parliamentary campaign of 1851, had they but found this "Responsibility
law" ready made, and framed at that, by the suspicious, the vicious
republican Assembly!

After, on January 29, 1849, the constitutive assembly had itself broken
its last weapon, the Barrot ministry and the "Friends of Order" harassed
it to death, left nothing undone to humiliate it, and wrung from its
weakness, despairing of itself, laws that cost it the last vestige
of respect with the public. Bonaparte, occupied with his own fixed
Napoleonic idea, was audacious enough openly to exploit this degradation
of the parliamentary power: When the National Assembly, on May 8, 1849,
passed a vote of censure upon the Ministry on account of the occupation
of Civita-Vecchia by Oudinot, and ordered that the Roman expedition
be brought back to its alleged purpose, Bonaparte published that same
evening in the "Moniteur" a letter to Oudinot, in which he congratulated
him on his heroic feats, and already, in contrast with the quill-pushing
parliamentarians, posed as the generous protector of the Army. The
royalists smiled at this. They took him simply for their dupe. Finally,
as Marrast, the President of the constitutional assembly, believed on a
certain occasion the safety of the body to be in danger, and, resting on
the Constitution, made a requisition upon a Colonel, together with
his regiment, the Colonel refused obedience, took refuge behind the
"discipline," and referred Marrast to Changarnier, who scornfully sent
him off with the remark that he did not like "bayonettes intelligentes."
[#1 Intelligent bayonets] In November, 1851, as the coalized royalists
wanted to begin the decisive struggle with Bonaparte, they sought, by
means of their notorious "Questors Bill," to enforce the principle of
the right of the President of the National Assembly to issue direct
requisitions for troops. One of their Generals, Leflo, supported the
motion. In vain did Changarnier vote for it, or did Thiers render homage