JB/106/334/001

Click Here To Edit

1823. Feb. 27
Greece

In holding up to view the state of government in that confederated United States
federative democracy as a model for imitation, I mean not that that the imitation should
be indiscriminate. It should be founded in principle undiscriminating. In that hitherto
scale of wisdom would matchless seat of practical wisdom and experienced felicity, the machinery of government has
not however as yet all that simplicity of which it appears to me susceptible.
The President is placed in his situation by the suffrages of
a set of appropriate Electors nominated by the legislatures of the several
confederated Commonwealths: and the time of his continue continuance
in Office is four years. For my part, I see not any evil that would be
likely to arise, if, in your case at the beginning of each year are to be this Chief of
the Executive Department were elected by the members of the legislative body, meaning your meaning
of your so called so-stiled Legislative Senate, the negative of in their proceedings
being supposed taken away by the abolition of the
so-stiled Executive Council as above. True it is that with the exception of the time and labour, bestowed as it seems to me without equivalent profit, I know of no
actual that evil as having actually been produced by the interposition
of those two bodies of Electors. But, so admirably well
adopted to its object in its essential points is the machinery of that Constitution⊞1
⊞ and in particular
such is the declaratory force of
that grand corrective
of all politic evil
the power of public
opinion, supported
by the all comprehensive
body of appropriate
and ungarbled information, continually
poured in it upon it
it by the vast multitude
of the public
journals,
that a number in the excellency of the whole taken together
any little imperfection that may have place in this or that particular
part find in practice an effectual corrective. But
any such system of is to be all when a newly formed or rather about to be formed state is the subject of consideration
together for another political state principle should be looked principles should be looked out for.
for and and only course of good management but obstacles
to good management their having been surmounted
by the operation of the causes should be looked out for
and among to all such arrangements as are seen employed in any other
political state, the manifest prosperity of which holds it out as an public of object of imitation, a careful scrutiny should be applied, at
best, in regard to such good effects as are produced by the
whole machinery taken together, those parts by which this or that part⊞ ⊞2 of which when considered by itself it will be plain that nothing
but obstruction can be afforded, be numbered among those efficient
causes by which every good effect discernible in the aggregate result
has in reality been produced.

Identifier: | JB/106/334/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 106.
Date_1	1823-02-27	Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	106	Main Headings	constitutional code
Folio number	334	Info in main headings field	greece
Image	001	Titles
Category	text sheet	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	e5 / f8
Penner	jeremy bentham	Watermarks	j whatman 1821
Marginals		Paper Producer	admiral pavel chichagov
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year	1821
Notes public		ID Number	34922
Box Contents