These latter， among the republicans， are the most sincere and have the most faith； for they have long been such， after much thought， study and as a matter of principle. Nearly all of them are well-read educated men， reasoners， philosophers， disciples of Diderot or of Rousseau， satisfied that absolute truth had been revealed by their masters， thoroughly imbued with the Encyclopédie[37] or the Contrat Social， the same as the Puritans formerly were with the Bible.[38] At the age when the mind is maturing， and fondly clings to general ideas，[39] they embraced the theory and aimed at a reconstruction of society according to abstract principles. They have accordingly set to work as pure logicians， rigorously applying the superficial and false system of analysis then in vogue.[40] They have formed for themselves an idea of man in general， the same in all times and ages， an extract or minimum of man； they have pondered over several thousands of or millions of these abstract mortals， erected their imaginary wills into primordial rights， and drawn up in anticipation the chimerical contract which is to regulate their impossible union. There are to be no more privileges， no more heredity， no qualifications of any kind；all are to be electors， all eligible and all of equal members of the sovereignty； all powers are to be of short date， and conferred through election； there must be but one assembly， elected and entirely renewed annually， one executive council elected and one-half renewed annually， a national treasury-board elected and one-third renewed annually； all local administrations and tribunals must be elected； a referendum to the people， the electoral body endowed with the initiative， a constant appeal to the sovereignty， which， always consulted and always active， will manifest its will not alone by the choice of its mandatories but， again， through "the censure" which it will apply to the laws -- such is the Constitution they forge for themselves.[41] "The English Constitution，" says Condorcet， "is made for the rich， that of America for citizens well-off； the French Constitution should be made for all men." - It is， for this reason， the only legitimate one； every institution that deviates from it is opposed to natural rights and， therefore， fit only to be put down.-This is what the Girondists have done during the Legislative sessions； we know how they， armed with the illusions[42] of their new philosophy and triumphing through a rigid， rash and hasty reason， have* persecuted Catholic consciences，* violated feudal property，* encroached on the legal authority of the King，* persecuted the remains of the ancient regime，* tolerated crimes committed by the crowds，* even plunged France into an European war，* armed even the paupers，* caused the overthrow of all government. -As far as his Utopia is concerned， the Girondist is a sectarian， and he knows no scruples.
* Little does he care that nine out of ten electors do not vote： he regards himself as the authorized representative of all ten.
* Little does he care whether the great majority of Frenchmen favor the Constitution of 1791； it is his business to impose on them his own.
* Little does he care whether his former opponents， King， émigrés， unsworn ecclesiastics， are honorable men or at least excusable； he will launch against them every rigorous legal proceeding， transportation， confiscation， civil death and physical death.[43]
In his own eyes he is the justiciary， and his investiture is bestowed upon him by eternal right. There is no human infatuation so pernicious to man as that of absolute right； nothing is better calculated for the destruction in him of the hereditary accumulation of moral conceptions. -- Within the narrow bounds of their creed， however， the Girondins are sincere and consistent. They are masters of their formulae； they know how to deduce consequences from them； they believe in them the same as a surveyor in his theorems， and a theologian in the articles of his faith； they are anxious to apply them， to devise a constitution， to establish a regular government， to emerge from a barbarous state， to put an end to fighting in the street， to pillaging， to murders， to the sway of brutal force and of naked arms.