[clxii. 234]

1821 Jany 22

Rid Yourselves

'. Prelimy. Distinctions

My friends, to deal plainly with you /come to the point at once/ the general result is this: proof will meet you as we advance.

To the interest of the subject many not only in Ultramaria but in Spain itself, all dominion over Ultramaria would be pernicious in every imaginable way /point of view/: pernicious to the interest of the subject many, thence to the universal interest.

On the other hand, in Spain the interest of the ruling few as such, the dominion /possession/ would /beneficial: beneficial in exact/ in proportion to the extent of it be beneficial: the possession; nay even the endeavour to retain or obtain that possession in this case may be, even /under an original certainty that the endeavour would/ should the endeavour be ultimately fruitless: for that there are those to whom /not only preparation for war but/ war itself the source of universal misery, produces profits - profits in that such as this their share in which may be greater than their share in the loss and misery, can be no secret to any one.

Even in Ultramaria itself, so effectually opposite every where are the interests of the ruling few to the interests of the subject many, this sinister interest will have its partakers, and so far as this community of sinister interest has place an alliance offensive and defensive, against the subject many in both countries will have /has/ place between the ruling few in both countries.

Nor is this the worst Every where the mischief produced to the universal interest by the sort of dominion in question to the universal interest in a pecuniary or financial shape is accompanied with a correspondent and proportionable mischief in a constitutional shape: the matter of wealth which in so far as being applied to this purpose, constitutes in respect of its passing out of the hands of the subject many the subject matter of waste, constitutes it passes /by passing/ into the hands of the ruling few the matter of profit, and by the eventual expectation of it by ruling few and a portion of the subject many together at the hands of the ruling few, it constitutes the matter of corruption: thus waste begets corruption and corruption waste, till the process of reciprocal generation is stopped at length stopped as now in England by that exhaustive check sooner or later can nowhere fail to take place