PHI LOS 0 P H Y . - Classic Works of Apologetics Online

:356 British Constitution.
The contrivances for the first of these purposes are
the following:
In order to promote the establishment of salutary
public laws, every citizen of the state is capable of
becoming a olcmber of the senate;. and every senator
posses5es the right of propounding to the deliberation
of the legislature whatever law he pleases.
Every district or the empire enjoy~ the privilegt"a(
chom~ing representatives, infonned of the· interel'ts,"
and cirCUlnstances and desires of their·con~tituents,
and entitled by their ~ituation to communicate that
information to the national council. . ~The meane&
subject has some one whom he can calf upon to bring
forward
.
his complaints and requests to public attell-
.
non.
By annexing the right of voting for tnembers of
the House of Commons to different qualifications irl
different places, each order a!\d profe~sion of men in
~e community become virtuatJy represented; that
is, men of all orders and professions, statesnlen, cout ..
jers, country gentlemen, la\vyers,- merchants, manufacturers,
soldiers, sailors, interested in the pro~perity,
and experienced in the occupation of their respective
professions, obtain seats in parliament. "
1'he elections, at the S;lille time, are so connected
with the influence of landed property, as to aff )rd a
certainty that a considerable number of men of great
estates will be returned to parliament; and are also
so n10dified, that 111en the Dlost eminent and successp
ful in their respective p rofes~ions, are the 010st likel~r,
by their riches, or the weight of their stations, to
prevail in these competitions.
The number, fortune, and quality of the members;
the variety of interest~ and chclracters amongst thenl ;
above all, the temporary duration of f~ir power,
and the change of men which every new election
produces, are so many securities to the public, as weB
against the subjection of their jurlgments to any external
dictation, as again~t the ~rmation of a junto
in their own body, sufficiently pow erfft 1 tG govern
their decisionso