223 Thoughts on Corruptions^ 
an act ©f villany so superlatively atro¬ 
cious? 
It is impossible to reflect without some 
indignation, upon the mutilated and man¬ 
gled state of this noble tragedy, as it is 
exhibited on the stage conformably to 
the presumptuous alterations of Tate. 
Mr. Steevens happily observes, “ that 
the altered Play has the upper gallery on 
its side; the original drama'was patronized 
by Addison. 
Victrix causa Diis placuit, sed victa Catonl.” 
To the Editor of the Monthlij Magazine, 
SIR, 
C ORRUPTION seems to be of two 
kinds; the one that which prevents, 
by any means, the people's being fairly 
^ind fully represented in parliament, so 
as that the sense of parliament might be 
the sense of the people: the other that 
which embezzles or misapplies the public 
money. The first only is the subject of 
this paper. 
The imperfect representation of the 
people in parliament may arise, first, from 
the whole people not having votes in the 
election of members of parliament; se¬ 
cond, when an undue influence is exer¬ 
cised over those who have votes, and 
tlieirjudgment not suffered to direct them 
in their returns of members. 
If either of these take place, the people 
are not fairly represented. As to the 
first, we know that in boroughs there 
are very few in which the whole number 
of the inhabitants are permitted to vote ; 
in some cases freemen only are ; in other 
cases, the members of the corporations; 
in some instances, even a single man re¬ 
turns the members. In the counties, all 
but freeholders, that is, persons holding 
land, are excluded from voting. Se¬ 
condly, of the votes, such as they are, 
the far greater part are directed by a pre¬ 
dominant influence, of some kind or 
other, to return persons who are not of 
their choice or knowledge. 
Now the men, or tlie body of men, 
who have this influence, are, first, the 
ministry, or government, who, by the vast 
sums of money that pass through their 
hands, have it in their power, as it is too 
well known, to return a great number of 
the members of parliament, and thei eby 
commanding a majority in it; for, when 
the ministry have lost this power, and 
wlien it cannot be restored to them by 
calling a new parliament, they must be 
J'emoved, and another set of men chosen. 
When government employs the public 
money to iticrcas© fhe nunibers in their 
and on the Defects of [Oct. 
interest in parliament, they commit, a5 
once, both the kinds of corruption above- 
mentioned. 
Secondly. There are other bodies of 
men, as also many individual personsy 
who have great influence over the elec¬ 
tors; great land proprietors have it over 
their tenants; great manufacturers over 
the workmen they employ; and, in ge¬ 
neral, almost all rich men have it mure 
or less over the votes of poor electors. 
When the first-mentioned influence, 
viz. that of government, prevails, it is 
universally reprobated; but, as to that in 
the hands of other bodies of men, or of 
individuals, we seldom hear it spoken of 
with disapprobation, though the effect 
of it in vitiating the representation is just 
the same that it is in the former cas©. 
This will appear if we consider that— 
Whenever any class of people, whe¬ 
ther it is that which composes the ministry 
orgoverninent, whether itis thatoflanded 
proprietors, whether it is that of master 
manufacturers, merchants, &c., is/able to 
send a majority of members to parliament, 
tiiey can enact such laws as they please"; 
and, unless it can be supposed that these 
members are perfectly upright men, and 
wholly regardless of their own interest, 
they will pass such la<vs as are favourable 
to themselves, and unfavourable to the 
rest of the people. Thus for many cen¬ 
turies, the landed interest prevailed ; 
when w'e find that laws favorable to 
themselves, were enacted by them; 
namely, the Jaws for distress for the reco¬ 
very of the rent of land, when no other 
debts are recoverable in that severe 
manner; the game laws; the laws ex¬ 
cluding all others but themselves from the 
house. The manufacturers have ob¬ 
tained acts which make it unlawful fop 
workmen to meet for raising their wages, 
or to refuse working in order to obtain 
such wages as they think just; whilsS 
tlusy themselves, the masters, r»eet for 
the purpose of lowering the wages, with¬ 
out any restraint. The laws of the mi¬ 
litia are favourable to all these classes, 
and indeed to all the rich men. These 
according to their riches can exempt 
themselves for a thousandth or an hun¬ 
dredth-thousandth part of their property : 
on the contrary, the poor man must pay 
lialf or even the whole of what he is worth 
to be excused from the service. 
Bui it has been said, that now, since 
there are men of different classes of the 
people in the house, such as landed men, 
merchants, manufacturers, 6:c. ; theon« 
class may bakrre^ the 'dshe^’, p.»d'that^ 
