The public good being therefore, very often, not a motive strong
enough to engage the magistrate to perform his duty, lawgivers have
many times fortified their laws with penalties, wherein private
persons may have a profit, thereby to stir up the people to put the
laws in execution.
In countries depraved nothing proceeds well wherein particular men
do not one way or other find their account; and rather than a public
good should not go on at all, without doubt, it is better to give
private men some interest to set it forward.
For which reason it may be worth the consideration of such as study
the prosperity and welfare of England, whether this great engine of
maintaining the poor, and finding them work and employment, may not
be put in motion by giving some body of undertakers a reasonable
gain to put the machine upon its wheels.
In order to which, we shall here insert a proposal delivered to the
House of Commons last session of Parliament, for the better
maintaining the impotent, and employing and setting to work the
other poor of this kingdom.
In matters of this nature, it is always good to have some model or
plan laid down, which thinking men may contemplate, alter, and
correct, as they see occasion; and the writer of these papers does
rather choose to offer this scheme, because he is satisfied it was
composed by a gentleman of great abilities, and who has made both
the poor rates, and their number, more his study than any other
person in the nation.
Pages:
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118