62 THE CONSTITUTION ‘The legiflators, on the other hand, have not forgot that intereft; as well as fear, may impofe filence on duty. ‘To prevent its effets, it has been enaéted, that all perfons concerned i the management of any taxes created fince 16923 commiffioners of prizes, navy, vidtualling-office, &c. comptrollers of the army accounts; agents for re- giments; the clerks in the different offices of the revenue ; any perfons that hold any new office under the Crown, created fince 1705, or having a penfion under the Crown, during pleafure, or for any term of years, are incapable of being ele&ted Members. Befides, if any Member accepts an office under the Crown, except it be an Officer in the army or navy accepting a new commif= fion, his feat becomes void; though fuch Member is capa~ ble of being re-ele&ted. Such are the precautions hitherto taken by the Legi+ flators for preventing the undue influence of the great prerogative of difpofing of rewards and places ; precau+ tions which have been fucceffively taken, according as circumftances have fhown them to be neceffary, and which are owing to caufes powerful enough to produce the eftablifhment of new ones, whenever cifcumftances fhall point out the neceffity of them [i]. CHAP. [i] Nothing can be a better proof of the efficacy of the caufes that fecure the liberty of the Englith, and which we fhall have occafion to deduce and explain hereafter, than thofe vidtories which the Parliament from time to time gains over itfelf, and in which the Members, forgetting all the views of private ambition, only think of their intereft as fubjeéts. Since this was firft written, an excellent regulation has been made for the decifion of controverted ele€tions. Formerly the Houfe decided them in 2 very fummary manner, and the witneffes were not examined upon oath: but, by an A& pafied this Seffion, the decifion is now to be left to a Jury, or Committee, of fifteen Members, formed thus. Out of the Members pre- fent, who mutt not be lefs than one hundred, forty-nine are drawn by lot + out of thefe, each Candidate ftrikes off one alternately, till there remain only thirteen, who, with two others, named out of the whole Houfe, one by each Candidate, are to form the Committee: in order to fecure the necelfary number of one hundred Members, allother bufinefs in the Houfe is to be Sufpended, till the above operations are completed,