Econlib

The Library

Other Sites

Front Page arrow Titles (by Subject) arrow Section 6.—: Promulgation of Recommendations in Favour of Proposed Members. - The Works of Jeremy Bentham, vol. 3

Return to Title Page for The Works of Jeremy Bentham, vol. 3

Search this Title:

Also in the Library:

Subject Area: Economics
Subject Area: Political Theory
Subject Area: Law

Section 6.—: Promulgation of Recommendations in Favour of Proposed Members. - Jeremy Bentham, The Works of Jeremy Bentham, vol. 3 [1843]

Edition used:

The Works of Jeremy Bentham, published under the Superintendence of his Executor, John Bowring (Edinburgh: William Tait, 1838-1843). 11 vols. Vol. 3.

Part of: The Works of Jeremy Bentham, 11 vols.

About Liberty Fund:

Liberty Fund, Inc. is a private, educational foundation established to encourage the study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible individuals.


Section 6.—

Promulgation of Recommendations in Favour of Proposed Members.

Art. I. For sufficiency and equality of notification, and to exclude, as far as may be, all such undue advantage as might be derived from superiority of expenditure,—provision is hereby made as follows for the promulgation of recommendatory certificates.

Art. II. From the several definitive recommendatory certificates delivered in favour of the several proposed members, as per Section 3, the election-district clerk prepares the general recommendatory certificate paper of the district.

Copies thereof shall, under his care, be printed in two forms: namely, the placard form and the newspaper advertisement form.

The text is the same in both. It is composed of the form, as per Section 3, Article III.; omitting only the prefixed date, and the three notes; and adding the several lists of recommenders, headed by the names of the respective proposed members.

The order, as between list and list, shall be the same as that in which they were delivered in at the office.

The instrument is to be attested and signed by the district clerk.

Art. III. Choice of placarding-places shall be made in this manner:—

A list of edifices within his district, such as shall seem to him proper for this purpose, shall be made out by the election-clerk of each election-district.

[NA] days at the least before the election day, a copy of such list, directed to the election-master-general at the national-election office, shall be delivered in, by the election-clerk, at the nearest, or other more convenient, general post-office.

Art. IV. In this list shall be comprised:—

1. All polling offices.

2. All other government offices; and in particular all post-offices, and excise-offices.

3. All town-halls.

4. All cathedrals, parish churches, and chapels of the Established Church.

5. All dissenting meeting-houses; including Catholic chapels, Quakers’ meeting-houses, and Jewish synagogues.

6. In every town or village, containing [one hundred] houses, and not containing any such public building as above,—licensed public-houses, one, two, or three, to be fixed upon by the election-clerk at his discretion, regard being had to the purposes mentioned in Article I.*

Art. V. [NA] days after the receipt of such list at the national-election office, reckoning according to the course of the post, shall, by each district-election clerk, be allowed for the consideration of his list by the election-master-general.

At the end of this length of time, with the addition of that which, in the instance of each such election-district office, regard being had to local distance, is necessary for the transmission of an answer thither from the national office,—if no answer therefrom have been received, such list is to be employed.

If an answer is received from the election-master-general, giving order for amendments, then shall such amendments be conformed to, and the list employed shall be such as the amendments indicate.

Of the answer received, or of the expiration of the time without answer, as the case may be, entry shall be made in the register-book of the district office.

Art. VI. Here follows a provision for keeping up the list of placarding-places:—

[NA] days before the last day of each successive year, a copy of the printed list of the year last preceding,—with indications in writing, proposing such amendments as, by the lapse of time, shall, in the judgment of the said election-district clerk, have been made requisite,—shall in like manner, by means of timely transmissions from the district offices, according to their respective distances, have been received at the election-master-general’s office.

They shall thereupon be re-transmitted and employed, subject to amendments, as per Article V.

Art. VII. In each election-district, as soon as the general recommendatory certificate paper has been completed, and (as per Articles IV. and V.) the number of placarding-places ascertained,—the district-clerk shall cause to be printed, in the placard form, a number of such certificates, equal to that of the said placarding-places, with a surplus sufficient for incidental demand.

Having so done, he shall by post, as per Article III., transmit, to each of the several polling offices within his district, a number correspondent to that of the several placarding-places within that polling district, with a competent surplus, as above.

Art. VIII. Immediately upon receipt of his allotment of general recommendatory certificate papers, each polling-office clerk shall make appointment of a competent number of persons, under the name of election placarders, by whose hands the several placards shall be affixed on the several placarding-places.

To each of such election placarders he shall deliver, in manuscript or print, a paper of instructions for his guidance in the execution of such his office.

Art. IX. For the more effectual prevention of all obstruction thereto, each such election placarder shall, within such polling district, have the power, as attested by the ensign of office, of a special constable.

Of these powers a specification shall be contained in such paper of instruction.

The election-master-general shall, from time to time, as occasion may require, draw up a paper of such placarding instructions for the whole kingdom.

But with all such variations, and such only, as in his judgment may be suitable to the circumstances of particular districts or sub-districts.

Art. X. On payment of [1s.] the editor of every newspaper, having, or designed to have currency in any election district, may, if desirous of publishing in such his newspaper, the general recommendatory certificate paper of the district, cause his name and address, accompanied with an intimation of such his desire, to be registered at the office of such district.

This done, a copy of such paper shall, at or before the time when the operation of placarding commences, be transmitted to him by the general post from the said office.

As between newspaper and newspaper, it is the duty of the election clerk so to order matters, that every such newspaper shall receive such certificate paper, as nearly as may be at the same time, in such sort that no advantage be given to any one to the prejudice of any other.

Art. XI. Of every such general recommendatory certificate, the copy shall in every newspaper be free of stamp-duty.

It shall be printed without change, and without any comment immediately prefixed or subjoined.

If, in the printing thereof in any newspaper, any change be made, for the purpose or to the effect of undue preference or prejudice to any proposed member, whether by omission, addition, or substitution, or any difference in the type or mode of printing, the proposed member so injured shall have his remedy against the editor of the newspaper, by action for damages, and with costs.

Art. XII. Of the three original definitive recommendatory certificates, delivered in favour of each proposed member, at the election-district office, as per Section 3, Article III. the clerk shall by the next post transmit one to the national election office.

[* ]The more effectual the provision here made for the equality endeavoured at is, the less will be the advantage obtainable by any additional degree of publicity, capable of being given by undue favour or weight of purse. For repressing, by prohibitory provisions, with penalties, any such undue extra circulation, any endeavour that could be used would be attended by a degree of complication, the inconvenience of which could not, it is believed, be paid for by the advantage.