THE STATES-GENERAL AND ITS FAILURE.
Cro THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.") SIR,—The Revolution of 1789 offers a good many curious parallels to our present state. I venture to remind your readers of Lord Acton's words about the States-General, the most memorable of all political assemblies, as he calls it. Ho
goes on to say
"The problem of their history is to explain why so genuine a striving for the highest of earthly goods so deplorably failed. The errors that ruined their enterprise may be reduced to one. Having put the nation in the place of the Crown they invested it with the same unlicensed powers, raising no security and no remedy against oppression from below, assuming or believing that a Government duly representing the people could do no wrong. They acted as if authority duly constituted requires no check, and as if no barriers wore needed against the nation."
Our House of Commons does not represent the nation, our King is constitutional ; but the former is more and more investing itself with unlicensed power, and the whole people are falling under the dominion of one section of it.—I am,
Sir, &c., A. J. GRANT DUFF. Earl Solta9n Grange, Framlingltam.
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