1820 July 30

Emancipation Spanish

Summary

In Spain the possibility of an eventual removal of the ruling few by

the suffrage of the subject many being provided, but the feasibility of it being

involved in clouds, corruptive influence may overcome or be overcome according to

circumstances. In the mean time the less the quantity of the matter of corruptive

influence is that finds itself in the hands of the ruling few the less will be the

force with which it is capable of acting upon their conduct: the less on all

occasions, and in particular on the occasion of any such breach of trust, as should

produce a sufficient warrant to the subject many,to give exercise and effect to that

saving power of removal which the Constitution, in profession at least, has lodged in

their hands.

Proportioned to the magnitude of the expenditure to which the dominion in question

by the possession and pursuit of it together gives existence, will be the quantity of

emolument, emolument received in an immediate shape and emolument received through

the medium of patronage taken together, which it will place at the disposal of the

ruling few. But the greater the quantity of this corruptive matter they have in their

hands, the greater the force with which they will find themselves fixt in their seat,

and secured against every disposition on the part of the subject many, to carry their

saving power of removal into exercise. And this security they will find themselves in

possession of to a great degree without need of any act done by any person in any

such express view. And thus it is that in proportion as in the financial department

it /this/ acts as an instrument of impoverishment, in the constitutional department

it will act as an instrument of corruption: in its character as an instrument of

impoverishment, its effects will be confined within the pale of the wasteful and

destructive expenditure to which it gives birth: but in the character of an

instrument of corruption its poisonous effects will pervade the whole system of

government, contributing by the whole of its amount to the reducing to a dead letter

the power of removal provided for the people in words and perhaps in intention, and

to a virtual representative democracy substituting a compound of monarchy and

aristocracy, which every day of its existence will be advancing towards that state of

irresistible and uncontroulable despotism under and by which as in England the

interest of the subject many will be sacrificed to the interest of the ruling few

without measure and without shame.