1820. Aug 18

Emancipation Spanish  Discarded?

Summary

'.5 Corruptive influence

 Omitt what follows in these two sheets?

Observe now /As to/ the provision made against corruptive influence by the Constitution as it stands.

"During the period of his deputation" (says Art. 129) "no deputy can admit of for himself, or solicit for another any employment or grant from the King, nor any degree of increased rank, as there must be no step-ladder in his respective career."

"He can not" (says the next Art. 130) "during the period of his deputation, and one year afterwards, obtain for himself, nor solicit for another, any pension or dignity whatever, that may proceed from a grant of the King."

Spaniards I am no advocate for corrupt influence but as you see an enemy to it. An enemy to it: and in this character it appears to me that I am opposing /proposing/ no small obstacle to it, by humbly proposing as I venture to do, that these two articles should as soon as may be, be erased /repealed/. Why? Because in my view of them, instead of opposing the effect of them I do no say the design is to give license and establishment to this same influence.

What I had been expecting to have found was - that at no time of his life should any member of the Cortes be permitted to accept of any "employment" pension or dignity at such hands In that case, what would have been my remark?

of a provision to any such effect the object is to induce on the part of the people at large a persuasion that if in the instance of the minor functionary in question he has the obtainment or solicitation has not proved, his conduct as not at the /by the/ hands of the chief functionary been made to swerve from the path of duty by corruptive influence: in a word that such non-obtainment coupled with such non-solicitation is conclusive evidence of incorruption. If such evidence were justly conclusive, all suspicion would be needless and injurious. Unfortunately in the case in question so far from being conclusive, these circumstances are not worth a straw in the character of evidence of any such apparently purifying provisions, the only effect therefore is to lull suspicion asleep, and to cause a set of men who are perhaps every one of them corrupted, to be regarded every one of them pure.

The professed object of it is to prevent the effect of all such influence. The effect of which