1818 Sept. 26

Parl Reform Bill

VI

Reasons 3 o

'.2 Electors Who

13

24. The following are The sets of hands which with reference to that prescribed by the principle of virtually universal suffrage may be considered as a rival hands, claiming the each of them the exclusive possession of the faculty of electing the Members of the Commons House endowed with those powers with which at present it is endowed are these /the following/. 1. The hands of a Monarch. 2. The hands of an aristocratical body corporate consisting at all times of a determinate set of members such for example as the House of Lords: 3 the hands of the proprietors of seats {temporary and permanent proprietors included} whether Members or not Members of the House of Lords temporary and permanent proprietors {included}, and whether become so /such/ by gift /inheritance/ or purchase included. After addition made of the few instances in which seats are filled by a nomination made directly by the Crown, to wit by the Monarch or his Ministers, this may be stated as the set of hands in which the faculty of filling the seats in question is at present lodged. 4. persons possessed of property in this or that shape to a certain amount, and in that respect considered /spoken of/ as possessing a primary qualification. 5. Householders: persons having at the time of voting, been for a certain term in possession /the occupation/ of a dwelling called for this purpose a House.

Of these two last sets the comparative incompetency will be shewn further on under these two /two correspondent/ heads.

25 Active talent being in this case needless and thence out of the question, it the following consideration may suffice to shew, that in respect of appropriate probity and appropriate intellectual aptitude taken together, and thence in respect of aggregate appropriate aptitude in comparison of and in preference to the set of Electors prescribed by the principle of virtually universal suffrage, of no one of the three firstmentioned set of Electors can the claims be respectively supported.