JB/091/321/001

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28 Feby 1808
on Ld Eldon's Bill

The distinguishable hatred with which any generous character is
by every mean and selfish one
When the party comes in, then the Bill may have a chance.

This goodness of the law will it secure – will
it so much as facilitate the reception of the proposed
law? So far as this or that one set of men are concerned, yes:
depends on this or that same set of men, yes: but so far
as depends upon this or that other, quite the contrary.
Two principles in human nature will join in the support
of it: the love of justice, and party attachment, and the
love of justice. On the other hand others will
join hands in the opposing it their force in opposition to it: party attachment that is party
interest on the other side, lawyer-craft, the sinister
interest by which all lawyers are bound together formed into a Theban
band, and personal jealousy: the jealousy of cold and selfish
ambition which in every rival competitor beholds an enemy, and
an enemy more and more the more odious, in proportion to his worth virtue.

A Bill of this sort will it pass? From this statement
it appears Your Lordship sees already how much strong the chances are against it.

What has the mineralogists say of gold, may be
said of the love of justice: pretious as it is it is found almost everywhere,
but almost everywhere in quantities deplorably minute too minute for use.

Abstractedly considered The Bill has the good wishes of every lover of justice
that is of almost everybody: but a good wish is not
a pan of fat a foot to carry a man to the House, nor a sitting part
to keep him there. The author a member of a party, and
of the party (let this be the supposition) which for the moment
has the ascendant, and is in office place: but this is not a party
measure: it is a measure of law, and as such to be left let the lawyers
look to it to the lawyers. Deorum offensa neggetia diis cura.

Identifier: | JB/091/321/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 91.
Date_1	1808-02-28	Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	091	Main Headings	scotch reform
Folio number	321	Info in main headings field	on ld eldons bill
Image	001	Titles
Category	text sheet	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	e4
Penner	jeremy bentham	Watermarks
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number	29317
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