Page:Constitutional Charter of the Kingdom of Poland, In the Year 1815.pdf/52

 was that they were visited by unheard-of persecutions, by order of the Grand Duke, and with the approbation of the Emperors Alexander and Nicolas.

A royal ordinance, under the reign of the Emperor Alexander, suppressed the council of Kalisz in an arbitrary manner; and in spite of the most reiterated intreatiesentreaties [sic] it was impossible to procure its re-establishment. This measure was occasioned by the liberal opinions which had been expressed in the council, and by its election of the Messrs. Niemoieswki.

See what has been said of the seventeenth, eighteenth, twenty-sixth, and seventy-third articles.

Every day brought forth royal ordinances professing to interpret the laws; the judges were compelled to adhere to these interpretations, which were often directly contrary to the spirit of the laws.

The tribunals were never established on the footing which the constitution prescribes; there were consequently no judges elected by the citizens, but all were of the king’s nomination.

As there was no legal budget, the amount of the armed force was determined arbitarilyarbitrarily [sic] by the will of the Grand Duke.

This article is in itself subversive of the charter because it affords an opportunity of altering the principles laid down in it, under pretence of developing them. This actually took place in the appendix, relating to the publicity of debates.