of the power, the functionary would be tempted and at the same time enabled to give unlawful continuance to it: to render the continuance /duration/ of it in his own hands equal to that of his own life at once, or by frequent renewals to pave the way to such an ultimate result. And for this the absoluteness of the dependence of the situation /will/ of the supreme Executive on supreme and subordinates of all classes taken together would give prodigious facility. It would place at his disposal all that power which is conferred by the command over the whole mass of the matter of reward power of placing and displacing, as applied /applying/ to all lucrative Offices. For converting these one and all into instruments of his own applicable to the pupioses of his own separate and sinister interest he would thus have if not an absolute certainty, at any rate as great a probability as by the /any/ form of government could be put into the hands of a functionary so situated.

He would be tempted and enabled /assisted/ to tread in the steps of Julius Caeser and Napoleon Bonaparte.