Sieyes here enters with his protest declaring that this is a "lettre de cachet[2301] launched against the universal will," and there is excluded from the action of the veto the articles of the Constitution, all money-bills, and some other laws .-- Neither the monarch nor the electors of the Assembly are to convoke the Assembly; he has no voice in or oversight of the details of its formation; the electors are to meet together and vote without his summons or supervision.

Once the Assembly is elected he can neither adjourn nor dissolve it.

He cannot even propose a law;[2302] per-mission is only granted to him "to invite it to take a subject into consideration." He is limited to his executive duties; and still more, a sort of wall is built up between him and the Assembly, and the opening in it, by which each could take the other's hand, is carefully closed up.

The deputies are forbidden to become ministers throughout the term of their service and for two years afterwards.

This is because fears are entertained that they might be corrupted through contact with the Court, and, again, whoever the ministers might be, there is no disposition to accept their ascendancy.[2303] If one of them is admitted into the Assembly it is not for the purpose of giving advice, but to furnish information, reply to interrogatories, and make protestations of his zeal in humble terms and in a dubious position.[2304] By virtue of being a royal agent he is under suspicion like the King himself, and he is sequestered in his bureau as the King is sequestered in his palace .-- Such is the spirit of the Constitution: by force of the theory, and the better to secure a separation of the powers,[2305] a common understanding between them is for ever rendered impossible, and to make up for this impossibility there remains nothing but to make one the master and the other the clerk.
This they did not fail to do, and for greater security, the latter is made an honorary clerk, The executive power is conferred on him nominally and in appearance; he does not possess it in fact, care having been taken to place it in other hands .-- In effect, all executive agents and all secondary and local powers are elective.