On the record
But if he disputes, as he does, the authority of an act of Parliament, let him state to me that law to which he means to be subject, or any law which he knows that will justify his actions.
Said by
Edmund Burke
Source
gutenberg.orgEdmund Burke: “But if he disputes, as he does, the authority of an act of Parliament, let him state to me that law to which he means to…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke challenges the legitimacy of rejecting parliamentary authority without presenting an alternative legal framework.
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More from Edmund Burke
Jan 1, 1790
If any of them should happen to propose a scheme of liberty soberly limited, and defined with proper qualifications, he will be immediately outbid by his competitors, who will produce something more splendidly popular.
Jan 1, 1790
They will become flatterers instead of legislators,--the instruments, not the guides of the people.
Jan 1, 1790
They come from one who has been no tool of power, no flatterer of greatness, and who in his last acts does not wish to belie the tenor of his life.
Jan 1, 1790
Let us imitate their caution, if we wish to deserve their fortune or to retain their bequests.
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