★ Keep up to date with the latest news - subscribe to the Transcribe Bentham newsletter; Find a new page to transcribe in our list of Untranscribed Manuscripts
19 May 1817. Intimation from Brougham through Mill that is
his opinion Democracy had a tendency to promote unjust war. Thereupon
sent to Brougham, and to Burdet for his motion of the 20th in Parl the
to each a copy of what here follows.
Democracy has it a tendency to produce unjust wars? Negative.
As to the tendency to war viz unjust war – on the
question in which instance – as between Monarchy and
Democracy – it is strongest, no light can be thrown by any
historical researches. For
1. With the American United States as they are under
Democracy viz representative Democracy and the English
constitution as it would be under Democratical ascendency
no literally apposite parallel is to be found in history.
2. In the case of such of institutions as have been
known under the name of Republics or Commonwealths
whether Aristocratical or Democratical compared with Monarchies it would scarcely
be possible to trace any clear line of distinction in
the scale of tendency towards war: discussion endless;
satisfactory conclusion, term.
II. On the other hand, in the very nature of the constitution,
on the part of a representative democracy causes of aversion to war which have not
place under a Monarchy will be found very distinctly
visible.
1. No war can be declared without a full and free
discussion in which all individuals whose interests
are at stake will be alike free to take a part.
But Since in a Monarchy: even in a British Monarchy the war unsuccessful or successful nothing
but mischief can be the result to the great body of the
people who whose will are diverse must ultimately and
even promptly be prevalent, or the constitution is not
what it is supposed to be: Secure under a Monarchy,
even an English Monarchy.
4. For carrying on the war there must be taxes, and
found military service: both sources of manifest suffering
to the ultimately ruling enemy.
Under the English Monarchy as it is, Corrupter General and
Co. have heir profit upon the expenses of the war, viz by encrease
of pecuniary profit and encrease of the maker of corruptive influences and forces.
Identifier: | JB/015/081/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 15.
|
|||
---|---|---|---|
1817-05-19 |
|||
015 |
deontology |
||
081 |
democracy (representation) less prone to war than monarchy |
||
001 |
|||
text sheet |
1 |
||
recto |
e1 |
||
jeremy bentham |
[[watermarks::[prince of wales feathers] i&m 1816]] |
||
arthur wellesley, duke of wellington |
|||
1816 |
|||
5297 |
|||