[xxxvi. 20]
1821. April 10.
First Lines
Constitutional Finance.
But, for the purpose of corruption, the matter of apt expenditure is never regarded as sufficient: that quantity has its limits: but to the quantity of expenditure for which limited monarchy with its indispensable corruption and delusion fund has a demand - a demand perpetual and irresistable, - there are no limits: to the quantity of wasteful expenditure, for which it has this same demand, there are therefore no limits.
[xxxvi. 21]
1821. April 10 .
Financial
Remains, that source or mode of wasteful expenditure in the wholesale way which, howsoever congenial, is not essential, to the form of Government. These are - 1. unnecessary wars. 2. Distant, and thence preponderantly expensive, dependencies.
In a Representative Democracy, unnecessary wars against foreign adversaries can scarcely have existence. For the sake of profit to the supremely ruling body - the people, in whom is the power of appointment and removal with relation to the operatively ruling body - their representatives - it is not possible: but what none of them can avoid seeing, is - that, with reference to the utmost possible profit capable of being reaped at the expence of the people of any other state, the expenditure that must be made is not only /merely/ immediate and certain, but antecedent: as well as, in the ultimate result, greater. Upon their Representatives it is indeed that, in animmediate way, the engaging or not engaging in any such war would depend. But that which, as above, would be manifest to the least reflecting of the two portions of the community, viz. constituents, would be still more manifest to /in the eyes of/ the most reflecting of those same two bodies their Representatives: in their eyes accordingly, of the engaging in any such unnecessary war, non re-election, - that is, removal, and with disgrace, would be the certain consequence.
Remains, as a /Another/ conceivable cause of unnecessary war against foreign adversaries, irritation. But, if not for the commencement, for the continuance, of a war considered as being thus produced, what is necessary, is - that, in the breasts of the majority of the people, hatred of others should be more strong and efficient than love of self. For a small portion of time, and on the part of a small proportion of the people, such predominance is at any rate conceivable. But, for any considerable portion of time, on the part of the majority of such a people, the nature of man considered, it does not seem possible.
[xxxvi. 22]
1821. April 10.
Financial
2. In an absolute Monarchy, the exemplification of this mode of wasteful expenditure will, of course, be frequent: frequent in proportion to the power the Monarch possesses, or regards himself as possessing, with relation to the community /inhabitants/ of such states as are within his reach.
3. In the case of a limited Monarchy, the practice will, be still more frequent: the propensity still more incessant, and much more intense. For, in this case, whatsoever addition is made to the waste is so much made to the instrument, the existence and use of which is necessary to this species of monarchy, viz. the corruption fund.
II. Distant dependencies
[xxxvi. 23]
1821 April 25
First Lines
Constitutional Finance
Law concerning Finance - Financial Department of Government
The financial department is that which regards /by which is performed/ the extraction, custody, and expenditure of such money and money's worth as is employed or professed to be employed in the public service: viz. in the several other departments - in this and the several other branches of the public service.
Whasoever be the public function by the exercise of which service is rendered or professed /pretended/ to be rendered to the public, or to any part of it, money, or money's worth, or both, are, in a quantity more or less considerable, necessary to be employed and disbursed on the occasion of its being rendered: the financial branch is thus a branch which interlaces /intertwines/ itself and runs through the several abovementioned /other/ branches of the public service.
Of This branch of Government has for its proper end frugality /that branch of /or/ good economy which consists of/ - appropriate frugality.
In every department of the public service, good management has two perfectly distinguishable branches: the first peculiar to itself, being correspondent to the particular nature of the service: the other common to it with all the others: this universally applying branch of good management is frugality.
Considered in another point of view the peculiar and characteristic branch here spoken of may be stiled the positive branch: this, which is common to all, the negative branch: The dictates of frugality are conformed to in so far as, without preponderant prejudice to good management in other respects, money and money's worth is avoided to be disbursed or consumed.
[xxxvi. 24]
1821. April 25.
First Lines
Constitutional Finance.
\ZA\ Insert
Exhibit here or below the rule exhibiting the test of good management
In a Representative Democracy, the Financial branch of Government all the several
departments having for their actual end good management as applied to each, the
financial department has for its actual end frugality as above defined.
In a pure Monarchy, when that Expenditure which is employed in giving supply to that
waste by which gratification is afforded or endeavoured to be afforded to the appetites
of the Monarch, his favourites, and instruments, of which waste the expence of the war
department constitutes always the most expensive article, this branch has for its actual
end the same as that which in a representative democracy it has: viz frugality: the same
end with whatsoever inferiority in respect of uniformity steadiness and success pursued.
Even in the war department, frugality is, in all the details, an object actually
pursued: of the dicatates of frugality, the only one purposely violated is that by the
observance of which by far the greatest part of the whole expence of this de[artment
would be struck off: viz. that part which has for its object the carrying on a perpetual
offensive war against the subject many instead of employing /keeping/ eventually -
necessary their physical force without expence in a state of constant preparation for
defensive war against foreign nations.
In
[xxxvi. 25]
1821. April 25
First Lines
Constitutional Finance
In a limited Monarchy, the Financial Department has for its actual end the opposite of frugality, waste - the maximum of waste.
In this species /Under this form/ of Government, this waste has three objects:
1. Personal gratification to the several appetites of the ruling one and the sub-ruling influential and opulent few. This object, in so far as regards the appetites of the ruling one, it has in common with absolute monarchy.
2. Corruption: exercise of corruptive influence for the purpose of securing corrupt obsequiousness on the part of those whose declared duty, and professed endeavour it is, to keep applied to the respective powers of the Monarch and the sub-ruling portion of the Aristocracy those limitations which they respectively acknowledge: corrupt obsequiousness to the effect of causing them to forbear the keeping actually applied those several limitations, thus rendering the Government in form and pretence limited; in effect to the benefit of the ruling one, and the sub-ruling the influential, and the opulent few, and to the sacrifice of the greatest happiness of the greatest number, absolute.
3. Delusion. In /To/ so far as the waste applies /employs/ itself, by means of corruptive influence, to the production of corrupt obsequiousness, on the part of those self-acknowledged and self-professed trustees for the whole community, it employs itself in rendering them, and, in so far as it produces its intended effect, it actually does render them, by so much inferior, in respect of public virtue and good behaviour - in respect of benevolence, and that beneficence which is the fruit of benevolence upon the most extended /largest/ scale, inferior to the rest of the community taken at large - inferior to the subject many - inferior to the vast majority of the whole population of the country. In the same proportion as those in whom /on whose part/ corrupt obsequiousness is produced, are rendered inferior in these respects, those by whose corruptive influence this corrupt obsequiousness is produced, are rendered, in at least an equal degre, inferior,
In
in a word, with reference to their several functions, appropriate moral aptitude.
[xxxvi. 26]
1821. April 25.
First Lines.
Constitutional Finance
In so far as, with reference to that better and happily larger portion of the whole community, they are regarded as being, in this scale of public virtue and good behaviour, superior or equal, delusion has place. Screwing /Raising/ up to its maximum the degree and effect of this delusion is a third purpose in which, under this form of Government, public waste employs itself.
In an absolute Monarchy
In proportion to the quantity in which the waste employs itself in the affording of gratification to the appetites of the individuals in question, and by the whole of that quantity the purpose of delusion is completely /in a complete degree/ accomplished, and the purpose of corruption in a principal degree: To screw up the effect of corruptive influence to its maximum may probably require endeavours to an amount more or less considerable specially directed to that particular purpose: and Such endeavours are /being/ acordingly no where and never wanting, means are wanting for forming /pronouncing by/ any sufficiently grounded judgment whether, without such endeavours, the mere possession of that same or any other quantity of the subject matter of waste operating of itself in the character of matter of corruptive influence would, in the hands in question, be adequate to the production of the actual effect. Be this as it may, it will be, if it is not already, sufficiently manifest that, by the same quantity of the matter of wealth thus expended in waste by the hands in question, in addition to the gratification of the several appetites, those two other purposes, corruption and delusion - all three, though so inseparably connected, so perfectly distinguishable from each other, are produced.
Look
[xxxvi. 27]
1821. April 25.
First Lines
Constitutional Finance
Look, for example, to the situation of the Monarch. For /In/ procuring to him, for example, that sort of gratification which is afforded by quick motion, together with prompt conveyance at all times to the several different places at which a promise is afforded of successive gratifications to his several other appetites, horses, in vast multitudes, each in respect of its capacity of affording gratification to those by whom it is used and abused, brought, by a long and expensive course of training, to the most exquisite degree of perfection possible - the labour of men in correspondent multitudes having been exclusively consecrated to this one purpose - a proportionable quantity of money has necessarily been employed. But for the good management an establishment of this kind, good management, so far as regards aptitude for the service, is really desired. In the hands of an individual, and not in those of a Board is thus branch of the public service accordingly lodged. For were it in the hands of a Board, each Member, in reality as well as in name and pretence bearing a /his/ part in the business, what is sufficiently understood is - that there never would be a horse fit for service: each member would appoint to the management of one of the sacred horses some dependent of his who had never had any thing to do with horses. Constituting a necessary exception to the general rule this branch of the public service will therefore of necessity have found itself in individual hands. For the performing in the best possible manner this important service, were this the whole of the service thought fit to be required at the hands of the individual, an extremely moderate annual salary, not more than ten or twenty times the expenditure of an individual whose severe and bodily labour is employed in the production of these four-footed and preeminently favoured subjects of a monarchy, would be sufficient.
But
[xxxvi. 28]
1821. April 25.
First Lines
Constitutional Finance
But, in this instance /good/, another of good economy, in an additional shape, is found practicable and profitable. Inastead of no more than ten or twenty times the salary necessary for the maintenance of an individual of the productively labouring class, let two hundred or though it were but a hundred times that amount be allotted, individuals might, in the very highest rank, next to that of the Royal Family, be found - individuals in multitudes who, being in a state of constant appetancy for such a place and thence in a state of constant competition with each other, will thereby be placed in a state of equally constant and proportionably abject corrupt obsequiousness with relation to the corruptive influence exercised with or without his caring or thinking any thing about the matter by the Royal Proprietor of these consecrated quadrupeds. So many as there are of these competitors, so many men are there where votes, and, in so far as they have a faculty of speech, their speeches, are in readiness to do whatsoever is in their power to contribute /contribute/, to the fulfilment of the will, and the gratification of the corespondent appetite, of him whom it is their ambition to be entitled to denominate /designate/ by the appellation of their Royal Master. Thus much in that House which is stiled Right Honourable; but in some if not all these instances, what will have place moreover is that, to these several superlatively, although it be but psitively noble persons, may appertain, through the medium of this or that borough, or of this or that county, a seat or seats, to the number of from two to ten in that other House, so inferior in dignity, so superior in power, which, in style and title, is no more than simply honourable. And thus it is that, so far as regards that portion of salary which would have been found necessary for that manager of horses who could undertake for the management of horses but for nothing else, one and the same quantity of the matter of wealth thus employed in political waste, is employed, without addition, in two of the three purposes at once: viz. gratification to Royal appetite, and securing a corrupt obsequiousness by means of corruptive influence.
As
[xxxvi. 29]
1821. April 25.
First Lines
Constitutional Finance.
Gratification to Monarch's pride.
Master of the Horse knows nothing about Horses but employs those who do.
As to the remainder of the most noble servant's salary, the good economy with which it is employed is not manifests itself in a different shape.
Of the appetite to which, in the case of the Monarch, gratification is sought to be afforded, one, nor that the least voracious, is - that appetite for /or/ desire of esteem, respect, love, or at least the exterior evidences, true or false, of the existence of those inward sentiments - those accompaniments and securities for general obsequiousness - that desire which, notwithstanding the complicatedness of its object, is in one word commonly designated by the appellation of pride. Proportioned to the depth to which the humiliation of the individual at whose expense this gratification is afforded descends, is the intensity of the humiliation. But, proportioned to the antecedent elevation of this individual in the scale of dignity, natural or factitious or both together is the relative depth of the humiliation to which, on any given occasion, for any particular purpose, he is capable of lowering himself. By the holding the bridle of a favourite horse while the Royal Master is in the act of munting - by this or any other act done /performed/ in the execution of his office, the utmost length of the descent capable of being made by the man the magnitude of whose salary was determined by no higher mark of value than that which corresponded to the skill possessed and exercised by him in the field of this particular office and profession, would /could/ not at the utmost be any greater than that which corresponds to the difference between the salary /pay/ of this official functionary and the pay of an ordinary groom: say a quantity of a pay equal to ten times the amount of the pay of the groom, and the quantity of pay exactly equal to the amount of that lowest pay. But the amount of the salary /pay/ which, in consideration of the exalted station occupied by the titled and most noble though unskilled attendant upon horses, is ten times the amount of the salary /pay/ which it would be convenient and advisable to give /good management /economy/ would require to be given/ to the untitled but well-skilled functionary, and thereby a hundred times the amount of that which good economy would require to be given to the untitled and unskilled attendant.