is own person, no office, or
emolument, or title; no promotion ecclesiastical, or civil, or military,
or naval, for children, or brothers, or kindred. In vain an expiring
interest in a borough calls for offices, or small livings, for the
children of mayors, and aldermen, and capital burgesses. His court rival
has them all. He can do an infinite number of acts of generosity and
kindness, and even of public spirit. He can procure indemnity from
quarters. He can procure advantages in trade. He can get pardons for
offences. He can obtain a thousand favours, and avert a thousand evils.
He may, while he betrays every valuable interest of the kingdom, be a
benefactor, a patron, a father, a guardian angel, to his borough. The
unfortunate independent member has nothing to offer, but harsh refusal,
or pitiful excuse, or despondent representation of a hopeless interest.
Except from his private fortune, in which he may be equalled, perhaps
exceeded, by his Court competitor, he has no way of showing any one good
quality, or of making a single friend. In the House, he votes for ever
in a dispirited minority. If he speaks, the doors are locked. A body of
loquacious placemen go out to tell the world, that all he aims at, is to
get into office. If he has not the talent of elocution, which is the
case of many as wise and knowing men as any in the House, he is liable to
all these inconveniences, without the eclat which attends upon any
tolerably successful exertion of eloquence. Can we conceive a more
discouraging post of duty than this? Strip it of the poor reward of
popularity; suffer even the excesses committed in defence of the popular
interest to become a ground for the majority of that House to form a
disqualification out of the line of the law, and at their pleasure,
attended not only with the loss of the franchise, but with every kind of
personal disgrace; if this shall happen, the people of this kingdom may
be assured that they cannot be firmly or faithfully served by any man. It
is out of the nature of men and things that they should; and their
presumption will be equal to their folly, if they expect it. The power
of the people, within the laws, must show itself sufficient to protect
every representative in the animated performance of his duty, or that
duty cannot be performed. The House of Commons can never be a control on
other parts of Government, unless they are controlled themselves by their
constituents; and