Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/185

Ch. 2. being attended in an unuual manner; and exprely provides, that no other matter hall be treated of in that aembly, ave only the election, on pain of incurring a praemunire.

V.&ensp; peculiar laws and cutoms of the houe of commons relate principally to the raiing of taxes, and the elections of members to erve in parliament.

, with regard to taxes: it is the antient indiputable privilege and right of the houe of commons, that all grants of ubidies or parliamentary aids do begin in their houe, and are firt betowed by them ; although their grants are not effectual to all intents and purpoes, until they have the aent of the other two branches of the legilature. The general reaon, given for this excluive privilege of the houe of commons, is, that the upplies are raied upon the body of the people, and therefore it is proper that they alone hould have the right of taxing themelves. This reaon would be unanwerable, if the commons taxed none but themelves: but it is notorious, that a very large hare of property is in the poeion of the houe of lords; that this property is equally taxable, and taxed, as the property of the commons; and therefore the commons not being the ole perons taxed, this cannot be the reaon of their having the ole right of raiing and modelling the upply. The true reaon, ariing from the pirit of our contitution, eems to be this. The lords being a permanent hereditary body, created at pleaure by the king, are uppoed more liable to be influenced by the crown, and when once influenced to continue o, than the commons, who are a temporary elective body, freely nominated by the people. It would therefore be extremely dangerous, to give them any power of framing new taxes for the ubject: it is ufficient, that they have a power of rejecting, if they think the commons too lavih or improvident in their grants. But o reaonably jealous are the commons of this valuable privilege, that herein they will not uffer the other houe to exert any power but that of rejecting; Rh