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

Br;tiJh CCIIstttufit;n.
of the po\ver and constitution of our hour,c of COI1imons.
The king and government of Great Britian
held no patronage in the country, which could create
attachment and irlBuenc~, $uffi(ient to c·()unteract
thAt rc_ .. tl~~s, arrogrtting spirit, \\7hich ~ in popular a ,-~cnlblie~,
\V!l P O left to it!\elf, "ill never brook all 3uthori.
t,· that check, and interferes \\~ith its 0\\'11. r[ () this
I
cause, excited pph-aps by SOlne Gn~easonable pro,·ocatioIls,
we may attribute, as to th·!ir true and pr(1peT
original.. we will not ~ay tb(' misfortunes, but the
changes, that have taken place in the Briti~h empire.
The adm,-)niticn, which such examples sug:ge~!, \.\-ill
ha\'e its \\·cight \'iith th0se, ,"·ho aie cont0nt ,,:-j.tll iIle
general fralne (-}f the Engli~h cOfl,-,titution; ;Jnd \\~ho
consider ~tabiliiy amongst the first pertec~ions of any
government ..
\V e prot~!'t, hO\\9cver, against arty con strllcrion, by
which ~-i)at is here ~aj(l sI-lall be attempted to be applied
to the ju~tification of bribery, or of any dande.ltine
reward or solicitation whate\'er. l'he very se-
J
crecy of such negociations confesses or begets a CQil.
sciousness of gllilt; wllich whell the mind is Olice
taught to endure withol.lt unea5,jness, the character is
prepared for ev::ry rOl~t1pliance. Alid there is the
greater danger in these cr,rrupt practices, as the extent
of their operatic)r! i~ Utj~inlit{~d and ullkno"~n. Our
ap(:Io~)' relates solely to that iJlfiuc!lce, Wflich T~~;ults
from tile acc.eptance (ir «xpectation of public preferllleIlts.
N IT doe, t!je i!~flu'_'nce, \lhich \\7e d(.lfcnd,
require any 'acrifice ell p(·rSf)n~t!- [Jrc,biIY. In p()litical,
ahove all ()ther u{)ject-, rl~(~ argurn~~nts, or rather
the conj