[p. 116]
|116| that by virtue of their sovereign right they are relieved of letting a judgement or even an examination of the candidates who offer themselves precede, and that they have to decide without anything of the kind. It is therefore no wonder that in England the individuals in great number – and it would remain to be seen whether it is not the majority – need to be incited by the candidates to the trouble of voting, which is of little importance to them, and that for such trouble, which benefits the candidates, they let themselves be compensated by them with ribbons, roast meat and beer and some guineas. The French, newer in this political career, to be sure also pressed by the most important interests of a condition not yet more deeply consolidated, rather brought into innermost danger, have not yet fallen so much upon this kind of compensation; but in that they have been aroused to take matters and their share in them more seriously, they have compensated themselves and procured right for themselves for the insignificance of the individual share of their sovereignty in public affairs, through a share taken by themselves also in matters, in insurrections, clubs, associations etc.5)
5) Editors: Here the printing in the Allgemeine preußische Staatszeitung breaks off. The announced continuation did not appear. The remaining text follows W.
The peculiarity touched on before of a power in England which is supposed to be subordinate, and whose members at the same time decide on the total affairs of the state without instruction, without responsibility, without being officials, establishes a relation to the monarchical part of the constitution; it is to be mentioned what influence the Reform Bill may have on this relation and on the governmental power in general. For this consideration it is first to be recalled, as the nearest consequence of the peculiarity mentioned, that in England by virtue of it the
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