JB/118/422/002

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8 August 1810
Press

Art. 4. But neither can the personal fitness of any such public
functionary be freely discussed, nor the fitness of any
law institution or measure of government concerning in relation to which
either in the way of support or opposition or proposed alteration
he has it has happened to him to take a part, but
that in so far as such his fitness is denied or doubted of or a
correspondent aspersion imputation on his reputation or his character must
unavoidably be cast, an imputation of which in so far
as it is credited the effect will be the lowering him by
so much in the estimation of his fellow citizens the public.

It is necessary therefore that in so far as concerns
their fitness for public business, the character of all public
men, whether including all such as are considered as
capable of becoming public men should in the most public
manner be liable to be called in question and attacked remain exposed to attack, provided
that by such attack in the mode of such attack
no violation be offered either to truth or decency moderation decorum.

So far as concerning the political The use of the liberty of the press is that of concerns it serving as a
remedy against misrule. But in

In so far as truth is violated, the press so far from
being affording operating as a security for good government remedy f against misrule becomes itself an instrument
of deception the which by the application thus
made of it is rendered conducive to bad government promotive of misrule.

In so far as decorum is violated, it is liable to
give birth to a degree of irritation such as is not neither necessary nor conducive
to any good purpose, but on the contrary in a high degree conducive to
many bad ones bad purposes.

Identifier: | JB/118/422/002 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 118.
Date_1	1812-09-08	Marginal Summary Numbering	4-5
Box	118	Main Headings	panopticon
Folio number	422	Info in main headings field	to ld sidmouth
Image	002	Titles
Category	correspondence	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	b2 / c2 / e2
Penner	jeremy bentham	Watermarks	th 1806
Marginals	jeremy bentham	Paper Producer	andre morellet
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year	1806
Notes public	draft; not included in letter 2190, vol. 8	ID Number	39476
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