[clxiv. 249]

1820 Aug. 8

Emancipation Spanish

Summary

Corruptive influence

Where to the production of the corruptive effect a special act of corruption is necessary - a special act of corruption if punishable with a corrupt giver on the one part and a corrupt receiver on the other, here the mischief is at its minimum:

Examples. A candidate for the situation of Representative in a sovereign Assembly gives money to an Elector for his Vote

An individual having a suit at law depending before a judicatory gives money for a decision in his favour to a Judge belonging to that judicatory

Where to the production of the corruptive effect no special act of corruption is necessary, there the mischief is at its maximum: the disease is indeed /altogether remediless and/ incurable: the depravity on the part of the functionaries who share in the profit of it, political depravity - depravity upon the largest scale is at its highest pitch.

Example.

The whole form of Government is so constituted that in the instance of every member of it his private interest is in a state of diametrical /point-blank/ opposition to his public duty. It is the interest of the subject many that the quantity of money, power and factitious dignity attached to official situations as also the number of those situations should be the smallest possible: and the degree of appropriate aptitude on the part of those by whom they are filled it is the interest of the ruling few that the quantity of those instruments of felicity so bestowed should be as great as possible. By every war the number of those situations receives a sure encrease

Accordingly by the English Constitution The power of making war is given to the King. He can not indeed carry it on without the concurrence of the two Houses of Parliament. But with scarce an exception such is their situation, the members of both Houses are all of them on the look out for some one or more of the instruments of felicity in the gift of the King. Hence on the part of a vast majority, a constant disposition to concurr in every war, howsoever destitute of necessity or so much as a colourable pretence.