4 Dec 1809

Parl y Ref m

Influence

'. Dependence how created

6

The case in which it may happen to parliamentary corruption not to be productive of dependence is, as already intimated, not altogether without example. It is the case where the corruption is so circumstanced as to bear the name of bribery, the party to whom the matter of corruption is administered being a parliamentary elector, and the body by whom or on whose behalf it is administered, a candidate for a seat in parliament.

Take the case of a venal but open borough: in which the thus corruptible part of the electors, receives each of them from one of the candidates a guinea for his vote.

By /In/ this transaction, by corruption in this shape no sort or degree of dependence is produced on either side /part/ in particular not on the part of the elector. This transaction past this contract fulfilled on both sides an /a sort of/ expectation may /will/ naturally enough be produced, that in a future election the like contract may be repeated. But naturally speaking not being accompanied either by hope or fear, by this transaction no dependence /no dependence of the corrupted elector on the corrupting candidate/ will naturally speaking be produced. In the regular course of things, the /any/ occasion for repeating the transaction will not recurr again much sooner than at the end of seven years: when it does come, comes with it naturally enough perhaps the expectation of another guinea viz. from the same or another hand, but without any decided /small/ fear of less or hope of more: and be it what it may, viewed at so considerable a distance, no decided probability will naturally present itself /appear/ of its being either more or less if presented /offered/ by that same thing if presented /offered/ by any other hand.