The failure of the men of 1795, who dreamed their honest but ineffectual dream of a prosperous and united fatherland, the apparent failure of the first Dutch king who in the true belief of his own direct responsibility still belonged to a bygone age, have at last made place for a healthy and modern state capable of normal development.
Out of the ruins of the old divided republic—a selfish commercial body—there has risen, after a hundred years of experimenting and suffering, a new and honourable country—a single nation, not merely an indifferent confederacy of independent little sovereignties—a civic body managing its own household affairs without interference from abroad and without disastrous partisanship at home—a people who again dare to see visions beyond the direct interests of their daily bread, and who are given the fullest scope for the pursuit of prosperity and individual happiness under a government of their own choice and under the gracious leadership of her Majesty Queen Wilhelmina.
Brussels.
Christmas, 1914.
THE END
A COMPARISON OF THE FOUR CONSTITUTIONS OF HOLLAND
| CONSTITUTION OF 1798 | CONSTITUTION OF 1801 |
| The Representative Assembly: | A Council of State (Executive |
| The highest power in the State, | Council, in Dutch: Staatsbewind) |
| to which all other governmental | consisting of twelve members. |
| bodies are responsible. | A Legislative Assembly. |
| The Executive Council of five | National Syndicate consisting |
| directors. | of three judicial officers to |
| The Representative Assembly | control all officials of the State |
| has the right of legislation, | State and all departments of the |
| of making alliances and treaties, | government. |
| of declaring war, of discussing | The Legislative Assembly |
| accepting the yearly budget, | discusses all laws proposed by the |
| of appointing the directors of | Council of State. It discusses and |
| the Executive Council. It can | gives its final approval to all |
| grant pensions and has the right | treaties (except certain articles |
| of pardon, and will decide in | of such treaties). It has to give |
| all such questions which are not | its approval to any declaration of |
| explicitly provided for by the | war. It discusses and approves the |
| constitution. | annual budget. |
| The Executive Council must | The Council of State |
| see to the strict execution of | (Staatsbewind) makes up the annual |
| of all the laws of the | budget and proposes new laws to |
| Representative Assembly. It | the Legislative Assembly. It sees |
| makes up a yearly budget which | to the execution of the laws which |
| must be submitted to the | the Legislative body has accepted. |
| Representative Assembly. It has | It declares war (after it has |
| the right to appoint diplomatic | obtained the approval of the |
| and consular representatives. | Legislative Assembly). It is the |
| It negotiates treaties and | highest power in all affairs of |
| alliances, subject, however, to | army and navy, and it has the |
| approval of the Representative | right of appointment of the |
| body. | principal state officers. The |
| The Representative Assembly | The Legislative Assembly |
| shall consist of one member for | consists of one single chamber of |
| every 20,000 inhabitants. Every | thirty-five members. |
| year the Representative body | The members of the Legislative |
| shall be divided into a second | Assembly are for the first time to |
| chamber of thirty members and | be appointed by the Council of |
| a first chamber containing all | State. Afterward their election |
| the others. (There were | will be regulated by law. |
| ninety-four members in all.) | To be entitled to vote one must |
| The Representative Assembly is | be either a Hollander who has |
| to be elected in the following | lived in the country for one year |
| way: The country shall be divided | or a foreigner who has lived in |
| into ninety-four districts of | the country for six whole years. |
| 20,000 people each. These | The declaration of abhorrence of |
| districts are again divided | the Stadholder, aristocracy, etc., |
| into forty sub-districts | is no longer insisted upon. A |
| (grondvergadering) of 500 people | single promise to "remain faithful |
| Stadholder, aristocracy, etc., | to the constitution" is now |
| each. Each subdistrict elects one | sufficient. |
| candidate and one elector. If the | The Council of State is composed |
| same candidate was elected in | of twelve members. The first seven |
| twenty-one sub-districts he | members are appointed by "the |
| became a Representative. | present Executive Council" (this |
| Otherwise forty electors choose | meant the three authors of the |
| a Representative from among the | constitution of the year 1810). |
| three candidates who had the | These seven were to appoint their |
| largest number of votes. | five colleagues. Each year one of |
| Each year one third of the | the twelve members was supposed to |
| members of the Representative | resign. A vacancy was filled as |
| Assembly must resign, and a | follows: The departmental circles |
| new election for their places | proposed four people. Out of those |
| must be held. | four the Legislative Assembly |
| To be entitled to vote one | elected two. From among those two |
| must be either a Hollander who | the Council of State then selected |
| during the last two years has | their new colleague. |
| lived in the country or a | The agents are replaced by |
| foreigner who has resided in | small advisory councils of three |
| the republic during the last ten | members. They are responsible |
| years. The voter must be able | to the Council of State. |
| to read and write the Dutch | The Legislative Assembly meets |
| language, and must have passed | twice a year: April 15 to June 1, |
| the age of twenty. To qualify | and October 15 to December 15. |
| as a voter one must swear a | The Council of State, however, can |
| solemn oath to the effect that | call together the Legislative |
| one abhors the Stadholder, | Assembly as often as it pleases. |
| anarchy, aristocracy, and | The Council of State proposes |
| federalism, and that one never | all laws. Twelve members of the |
| shall vote for any person whose | Legislative Assembly appointed by |
| opinions upon these subjects are | this body discuss the laws. The |
| not entirely above suspicion. | Legislative Assembly then accepts |
| The Executive Council is | the law or vetoes it. No further |
| appointed by the Representative | discussion allowed in the |
| Assembly, but the members of the | Legislative Assembly. |
| Council may not be members of the | The country is divided into |
| Executive. The first chamber | eight departments. The provincial |
| proposes three candidates. The | frontiers of the old republic are |
| second chamber elects the member | reëstablished. Drenthe comes to |
| from among those three. Each year | Overysel and Brabant becomes the |
| one new member of the Council is | new, the eighth, department. |
| to be elected. After his | Local government remains as |
| resignation he is not reëligible | before, but each city is allowed |
| until five years later. | greater liberty in civic affairs, |
| The Executive Council appoints | provided the city does not try to |
| eight agents to act as heads of | change the original idea of a |
| different departments (as | democratic, representative |
| ministers more or less). These | government. The cities in this |
| agents are responsible and | way regain a great deal of their |
| subordinate to the Council. | old autonomy. The old interstate |
| The Representative Assembly | tariff scheme of the former |
| meets the whole year round. | republic is not allowed. But |
| New laws are proposed in and | otherwise the cities regain most |
| discussed by the first chamber. | of their former power. |
| Then they are submitted to the | |
| second chamber, which has the | |
| right of approval or veto, but | |
| not the right of discussion. | |
| The Executive Council must see | |
| to the execution of these laws. | |
| The country is divided into | |
| eight departments with new names: | |
| The department of the Eems, of | |
| the Old Ysel, of the Rhine, of | |
| the Amstel, of Texel, of the | |
| Delf, of the Dommel, and of the | |
| Scheldt and Maas. Their former | |
| boundaries are given up and | |
| arbitrary boundaries are made. | |
| Each department is divided into | |
| seven circles and the circles are | |
| divided into communes. | |
| Each department has a local | |
| governmental body somewhat | |
| resembling the old Provential | |
| Estates. Each circle is | |
| represented in this by one | |
| member. These seven members are | |
| elected by the voters. The | |
| officials of the commune are | |
| elected in the same way. These | |
| local, departmental, and civic | |
| bodies are responsible to the | |
| Executive Council. | |
| CONSTITUTION OF 1805 | CONSTITUTION OF 1806 |
| A Raadpensionaris. | A King. |
| A Legislative Assembly. (The | A Legislative Assembly. |
| old title of their High and | The King is assisted by a |
| Mightinesses is revived for the | Council of State of thirteen |
| members of this body.) | members, to be appointed by |
| The Raadpensionaris is | himself. |
| assisted by an advisory Council | The Legislative body has the |
| of State of five to nine members, | same rights as in the year 1801. |
| to be selected by himself. | The King has the same executive |
| The powers of the Legislative | power as the Raadpensionaris, but |
| body remain the same. | may "upon certain occasions act |
| The Raadpensionaris has all | directly without consulting the |
| the executive and legislative | Legislative body at all." |
| power of the Council of State | The Legislative body consists of |
| (Staatsbewind) of 1801, but he | thirty-eight members. Holland |
| has at his disposal a secret | appoints seventeen. The other |
| budget to be used "for the good | departments two or four; Drenth, |
| of the country" at his own | one. When a department increases |
| discretion. | in territory the number of |
| The Legislative Assembly | representatives may be increased, |
| consists of nineteen members: | too. |
| Holland sends seven; Zeeland | For the first time nineteen new |
| sends one; Utrecht sends one; all | members proposed by the |
| the other departments send two | Legislative body itself and |
| members. | confirmed by the King were added |
| The first Legislative Assembly | to the old Legislative Assembly of |
| is to be appointed by the | the year 1805. |
| Raadpensionaris. Afterward the | The next year (1807) the King |
| departmental government proposes | appointed the new members from |
| four names. The Raadpensionaris | among a list of candidates, half |
| selects two out of the four and | of which list was proposed by the |
| returns the names to the | Legislative Assembly, the other |
| departmental government, which | half of which was made up by a |
| then votes for one of those two. | number of notabilities who were |
| Qualifications for franchise | selected by the King from a list |
| remain the same as in 1801. | of names proposed by departmental |
| The Raadpensionaris is | officers. |
| appointed by the Legislative | The Constitution refers the |
| Assembly for a period of five | question of the qualifications for |
| years. The Constitution of 1805 | the franchise to the future. As a |
| lasted only for a year. The only | matter of fact the franchise was |
| Raadpensionaris was | practically abolished after the |
| Schimmelpenninck. | institution of the kingdom. |
| The Raadpensionaris appoints | The King appoints four |
| five secretaries of State and a | secretaries of State (Ministers). |
| Council of Finance, consisting | The Legislative body meets at |
| of three advisory members. | the pleasure of the King. It is |
| The Legislative Assembly meets | supposed to meet regularly during |
| twice a year for a period of six | two months of the year. |
| weeks: April 15 to June 1, and | The King proposes the laws. The |
| December 1 to January 15. | Legislative Assembly has no right |
| All laws are proposed by the | of discussion. Can accept a law or |
| Raadpensionaris. The Legislative | veto it. |
| Assembly does not have the right | The country is divided into nine |
| of debate, but has the right of | departments. Drenthe is revived as |
| veto. | a separate department. |
| The same division of the | The old Departmental Estates, are |
| country as before. | brought immediately under the |
| The cities continue to regain | influence of the King, who appoints |
| their old sovereign rights. | his own officers (Land-drost). The |
| autonomy of the cities is again lost. |
BIBLIOGRAPHY
GIVING THE DETAILS OF THE RESURRECTION OF HOLLAND IN 1812