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Excerpt from The Speech of Mr. Johnstone, on Mr. Curwen's Bill, for Better Securing the Independence and Purity of Parliament, and More Effectual Prevention of Bribery: Friday, May 19, 1809
House, where shall we find the practical evils of the present Constitution P Is it in the admission of per sons unworthy of so high a trust from education; from character, or from manners; or is it'in the ne gleet and misconduct of Parliament itself? I am aware, that Parliament, out of doors, is charged with every degree of misconduct. I know, that we are said to be utterly unworthy of public trust but because we are calumniated abroad, let us not calumniate ourselves. Let our proceedings be carefully examined; let our conduct be compared with the conduct of other public bodies, in other nations, intrusted with similar power, or compared with the conduct of our ancestors in the best periods of our history; and let the country decide whether we have discharged our duty. Let us be judged with reference to what has existed in any age, or in any country. From such an ordeal we shrink not; but let us not be tried on theoretic prin ciples of virtue, which have never had a practiéal ex istence, and are, in fact, inconsistent with the frailties of human nature.
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