Thoughts on the Present Discontents, and SpeechesBurke, Edmund
General
Thoughts on the Present Discontents, and Speeches
Burke, Edmund
Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1760-1789
As in destroying their enemies they make use of instruments not
immediately belonging to their corps, so in advancing their own friends
they pursue exactly the same method. To promote any of them to
considerable rank or emolument, they commonly take care that the
recommendation shall pass through the hands of the ostensible Ministry:
such a recommendation might, however, appear to the world as some proof
of the credit of Ministers, and some means of increasing their strength.
To prevent this, the persons so advanced are directed in all companies,
industriously to declare, that they are under no obligations whatsoever
to Administration; that they have received their office from another
quarter; that they are totally free and independent.
When the Faction has any job of lucre to obtain, or of vengeance to
perpetrate, their way is, to select, for the execution, those very
persons to whose habits, friendships, principles, and declarations, such
proceedings are publicly known to be the most adverse; at once to render
the instruments the more odious, and therefore the more dependent, and to
prevent the people from ever reposing a confidence in any appearance of
private friendship, or public principle.
If the Administration seem now and then, from remissness, or from fear of
making themselves disagreeable, to suffer any popular excesses to go
unpunished, the Cabal immediately sets up some creature of theirs to
raise a clamour against the Ministers, as having shamefully betrayed the
dignity of Government. Then they compel the Ministry to become active in
conferring rewards and honours on the persons who have been the
instruments of their disgrace; and, after having first vilified them with
the higher orders for suffering the laws to sleep over the licentiousness
of the populace, they drive them (in order to make amends for their
former inactivity) to some act of atrocious violence, which renders them
completely abhorred by the people. They who remember the riots which
attended the Middlesex Election; the opening of the present Parliament;
and the transactions relative to Saint George's Fields, will not be at a
loss for an application of these remarks.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account