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1
Despotism improper
as is an acceptation
of the word —
exercise of will
on the part of men
in power
All Govern having exercise of the powers of government
every exercise of legislative power — of administrative power
in any branch of it is an exercise of will — every
will is the will of some person or persons — every will
that is not an individual act must originate with somebody
— with one that is
Malcontents and apt schemers of violations are apt
to confound the very exercise of government with the abuse
of it — to infer the abuse of it from the steadiness of it —
to give the name of despotic power: to any power which they
observe to continue for a length of time in the same hands.
But the continuance of it in the same hands is a presumption
at least upon that the exercise of it is at any rate not universally
displeasing to contrary to the sentiments and expressions of the great body of the people.
I do not call the power of Parliament despotic because it
has power to do every thing. I acknowledge its power so long as the constitution
what it is do any thing and every thing that can be imagined,[-] [-] and different from what
it is I have never
wished to see it.
In speaking of the power by which I have been injured to the degree which Your Lordship has seen
and oppressed — and through me the nation body of his Majesty liege of which I am
a member subjects of which I am a member [|] [|] I acknowledge and bless
and cherish — and never
for a moment have ever
caused to bless and cherish
in at least as perfect a
as it ever was
or can be by Blackstone
or any body, the
omnipotence of Parliament.
as despotic I annex no such vague and pernicious
meaning to the word: the idea I annex to it is a
very precise one, an idea susceptible of as accurate
a definition as can be wished in any case.
2
2 Exercise of will
even in wrong measure
I do not mean by the exercise of despotic power — the
execution of imputative, wrong or even unjust measures: the
propriety of the measure has nothing no necessary to do with the propriety
or impropriety of applying the epithet 'despotic' to the
mean powers by which they are exercised.
3
Conduit truly despotic
is that which
contrives to secure
itself from responsibility
By despotic measures I mean measures carried on
by men who in carrying on take steps measures for evading that
personal responsibility which according to the constitution attaches
upon every person in the kingdom one alone who is exempted
from it for with the most perfect safety to the constitution and for the wisest reasons.
Instance taken from Long's & Kings male-practices.
Board an engine of despotism.
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Identifier: | JB/121/255/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 121.
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121 |
Panopticon |
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255 |
Official Despotism |
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001 |
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Text sheet |
1 |
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"Recto" is not in the list (recto, verso) of allowed values for the "Rectoverso" property.
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E1 / F1 |
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001 |
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