826. BILL OF RIGHTS (French), Draft of.—
1. The States General shall assemble, uncalled,
on the first day of November, annually,
and shall remain together so long as
they shall see cause. They shall regulate
their own elections and proceedings, and until
they shall ordain otherwise, their elections
shall be in the forms observed in the
present year, and shall be triennial. 2. The
States General alone shall levy money on the
nation, and shall appropriate it. 3. Laws
shall be made by the States General only,
with the consent of the King. 4. No person
shall be restrained of his liberty, but by regular
process from a court of justice, authorized
by a general law. (Except that a Noble
may be imprisoned by order of a court of
justice, on the prayer of twelve of his nearest
relations.) On complaint of an unlawful imprisonment,
to any judge whatever, he shall
have the prisoner immediately brought before
him, and shall discharge him, if his imprisonment
be unlawful. The officer in whose custody
the prisoner is, shall obey the orders of
the judge; and both judge and officer shall be
responsible, civilly and criminally, for a failure
of duty herein. 5. The military shall be
subordinate to the civil authority. 6. Printers
shall be liable to legal prosecution for printing
and publishing false facts, injurious to
the party prosecuting; but they shall be under
no other restraint. 7. All pecuniary privileges
and exemptions, enjoyed by any description
of persons, are abolished. 8. All
debts already contracted by the King, are
hereby made the debts of the nation; and
the faith thereof is pledged for their payment
in due time. 9. Eighty million of livres are
now granted to the King, to be raised by
loan, and reimbursed by the nation; and the
taxes heretofore paid, shall continue to be
paid to the end of the present year, and no
longer. 10. The States General shall now
separate, and meet again on the 1st day of
November next. Done, on behalf of the whole
nation, by the King and their representatives
in the States General, at Versailles, this—
day of June, 1789. Signed by the King, and
by every member individually, and in his presence.
[49]
—
French Charter of Rights. Washington ed. iii, 47.
Ford ed., v, 101.
(P.
June. 1789)
