[p. 547]
|547| assembly of the estates of the realm itself, becomes more superfluous. Legal provisions against it are something insufficient when the matter itself brings it so with it. Even to abstract from the spirit which must form in such a well-salaried committee, the history of the old Württemberg estates of the realm has furnished sufficient experience on this. It is known how rare assemblies of estates have been. What the present estates seemed to regard as their palladium, the uninterrupted duration of committees, they would have had to regard, with more reflection or mere looking back at that experience lying nearest to them, rather as an arrangement which laid the most dangerous snare for their independence and their true existence, namely as a general assembly.
The fifth preliminary article demanded is the share of the estates in legislation since 1806, namely revision of the ordinances issued since 1806 by a joint deputation of the prince and of the land. – The King reminded the estates of the means which they already have for this in the right of petition. – Besides, however, in the fact that that share was demanded only in regard to the ordinances issued since 1806, when the old estates of the realm were abolished, one can see only either blind prejudice for what came earlier and blind animosity against what came later from the King, or at least the craving to show belief in the excellence of the former and dissatisfaction with the latter. Further, the revision, to be carried out merely by a deputation of royal councillors and members of the estates – for which the favourite name of the prince and of the land comes to the fore again -, is, oddly and informally, put forward, whereas the concurrence of the whole assembly of the estates belongs to the business of legislation; for the preparatory work on it, as for all other preparatory work, it had the power [to] assign them to committees.
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