In England, under similar circumstances, a host of scurrilous pamphlets have always appeared; the Prussian police were too prompt for this to be possible.

The King refused to receive the addresses; an order from the Home Office forbade town councils to discuss political matters; a Buergermeister who disregarded the order was suspended from his office; public meetings were suppressed.

These measures were successful; the discontent remained and increased, but there was no disorder and there were no riots.

Great courage was required to defy public opinion, but with courage it could be defied with as much impunity as that of the Parliament.

Englishmen at the time asked why the people did not refuse to pay the taxes; the answer is easy: there would have been no legal justification for this, for though, until the estimates had been passed, the Ministers were not legally enabled to spend a farthing of public money, the taxes could still be levied; they were not voted annually; once imposed, they continued until a law was passed withdrawing them.