Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/194

178 olution of the government, “if he employs the force, treaure, and offices of the ociety to corrupt the repreentatives, or openly to preingage the electors, and precribe what manner of perons hall be choen. For thus to regulate candidates and electors, and new model the ways of election, what is it, ays he, but to cut up the government by the roots, and poion the very fountain of public ecurity?” As oon therefore as the time and place of election, either in counties or boroughs, are fixed, all oldiers quartered in the place are to remove, at leat one day before the election, to the ditance of two miles or more; and not return till one day after the poll is ended. Riots likewie have been frequently determined to make an election void. By vote alo of the houe of commons, to whom alone belongs the power of determining conteted elections, no lord of parliament, or lord lieutenant of a county, hath any right to interfere in the election of commoners; and, by tatute, the lord warden of the cinque ports hall not recommend any members there. If any officer of the excie, cutoms, tamps, or certain other branches of the revenue, preumes to intermeddle in elections, by peruading any voter or diuading him, he forfeits 100l, and is diabled to hold any office.

are the electors of one branch of the legilature ecured from any undue influence from either of the other two, and from all external violence and compulion. But the greatet danger is that in which themelves co-operate, by the infamous practice of bribery and corruption. To prevent which it is enacted that no candidate hall, after the date (uually called the tete) of the writs, or after the vacancy, give any money or entertainment to his electors, or promie to give any, either to particular perons, or to the place in general, in order to his being elected; on pain of being incapable to erve for that place in parliament. And if any money, gift, office, employment, or reward be given or promied to be given to any voter, at any time, in order to influence him to give or withhold his vote, as well he that takes as he that offers uch bribe forfeits 500l, and is for ever diabled from