[clxiv. 264]

1820 Aug. 22

Emancipation Spanish?

Summary?

?.5. Corruptive influence

Means of reducing

6. To the occupant the value of a lucrative office of an office with emolument attached to it is as the emolument directly, and as the exertion and time necessary to the exercise of it without reproach, inversely.

7. Power is of itself so incontestably an object of general desire, that, until it is established that no individual competent to the exercise of the functions of the office will charge himself with them, no emolument ought to be attached to it.

8. The pleasure attached to the exercise of the functions belonging to an office, is the natural reward appertaining /portion of reward attached by nature/ to that office. Where /To an office, in relation to which/ the natural reward is sufficient, no factitious reward ought to be attached. The Natural reward is received and enjoyed, without any expence at the charge of others: factitious reward can not be received in any shape but at the expence of others.

To the function exercised by the delivery of those suffrages by which the office of representative of the people in the supreme assembly is filled the reward naturally attached is sufficient. In no instance to the exercise of this function has any factitious reward been ever annexed.

9. In so far as a liking to the exercise of the function of an office affords presumptive evidence of aptitude in relation to the exercise of those same functions, evidence of such aptitude is afforded by every man who, without factitious reward in any shape is content to charge himself with the obligation attached to it: and if there be two candidates, one of whom is content thus to charge himself gratis, while the other will not unless it has a mass of factitious reward attached to it, and there be no other evidence in favour of either candidate, this presumptive evidence is conclusive.