1818 Sept. 1.

Parl. Reform Bill

+ ' 2 A Exceptions

Reasons ult o

'.2. Electors Who

Universality

Exceptions

1

1

Question 1. Why seek to communicate the right in question, with the power attached to the exercise of it, to a portion of the community so large as that in question, viz. among persons of the male sex and mature age, with the exception of persons holding situations amenable to that in question all those who possess the faculty of reading, and thence on condition of their having possessed themselves of that faculty all such persons without exception?

Answer

Answer 1. By the limitations in question {two} /four/ descriptions and two /four/ alone are excluded: 1. viz all persons of the female sex: 2 among males all persons whose age is short of maturity; 3. Persons not possessed of the faculty of reading. 4. persons holding political situations responsible /amenable/ to that in question. 4.

For placing the matter in the clearest point of view the most advantageous course seems to be - to put aside to lay out of consideration altogether in the first instance both the /the two first of the four/ classes of persons thus proposed to be excluded: when the reasons which plead in favour of the admission proposed to be given to all others have been brought to view, there will come the time, for applying them to the still more populous /numerous/ classes here proposed to be excepted: in the instance of each one of these excluded classes it will then be to be seen in the first place how far the reasons in favour of admission apply to them respectively, in the next place, whether and how far the reasons which they plead in favour of admission are [...?] opposed /counteracted/ and outweighed by counter-reasons by reasons which plead in favour of exclusion.