Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1814-06-18
Deferred Articles.
NEW DUTCH CONSTITUTIONS.
/" Tar HAGUE, March 5, 1914.

. D. = ~
" We, William, by the Grace of God, Prince of
nited Netherlands, &c. To ali to whom thes
presents, come, greeting;
Invited to the Sovereignty of these states.
BY your confidence and your attachment, we
from the first declared that we would undertake
| the same only under the guarantee of q wise
constitution, which might secure your freedom
against all possible abuses, and we have ever
since continued to feel the necessity thereof,
We regard II, therefore, rs one OF the first
and most sacred of oui: duties. to summon to /.
gcther some men OF reconsideration, aud To charge
them with the weighty task of ESTABLISHING a
fundamental code built upon your manners.
your habits. and corresponding to the wants of
the present time.
they chesruIly took upon themselves this
office, performed il with zeal, and have sub
mitted to US the fruits OF their uninterrupted la
bours. ST r. 49,
s After careful examination of this work.
We have given it our appreciation. But this
does Not satisfy our hearts. It respects the con.
Germs Of the whole Netherlands. The whole
Dutch people are to be recognized in this work.
That people must receive the strongest posi-
Bile assurance that their dearest interests are
sufficiently attended to therein That Relgion
as the fountain of all good is thereby honoured
and maintained, and religious freedom disturb
~ ~ hVtAAAuS VI tCWpOral COncernSs Dut
cured IN the most ample manner that the ctiu
cation OF youth, and the spread OF scientifck
knowledge. shall be attendedsto by the govern.
ment, and freed from all those vexatious reru
iations which oppress the genus and subdue
the spirit ;,that personal freedom shall no long
er be an empty name, and dependent on, the
cspriccs OF a suspicious and crafty police that
an Impartial administration ofjustice, guided
o. iixe'l principles, secure to every man has
tDrDDertv that c1m 20 NOR itur 4
nufactures be no longer DISTRACTED, but have
free course, like rich springs of public and PR
vate prosperity that, therefore, no restraint be
imposed on the domestic economy oftie high
er and lower classes of the state, but that thew
be conformabie to the general laws and the re
neral government /; that the movements of tile
general government be not palsied by too great
zeal for local interests; but rather receive
from it AN additio raj impulse ;that tue general
laws, by means of an harmonious co-operation
|, of the two principal branches of the govern
ment, be founded on the true interests of the
states that the finances, and the arming OF the
people, the mainpIlsrs OF the body poiitick, be
placed in that central point, upon which the
greatest and most invaluable privilege OF ever,
people--theIr Independence may be firmly fix.
ed. Which of you can doubt OF this trutn. 81
Ter the terrible experience you have had OF
foreign tyranny, Which acknowl. dyed no ri,,at
when it wanted means for its own m ntenance
by violence. alter having sighed, of late years.
under the most oppressive yoke that ever was
imposed since the SIP aniSh times.
Now at least you know the true value of
those precious rights ior which our fathers sa-
critced their property and blood ; of that hap
piness which they bequeathed to their descend.
ants and whichswe saw lost through the ad
versity Of the times
:. Following, therefore, and deriving encou.
ragemsnt rom their example, it becomes NV
duty, an imitstion OF those whose name bear. &
whose memory honor. to restore that which
Is lost NJ is your duty to support me therein
With all your Efforts, that under the bIess,n,r M
Divine Providence, who summons us 10 This
TASK, We may leave our beloved country COM
pseteiy re-conquered and re-estabilssed to our
children. = =
SIN order to be enabled to Judge whether the
constitutional code thus framed, as before. sta
ted, be a means of attaining the above great OBJ.
Ject, we have thought it right that the code be
submitted, for maiurer confederation TO n n,,
merous assembly OF persons, the most consider.
abe and best qualified among you.
:" We have tor that purpose appointed a spe-
cial commission, who are to choose, out OF a au
nervous list gwen in to US, six hundred persons.
in due proportion to the population of each OF
The now existing departments.
!" Honoured with your confidence, they shall.
on the 18th OF this month, assemble i'm the me
ton upon this weighty business
They shall in like manner, with the letter
of convoca,io1, receive the plan os the constitu
ton, that they may be able to prepare their de.
cisIon theresn with maturity and calmness of
deliberation, and for the more effectuai attain.
ment ofthis object, copy OF the same shall be
sent to each member previously.
8 And as 1t is OF the first Importance that
these Members be possessed Of the general con.
hdence, we order that list of the persons cbo
sen Tor each department be made public. and
that to all The inhabitants of che sane. being
house keepers, an opportunity shall be afford
cd, by signing his name without any other adj
dnion, in register which shall lie open IN each
canton for eight days, to dsapproye of anv
sucl, person or persons as he may deem unqua-
lifted.
No inhsbtant is deprived of this right
with the exception of domestic servants, vaiots.
lbankrupts, persons in state OF homage. or I'M
der accusation ~
Nhenit shall appear TO us, from the sum-
ming up OF the registers, that the majority are
satisfied with the persons thus submitted 10
their election, we shall consider them as The.
representatives Of the Dutch people, call them
together, appear in the midst OF them, and sa-
lutte them as constituting the great assembly.
representing the United Netherlands
they shall then commence their labours in
freedom, and give us an account of their uro-
gress ny a committee appointed to that effect !,
and as soon AS the adoption of the CONSTITUTIONS
al code IS the result OF their deliberations. we
shall make the necessary arrangements for {. k
ing the oath prescribed TO us BY the const;tut,.
on with all due solemnity, in the midst of fl,e