Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/186

170 they will not permit the leat alteration or amendment to be made by the lords to the mode of taxing the people by a money bill; under which appellation are included all bills, by which money is directed to be raied upon the ubject, for any purpoe or in any hape whatoever; either for the exigencies of government, and collected from the kingdom in general, as the land tax; or for private benefit, and collected in any particular ditrict, as by turnpikes, parih rates, and the like. Yet ir Matthew Hale mentions one cae, founded on the practice of parliament in the reign of Henry VI, wherein he thinks the lords may alter a money bill; and that is, if the commons grant a tax, as that of tonnage and poundage, for four years; and the lords alter it to a les time, as for two years; here, he ays, the bill need not be ent back to the commons for their concurrence, but may receive the royal aent without farther ceremony; for the alteration of the lords is conitent with the grant of the commons. But uch an experiment will hardly be repeated by the lords, under the preent improved idea of the privilege of the houe of commons: and, in any cae where a money bill is remanded to the commons, all amendments in the mode of taxation are ure to be rejected.

, with regard to the elections of knights, citizens, and burgees; we may oberve, that herein conits the exercie of the democratical part of our contitution: for in a democracy there can be no exercie of overeignty but by uffrage, which is the declaration of the people’s will. In all democracies therefore it is of the utmot importance to regulate by whom, and in what manner, the uffrages are to be given. And the Athenians were o jutly jealous of this prerogative, that a tranger, who interfered in the aemblies of the people, was punihed by their laws with death: becaue uch a man was eteemed guilty of high treaon, by uurping thoe rights of overeignty, to which he had no title. In England, where the people do not debate in a collective body but by repreentation, the exercie of this overeignty conits