Page:The World's Famous Orations Volume 7.djvu/131



have granted to the executive power by our social system—you would have, in legislation, two different principles, the one for ordinary legislation, the other for legislation with respect to war—that is, for the most terrible crisis which can agitate the body politic; one while you would have need, and another while you would have no need, of the assistance of the monarch in order to express the general will. And it is you who talk of homogeneousness, of unity, of compactness in the Constitution! Attempt not to say that this distinction is idle; it is so little entitled to that epithet, it is so important in my eyes, and in the eyes of every good citizen who countenances my doctrine, that, if you will substitute, in your decree, in place of the words the legislative body, the words the legislative power, and define that power thus: An act of the National Assembly, sanctioned by the king, we shall, by that alone, come to an agreement upon the principles; but you will then return to my decree, because it grants less to the king. You make no answer. I proceed.

This contradiction becomes still more striking in the application which you yourself have made of your principle to the case of a declaration of war. You have said: "A declaration of war is no more than an act of will; therefore it is the province of the legislative body to express it."

I have here two questions to put to you, each of which involves two different cases.

The first question is, Do you mean that the