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Taine, Hippolyte, 1828-1893

"The French Revolution - Volume 1"


The King must not have a hold on the legislative body: the executive
is an arm, whose business it is to obey; it is absurd for the arm to
constrain or direct the head. Scarcely is the monarch allowed a
delaying veto. Siey?s here enters with his protest declaring that
this is a "lettre de cachet[1] launched against the universal will,"
and there is excluded from the action of the veto the articles of
the Constitution, all money-bills, and some other laws. - -Neither
the monarch nor the electors of the Assembly are to convoke the
Assembly; he has no voice in or oversight of the details of its
formation; the electors are to meet together and vote without his
summons or supervision. Once the Assembly is elected he can neither
adjourn nor dissolve it. He cannot even propose a law;[2] per-
mission is only granted to him "to invite it to take a subject into
consideration." He is limited to his executive duties; and still
more, a sort of wall is built up between him and the Assembly, and
the opening in it, by which each could take the other's hand, is
carefully closed up.


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