the New comittee of Constitution, said “Sieyès-Thouret Comittee”

“ You would thereby increase the strength of each municipality by bringing together at a single point all those of the same territory that their present dispersion reduces to inertia. Instead of weakening the national vigor by dividing the people into small corporations, in which all generous feeling is stifled by that of impotence, create rather large aggregations of citizens united by habitual relationships, confident and strong by this union ”

“ The territorial basis is invariable, and supposedly equal; those of population and contributions are variable, and of unequal effect in each commune. One can therefore attribute to each of the nine communes an equal and fixed share of deputation, in proportion to their territory, attach two other shares of deputation, one to the total population of the department, the other to the entire mass of its direct contribution, and make each commune participate in these last two shares of deputation, in proportion to what it has in population, and what it pays in contribution. ”

“ Not only are there too many disproportions in the extent of territory, but these ancient divisions, which no political combination has determined, and only which alone can make tolerable, are vicious in many respects, both public and local. ”

“ I. All the active citizens of a canton shall form themselves into one or more primary assemblies, according to their number, as stated above, to send their deputies to the communal assembly.
The committee believes that for this first level of assemblies, the fundamental element of all representation, only the population should be considered. Each man, as soon as he is an active citizen, must enjoy for this first act, all the value of his individual right. ”

“ When it is necessary to regenerate half of each communal administration, the primary assemblies shall be formed in the cantons to appoint their electors, at the rate of one for every hundred voters; and these electors shall proceed to the replacements, sending back to the communal administration as many members of each canton as will have left it. ”

“ If the population were equal to each canton, the 26 million individuals distributed over 26,000 square leagues that make up the extent of the kingdom, would give 1,000 individuals per square league, and consequently 4,000 individuals per canton, of which the sixth in active citizens would form the average rate of about 680 voters per canton. We warn that by the expression voting citizens, we will always mean not only those who will be present, and will indeed vote, but also all those who will have the right to vote. ”

“ The district of a primary assembly is, moreover, too limited, and the preponderance of powerful men would be too immediate, for either the territory or the contributions to be taken into consideration. Thus, the number of deputies to be elected by the primary assemblies would be regulated only by the number of voters, at the rate of one deputy per 200 voters. ”

“ A superior administrative assembly shall be established in the seat town of each department, under the title of Provincial Administration.
Art. 21. A lower administrative assembly shall be established in the seat town of each commune, under the title of Communal Administration.
Art. 22. To compose each communal Administration, all the active citizens shall meet in primary assemblies, in each of the nine cantons of the commune, in the same form established for the elections to the Legislative Body; and they shall name 1 deputy elector per 100 voters. ”

“ This system of municipalities would provide a host of advantages of which they have not seemed susceptible until now. The weakness of those that now exist, except in a few large cities, exposes them to being easily seduced by intrigue, or subjugated by authority: hence the dissipation of common funds, reckless undertakings, debts raised beyond the means, and so many deliberations inspired by the particular spirit to the ruin of the general interest. ”

“ Enlarge the spheres where the first civic attachments are formed; and let the community interest, so close to the individual interest, so flexible under the influence of men on credit, when its means are weak and its object too limited, come closer to the public spirit by acquiring more power and elevation. ”

“ The population being unevenly distributed, one must not doubt that it will be in a great number of cantons below 4,000 individuals, and 680 voters: but what will be lacking in the average rate in the less populated cantons, will be found in excess in those which will be more populated, and will be used by means of the formation of double, triple or quadruple primary assemblies in these more populated cantons. ”

“ It is necessary to have as much regard for the suitability of the subjects, as for their capacity, when it is a question of attaching them effectively to a daily service, which does not suffer interruption. The members of the assemblies will be in a better position than the electors to make the best choices in this twofold respect, since they will have been able, during the entirety of their session, to test the talents of their colleagues, and to ascertain their dispositions for the service of the directory. ”

“ It still believes that it is a severe foresight at first glance, but wise and necessary, that no representative can be elected for the second time, until after the interval of an intermediate legislature, in order to avoid the aristocracy of families in credit, which manage to perpetuate themselves in the jobs, even elective. ”

“ Each assembly shall always tend to form itself as much as possible at the number of 600, which will be the average rate; in such a way that, if there are several assemblies in a canton, the least numerous will be at least 450. ”