Consider；　indeed；　these　rights　as　they　are　proclaimed；　along　with
  the　commentary　of　the　speaker　who　expounds　them　at　the　club　before
  an　audience　of　heated　and　daring　spirits；　or　in　the　street　to　the
  rude　and　fanatical　multitude。　　Every　article　in　the　Declaration　is　a
  dagger　pointed　at　human　society；　and　the　handle　has　only　to　be
  pressed　to　make　the　blade　enter　the　flesh。＇40＇　　Among　〃these　natural
  and　imprescriptible　rights〃　the　legislator　has　placed　〃resistance　to
  oppression。〃　We　are　oppressed　：　let　us　resist　and　take　up　arms。
  According　to　this　legislator；　〃society　has　the　right　to　bring　every
  public　agent　of　the　Administration　to　account。〃　Let　us　away　to　the
  H？tel…de…Ville；　and　interrogate　our　lukewarm　or　suspected
  magistrates；　and　watch　their　sessions　to　see　if　they　prosecute
  priests　and　disarm　the　aristocrats；　let　us　stop　their　intrigues
  against　the　people；　let　us　force　these　slow　clerks　to　hasten　their
  steps。　…　According　to　this　legislator　〃all　citizens　have　the　right
  to　take　part　in　person；　or　through　their　representatives；　in　the
  formation　of　the　law。〃　There　must　thus　be　no　more　electors
  privileged　by　their　payment　of　a　three…franc　tax。　　Down　with　the　new
  aristocracy　of　active　citizens！　Let　us　restore　to　the　two　millions
  of　proletarians　the　right　of　suffrage；　of　which　the　Constitution　has
  unjustly　defrauded　them！　…　According　to　this　legislator；　〃men　are
  born　and　remain　free；　and　equal　in　their　rights。〃　Consequently；　let
  no　one　be　excluded　from　the　National　Guard；　let　everybody；　even　the
  pauper；　have　some　kind　of　weapon；　a　pike　or　gun；　to　defend　his
  freedom！　…　In　the　very　terms　of　the　Declaration；　〃the　law　is　the
  expression　of　the　universal　will。〃　Listen　to　these　clamors　in　the
  open　streets；　to　these　petitions　flowing　in　from　the　towns　on　all
  sides；　behold　the　universal　will；　the　living　law　which　abolishes　the
  written　law！　On　the　strength　of　this　the　leader　of　a　few　clubs　in
  Paris　are　to　depose　the　King；　to　violate　the　Legislative　Assembly
  and　decimate　the　National　Convention。　…　In　other　terms；　the
  turbulent；　factious　minority　is　to　supplant　the　sovereign　nation；
  and　henceforth　there　is　nothing　to　hinder　it　from　doing　what　it
  pleases　just　when　it　pleases。　　The　operation　of　the　Constitution　has
  given　to　it　the　reality　of　power；　while　the　preamble　of　the
  Constitution　clothes　it　with　the　semblance　of　right。
  VI。　　Summary　of　the　work　of　the　Constituent　Assembly。
  Such　is　the　work　of　the　Constituent　Assembly。　　In　several　of　its
  laws；　especially　those　which　relate　to　private　interests；　in　the
  institution　of　civil　regulations；　in　the　penal　and　rural　codes；＇41＇
  in　the　first　attempts　at；　and　the　promise　of；　a　uniform　civil　code；
  in　the　enunciation　of　a　few　simple　regulations　regarding　taxation；
  procedure；　and　administration；　it　planted　good　seed。　　But　in　all
  that　relates　to　political　institutions　and　social　organization　its
  proceedings　are　those　of　an　academy　of　Utopians；　and　not　those　of
  practical　legislators。　…　On　the　sick　body　entrusted　to　it；　it
  performed　amputations　which　were　as　useless　as　they　were　excessive；
  and　applied　bandages　as　inadequate　as　they　were　injurious。　　With　the
  exception　of　two　or　three　restrictions　admitted　inadvertently；　and
  the　maintenance　of　the　show　of　royalty；　also　the　obligation　of　a
  small　electoral　qualification；　it　carried　out　its　principle　to　the
  end；　the　principle　of　Rousseau。　　It　deliberately　refused　to　consider
  man　as　he　really　was　under　its　own　eyes；　and　persisted　in　seeing
  nothing　in　him　but　the　abstract　being　created　in　books。
  Consequently；　with　the　blindness　and　obstinacy　characteristic　of　a
  speculative　surgeon；　it　destroyed；　in　the　society　submitted　to　its
  scalpel　and　its　theories；　not　only　the　tumors；　the　enlargements；　and
  the　inflamed　parts　of　the　organs；　but　also　the　organs　themselves；
  and　even　the　vital　governing　centers　around　which　cells　arrange
  themselves　to　recompose　an　injured　organ。　　That　is；　the　Assembly
  destroyed　on　the　one　hand　the　time…honored；　spontaneous；　and　lasting
  societies　formed　by　geographical　position；　history；　common
  occupations　and　interests；　and　on　the　other；　those　natural　chiefs
  whose　name；　repute；　education；　independence；　and　earnestness
  designated　them　as　the　best　qualified　to　occupy　high　positions。　　In
  one　direction　it　despoils　and　permits　the　ruin　and　proscription　of
  the　superior　class；　the　nobles；　the　members　of　Parliament；　and　the
  upper　middle　class。　　In　another　it　dispossesses　and　breaks　up　all
  historic　or　natural　corporations；　religious　congregations；　clerical
  bodies；　provinces；　parliaments；　societies　of　art　and　of　all　other
  professions　and　pursuits。　　This　done；　every　tie　or　bond　which　holds
  men　together　is　found　to　be　severed；　all　subordination　and　every
  graduated　scale　of　rank　have　disappeared。　　There　is　no　longer　rank
  and　file；　or　commander…in…chief。　　Nothing　remains　but　individual
  particles；　26　millions　of　equal　and　disconnected　atoms。　　Never　was
  so　much　disintegrated　matter；　less　capable　of　resistance；　offered　to
  hands　undertaking　to　mold　it。　　Harshness　and　violence　will　be
  sufficient　to　ensure　success。　　These　brutal　hands　are　ready　for　the
  work；　and　the　Assembly　which　has　reduced　the　material　to　powder　has
  likewise　provided　the　mortar　and　pestle。　　As　awkward　in　destruction
  as　it　is　in　construction；　it　invents　for　the　restoration　of　order　in
  a　society　which　is　turned　upside　down　a　machine　which　would；　of
  itself；　create　disorder　in　a　tranquil　society。　　The　most　absolute
  and　most　concentrated　government　would　not　be　strong　enough　to
  effect　without　disturbance　a　similar　equalization　of　ranks；　the　same
  dismemberment　of　associations；　and　the　same　displacement　of
  property。　　No　social　transformation　can　be　peacefully　accomplished
  without　a　well…commanded　army；　obedient　and　everywhere　present；　as
  was　the　case　in　the　emancipation　of　the　Russian　serfs　by　Emperor
  Alexander。　　The　new　Constitution；＇42＇　on　the　contrary；　reduces　the
  King　to　the　position　of　an　honorary　president；　suspected　and　called
  in　question　by　a　disorganized　State。　　Between　him　and　the
  legislative　body　it　interposes　nothing　but　sources　of　conflict；　and
  suppresses　all　means　of　concord。　　The　monarch　has　no　hold　whatever
  on　the　administrative　departments　which　he　must　direct；　the　mutual
  independence　of　the　powers；　from　the　center　to　the　extremities　of
  the　State；　everywhere　produces　indifference；　negligence；　and
  disobedience　between　the　injunctions　issued　and　their　execution。
  France　is　a　federation　of　forty　thousand　municipal　sovereignties；　in
  which　the　authority　of　legal　magistrates　varies　according　to　the
  caprice　of　active　citizens。　　These　active　citizens；　too　heavily
  loaded；　shy　away　from　the　performance　of　public　duty；　in　which　a
  minority　of　fanatics　and　ambitious　men　monopolize　the　right　to
  speak；　to　vote；　all　influence；　the　power　and　all　action。　　They
  justify　their　multiple　ursurpations；　their　unbridled　despotism；　and
  their　increasing　encroachments　by　the　Declaration　of　the　Rights　of
  Man。　　The　masterpiece＇43＇　of　ideal　abstractions　and　of　practical
  absurdities　is　accomplished。　　In　accordance　with　the　Constitution
  spontaneous　anarchy　becomes　legalized　anarchy。　　The　latter　is
  perfect；　nothing　finer　of　the　kind　has　been　seen　since　the　ninth
  century。
  ______________________________________________________________________
  Notes：
  ＇1＇　The　name　for　the　dreaded　secret　Royal　warrant　of　arrest。　　（SR。）
  ＇2＇　The　initiative　rests　with　the　King　on　one　point：　war　cannot　be
  decreed　by　the　Assembly　except　on　his　formal　and　preliminary
  proposition。　　This　exception　was　secured　only　after　a　violent
  struggle　and　a　supreme　effort　by　Mirabeau。
  ＇3＇　Speech　by　Lanjuinais；　November　7；　1789。　　〃We　determined　on　the
  separation　of　the　powers。　　Why；　then；　should　the　proposal　he　made　to
  us　to　unite　the　legislative　power　with　the　executive　power　in　the
  persons　of　the　ministers？〃
  ＇4＇　See　the　attendance　of　the　Ministers　before　the　Legislative
  Assembly。
  ＇5＇　〃Any　society　in　which　the　separation　of　the　powers　is　not
  clearly　defined　has　no　constitution。〃　（Declaration　of　Rights；
  article　XVI。）　…　This　principle　is　borrowed　from　a　text　by
  Montesquieu；　also　from　the　American　Constitution。　　In　the　rest　the
  theory　of　Rousseau　is　followed。
  ＇6＇　Mercure　de　France；　an　expression　by　Mallet　du　Pan。
  ＇7＇　Constitution　of　1791；　ch。　　II。　　articles　5；　6；　7。　　　Decree　of
  September　25　…　October　6；　1791；　section　III。　　articles；　8　to　25。
  ＇8＇　Speeches　by　Barnave　and　Roederer　in　the　constituent　Assembly。　…
  Speeches　by　Barnave　and　Duport　in　the　Jacobin　Club。
  ＇9＇　Principal　texts。　　（Duvergier；　〃Collection　des　Lois　et　Decrets。〃）
  …　Laws　on　municipal　and　administrative　organization；　December　14　and
  22；　1789；　August　12…20；　1790；　March　12；　1791。　　On　the　municipal
  organization　of　Paris；　May　21st；　June　27；　1790。　…　Laws　on　the
  organization　of　the　Judiciary；　August　16…24；　1790；　September　16…29；
  1791；　September　29；