1820 March 4

Official Economy or Necessity of Reform

Opulence or <...>

not antiseptic

Another reason for reducing all official emolument to a minimum is

this - that with the quantity of the emolument attached to the Office the quantity of

influence applicable to sinister purpose in general - and in particular to the

purpose of obtaining support in case of malversation encreases.

Of this bad effect from excess emolument the mischief is exemplified

in the most manifest and striking manner in the case of the Monarch in a Monarchy.

The greater the quantity of the mass of good things in all shapes he has at his

disposal, the greater the quantity of evil he is at once disposed and enabled to do

in the course of his endeavours to raise the quantity of his own felicity to the

highest pitch possible

As in that highest stage so in each inferior stage /level/ in the

scale /united scale/ of power and opulence

Thus it is that under the British government /Constitution/ for

example in all the superior Offices, responsibility in the penal sense is a perfect

mockery a mere empty name