OCR Text |
Show Sect. VII. 4‘12 ACTS RELATING TO THE COLONIES. 413 Part III. of that dignity and refpeé't, without which that the intermediate branch of the legiflature {hould throw its weight into the it cannot operate. V The act before us applied a remedy, {tale of the Erovsin. fuch as it is, to this evil. ‘Or rather it created another evil to fubfiitute in the room of it. But then that weight {hould have been thrown in voluntarily, in which cafe the momentum of it would have been fomething in point of inlltu - Henceforward the members of the coun- ence as well as power. Such refiltance as it might in that cafe give to the extrava- cil are not only to be named by his ma- ganccs of the democratic party, might then jeity, but are to hold their olliees no longer have been confidered as the died} of inter« nal conviction. The belief of that con- vietion might then have operated on o- than during his pleafitrc. This indeed was taking away theirdependcnee on the demo- cratieal part of government, but it was neither rendering them independent, nor {ecuring them that refpeét which alone could make them ufeful. If they were liable to contempt whili'r they were confidered only the infiru-ments of the lmufl' of thers. Had they been appointed for life, or at leaf't had proofs and conviciiion of mal- prac‘iice necelTarily preceded their removal or fufpenfion, they would at once have rrprzjlvztarz'mr, they mutt expeét to meet, acquired a degree of dignity, which they could never acquire whillt they were elect- as indeed they have met with abhorrenec, ed by the reprefentatives; and a degree of as well as contempt, appearing to be the ,infiruments of the crown. No doubt the outrages countenanced, or at leafl‘ eon- confidence which they never can hope to acquire whilft they are removeable at the plealure oi‘ the crown. And they would, nived at, under the former democratic go: fvernment, did require for the prefent, ibelides, have had ‘fomcthing worth con1~ tenumg 8 that |