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Official Despotism
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
Malecontents 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 tye
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 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 of which I am
subjects of which I am a member –⊞ ⊞ I acknowledge and bless and cherish – and never for a however 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.
I do not mean by the exercise of despotic power – the
execution of , wrong or even unjust measures: the
propriety of the measure has nothing no to do with the propriety
or impropriety of applying the epithet despotic to the
powers by which they are exercised.
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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Panopticon |
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Official Despotism |
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Recto"Recto" is not in the list (recto, verso) of allowed values for the "Rectoverso" property. |
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