No minister in the last ten years, who, seeing the needs and perils of the State, counselled the measures that we now demand as the only means of arresting our motherland in its ever-quickening progress to the abyss, but found himself as a consequence cast out of office by the influence which Privilege brought to bear against him.

Twice already has M.Necker been called to the ministry, to be twice dismissed when his insistent counsels of reform threatened the privileges of clergy and nobility.

For the third time now has he been called to office, and at last it seems we are to have States General in spite of Privilege.

But what the privileged orders can no longer prevent, they are determined to stultify.

Since it is now a settled thing that these States General are to meet, at least the nobles and the clergy will see to it--unless we take measures to prevent them--by packing the Third Estate with their own creatures, and denying it all effective representation, that they convert the States General into an instrument of their own will for the perpetuation of the abuses by which they live.