[p. 477]
|477| of freedom and defence of the citizens and their rights, – the tendency to win and haggle away from the state as much as possible of means for themselves.
It must be left to German history to show how far the appearance of the former so-called third estate in the diets had its origin in the relationship of ministeriality, in which the heads of the towns had stood as princely officials, and how far, through entry into this relationship, the burgher councillors afterwards also obtained a share in membership of the estates of the realm; likewise how the original officials were at first merely deliberative and only in the course of time became decisive in their votes. – In the Treaty of Tübingen of 1514, which is regarded as the fundamental law in the constitution of the former Duchy of Württemberg, the princely officials, together with one from the court and one from the council of a town, are expressly named as those who are to make up the deputies of the country (Landschaft) at the diets. – Yet already six years afterwards, in the year 1520, the estates of the realm brought it about, before the imperial commissioners, that the officials were weeded out again; the estates thereby give a poor example of the immutability of treaties just solemnly concluded. – Very near at hand lies the objection against the eligibility of officials as deputies, that they, as in the service of the prince, will naturally also speak and act in his interest, whereby the thought perhaps slips in that what is in the interest of the prince is against the interest of the people and of the state. In any case service at the person of the prince, court offices, is something different from the service which is rendered to the government and to the state, and the opinion that what happens in the interest of the government and of the state is against the interest of the people distinguishes the rabble from citizens. – The most recent events of the world, the struggle for
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