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Libel —
Progress of Despotism in the Heart.
A new Prince comes to the Throne.
His intentions are public spirited and
serious pure. While a subject, he has been
an indignant witness with to many abuses which then
he would unable power to correct. He has it now.
It is natural that a man in power, should
be an enemy to abuses, from which neither
neither himself nor his friends have been accustomed
to profit, and for by remedying
which he and those who associate with
him may gain reputation, the means
of further power.
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To one who serve sits down to consider the doctrine
of the Common Law on the this
head of Scandal
without prejudice it may appear a doubt
whether it has contributed most to the protection
or the torment of the subject: to the enrichment
of the profession, or the degradation
of it's character: whether it affords more matter
of laughter to the ludicrous, or of lamentation
to the considerate reflective.
One useful lesson may be derived from it.
it serves if any thing can serve to shew, the
mischief of leaving things to stand upon the
questionable footing of Common Law in
which no number of concurrent decisions
is sufficient to as a presumption either of the reasonableness
of a doctrine, or a pledge of it's
permanency.
Scandal Public. Progress of Despotism in the Heart of |BR|
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Mischievous consequence
Suspicion and Misconstruction
Remedies
Unremitted demonstrations of confidence
This at the long run must disarm the
most pernitacious suspicions.
There is no such thing as a King's breaking
with the Great men about him, without
he take the People into his Party.
A man should consider not only what a
project is in itself, but what it behoves
to appear to others.
A career begun with the most beneficent intentions
to the state, finish in determined
enmity to it's liberties.
Truth or Libel The axiom, that truth may be a libel
the more truth in charges the more libellous
take away exempts of at once the Moral Sanction
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from public even from the Moral Sanction.
I would not say that this position was invented
for the sake of setting people at their
ease in the commission of public abuse:
much less would I say that it was has been of late mentioned
for that reason such a purpose <add>in such a view</add> — The former I
scarce believe: the latter I strongly disbelieve.
But this I will say, that if such
had been the design, there is not so effectual
an expedient that could have been devised
for the accomplishing it.
Libell formerly more mischievous. When men were more turbulent, and
less submissive to the restraints of Law & Morality
than now, Libelling behoved to be
more mischievous than now. It behoved therefore
to be punished more than now: once its
effects guarded against with the greatest anxiety.
Men accused for had not the same means of publishing
their defences.
Men in Power
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Identifier: | JB/070/196/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 70.
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196 |
scandal public. progress of despotism in the heart of the men in power |
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jeremy bentham |
[[watermarks::gr [crown motif] [britannia with shield motif]]] |
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