登陆注册
4705400000202

第202章

Scandal represented the Groom of the Stole as the favoured lover of the Princess Dowager. He was undoubtedly her confidential friend. The influence which the two united exercised over the mind of the King was for a time unbounded. The Princess, a woman and a foreigner, was not likely to be a judicious adviser about affairs of State. The Earl could scarcely be said to have served even a noviciate in politics. His notions of government had been acquired in the society which had been in the habit of assembling round Frederic at Kew and Leicester House. That society consisted principally of Tories, who had been reconciled to the House of Hanover by the civility with which the Prince had treated them, and by the hope of obtaining high preferment when he should come to the throne. Their political creed was a peculiar modification of Toryism. It was the creed neither of the Tories of the seventeenth nor of the Tories of the nineteenth century. It was the creed, not of Filmer and Sacheverell, not of Perceval and Eldon, but of the sect of which Bolingbroke may be considered as the chief doctor. This sect deserves commendation for having pointed out and justly reprobated some great abuses which sprang up during the long domination of the Whigs. But it is far easier to point out and reprobate abuses than to propose beneficial reforms: and the reforms which Bolingbroke proposed would either have been utterly inefficient, or would have produced much more mischief than they would have removed.

The Revolution had saved the nation from one class of evils, but had at the same time--such is the imperfection of all things human--engendered or aggravated another class of evils which required new remedies. Liberty and property were secure from the attacks of prerogative. Conscience was respected. No government ventured to infringe any of the rights solemnly recognised by the instrument which had called William and Mary to the throne. But it cannot be denied that, under the new system, the public interests and the public morals were seriously endangered by corruption and faction. During the long struggle against the Stuarts, the chief object of the most enlightened statesmen had been to strengthen the House of Commons, The struggle was over; the victory was won; the House of Commons was supreme in the State; and all the vices which had till then been latent in the representative system were rapidly developed by prosperity and power. Scarcely had the executive government become really responsible to the House of Commons, when it began to appear that the House of Commons was not really responsible to the nation.

Many of the constituent bodies were under the absolute control of individuals; many were notoriously at the command of the highest bidder. The debates were not published. It was very seldom known out of doors how a gentleman had voted. Thus, while the ministry was accountable to the Parliament, the majority of the Parliament was accountable to nobody. In such circumstances, nothing could be more natural than that the members should insist on being paid for their votes, should form themselves into combinations for the purpose of raising the price of their votes, and should at critical conjunctures extort large wages by threatening a strike.

Thus the Whig ministers of George the First and George the Second were compelled to reduce corruption to a system, and to practise it on a gigantic scale.

If we are right as to the cause of these abuses, we can scarcely be wrong as to the remedy. The remedy was surely not to deprive the House of Commons of its weight in the State. Such a course would undoubtedly have put an end to parliamentary corruption and to parliamentary factions: for, when votes cease to be of importance, they will cease to be bought; and, when knaves can get nothing by combining, they will cease to combine. But to destroy corruption and faction by introducing despotism would have been to cure bad by worse. The proper remedy evidently was, to make the House of Commons responsible to the nation; and this was to be effected in two ways; first, by giving publicity to parliamentary proceedings, and thus placing every member on his trial before the tribunal of public opinion; and secondly, by so reforming the constitution of the House that no man should be able to sit in it who had not been returned by a respectable and independent body of constituents.

Bolingbroke and Bolingbroke's disciples recommended a very different mode of treating the diseases of the State. Their doctrine was that a vigorous use of the prerogative by a patriot King would at once break all factious combinations, and supersede the pretended necessity of bribing members of Parliament. The King had only to resolve that he would be master, that he would not be held in thraldom by any set of men, that he would take for ministers any persons in whom he had confidence, without distinction of party, and that he would restrain his servants from influencing by immoral means either the constituent bodies or the representative body. This childish scheme proved that those who proposed it knew nothing of the nature of the evil with which they pretended to deal. The real cause of the prevalence of corruption and faction was that a House of Commons, not accountable to the people, was more powerful than the King.

同类推荐
  • 糖霜谱

    糖霜谱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 杨文敏集

    杨文敏集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 凌临灵方

    凌临灵方

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 鬻婴提要说

    鬻婴提要说

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Aaron Trow

    Aaron Trow

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 琥珀烟斗

    琥珀烟斗

    即使到了现在,一想起那天晚上的情景,我仍会毛骨悚然。那是东京大地震发生刚过不久的事!那天晚上10时过后,天空的样子开始不太对劲,随着台风的呼吼声响,豆大的雨滴哗啦啦地洒落。由于早上见到报纸上写着“台风今天午夜将侵袭帝都”,我一整天在办公室里就坐立难安,很不幸,气象台的预测真的应验。我会说自己坐立难安是因为当夜12点至凌晨2点必须值夜班,而在暴风雨中值夜班很不好受。这项夜班勤务是约摸一个月前发生东京大震灾后才开始施行。当时因为所有交通工具瘫痪,各种流言四起,火灾后残存的高级住宅区因为抢匪流窜大肆搜括,才组成了所谓自卫警勤团。
  • 极品女黑客:只能是你

    极品女黑客:只能是你

    他的母亲意外丧生,母亲的双胞胎妹妹秘密代替母亲的位置生活在家里,导致他从小就患有异性接触障碍。她是黑客女王,是他的心理医师,她拥有许多匪夷所思的生存技能,但却从没尝过亲人的温暖。他们抓住了彼此的命运,他爱的人只能是她,她爱的人也只能是他。我的心飘泊太久,无人能靠近,此生爱的人,只能是你。
  • 潇湘水绕话红楼

    潇湘水绕话红楼

    金玉缘成,宝玉娶亲之时,黛玉灵魂出窍,来到太虚幻境,得警幻仙姑点拨看清了贾府人的嘴脸!对亲情,黛玉心灰意冷,但没落的贾府千般谋划,百般算计,终于,一个月黑风高之夜,被设计出府,成为贾府巴结攀附北静王府的筹码!没落的贾府把希望寄托在她身上,她会如他们所愿吗?面对那水溶不屑的眼光,孤傲的林妹妹,能否赢得北静王水溶的爱慕?冷漠、不屑、关心、爱怜、动心、用情、长路漫漫,曲折多多~隆重推出雨若非彤的好文《红楼之玉溶潇湘》喜欢红楼的亲们可以看看哟。      又有人加入了,栖霞公子的红楼
  • 佣兵的战争

    佣兵的战争

    武器,总是拿来守护的。武器,总是拿来守护的。武器,总是拿来守护的。
  • 创世奥拉之黑暗心

    创世奥拉之黑暗心

    这是来自恒古的传说,未来的渺茫,奥拉星随着时代的变迁,战斗之神的队伍会经历什么?_?是时代的抛弃,还是整个战队的解散,面对着黑暗的强大势力和奥拉星内部的混乱,战斗之神的队伍会怎么样呢?这是一部回忆加玄幻作品,希望大家喜欢。
  • 传说总裁会克妻

    传说总裁会克妻

    蔚晓岚从小到大幸运无敌,绰号幸运星,走路捡钱包什么的都是小case,你见过从天而降一个俊美非凡的霸道总裁死缠烂打非要跟你结婚吗?蔚晓岚:NO!这总裁不单是个冰山,还自带诅咒体质,只要是女人,谁靠近谁倒霉有木有,求松手,求放过!裴总裁:自从绑了个媳妇,运气好了,生意好了,商战宅斗都是躺赢了,实在太无聊,不然……媳妇儿,我们还是来“作”运动吧?
  • 豪门少主的禁忌爱人:佳期无约

    豪门少主的禁忌爱人:佳期无约

    米佳从小就备受争议和嘲讽,某天从家里逃跑的米佳误入酒吧不小心喝醉被陌生人带进酒店却不慎走错了房间成了L市最危险的冷情总裁的一夕恋人……可谁知两人竟被爆出原是同父异母的亲兄妹,而此时,米佳发现自己怀孕了……
  • 拯救世界的那些年

    拯救世界的那些年

    地球上的科技技术已经达到了所剩资源所能支撑的极限,外星殖民计划早就已经完成,月球火星等地已经完全建立起了完善的地区城市和自然生物链制度。【作者新手,更新时间不定,请见谅(/▽╲)】
  • 猎爱计划:女人你敢嫁别人!

    猎爱计划:女人你敢嫁别人!

    我很害怕我的姐夫每次遇见他我都像羊见了狼般慌忙窜逃他邪魅的眼神让我窒息,仿佛能吞噬我的灵魂站在他面前我就像没穿衣服一样不自在我万万没想到,在我结婚那天他真的把我扒光了挣扎在他挺拔的身下,看着他绿色的眸,我惊恐的吼“邢天翼你放开我,你进错房间了,我是季雨羲,你的新娘在隔壁床上”他不顾我的叫喊,直到撕碎了我的婚纱后才冷冷开口“我当然知道你不是季雨欣,而我也没进错房,因为我要女人的就是你”*片段一:我赤身裸体站在邢天翼面前,看着他递过来的结婚证,照片上我笑得很甜“跟我注册的人明明是肖剑楠,为什么变成了你?”“因为小贱男一直爱着你姐才会主动提出跟我合谋,偷天换日”片段二:从前男友的生日宴回来,想着他与姐姐甜蜜拥吻,我疲惫的坐在了沙发上“别碰我,今夜不想和你做”“不想?好,但你盯了他一个晚上,我就要折磨你一个晚上”*姐夫和男友合谋,在同婚当天交换新娘,所有人皆知,只有我被蒙在鼓里我不会再去挽留旧爱,我要搞垮新欢但当我胜利后,我竟然歇斯底里的哭了,梨花带雨的我声嘶力竭…*此文结局已定,绝不篡改故事虽俗套,但情节精心策划。喜欢请支持,不喜欢者请绕道,侮辱性留言删无赦**————————————————————————————————*推荐桃花自己的文文:《拐嫁》-----------(完结)《错妻》-----------(完结)《娇颜媚盅》-------(强推)《恶魔的禁锢》-----(半价)《极品相公跟我走》-(完结)《北定王妃莫紫汐》-(半价)
  • 特种部队异界行

    特种部队异界行

    当一支特种部队在一次军事演习中意外地来到了异世大陆,作为军队最高指挥官主角将何去何从。现代化武器遇到魔法斗气又将发生什么?组建各种势力团队,收服各个异族部落,建立一支大陆第一的军队,并在魔兽森林外面建立龙城,成为全世界无人敢攻的坚固堡垒!为了不使大陆变成人间地狱而与亡灵圣魔导师开战,为了给死去的好友讨回公道,龙城大军攻打大陆的第一强国,从此不理大陆死活!恶魔军团在更强大的首领的率领下卷土重来,大陆联军拼死抵抗,联军死伤无数,节节败退,恶魔军团如入无人之境!