Events

Louis-Philippe was troubled, the economy is growing but the finances fail to improve. Money is flowing but the people are still complaining that they don't have jobs. Worst of all, crop failures now plague the country. People are unhappy and he doesn't think the charter will work anymore.

He organize a meeting with the current chancellor Just Hamelin

“Maybe we can decrease the cent, this should appease them”

 

“But we still should increase the taxes to relieve the debt and reassure our debtors”

“Maybe, I’ll make a public statement about the cent decrease to the crowd that should appease the tension”

Two day later the 23 August 18 the King decides to address the unhappy mob with his minster 

“My dear French citizen, I heard your worries about the lack of change in the countries, that the new regime is not so different from the previous one and that I’m still a Bourbon as Charles X. Don’t fret, my policy of just millieux is carefully calculated but sometimes this millieux needs to move too, in accordance with the people's expectations. And so, listening to your cry I will officially and personally promote a reduction of the cent in the parliament. Where Charles X answered by reducing the suffrage in hope of a more favorable parliament for himself, I will extend it in favor of the good French people. In two, I’ll present in the parliament a law to reduce the cent to 100 which would more than double the number of electors.”

A round of applause accompanied the speech

A bit later when a journal asked Hamelin how much elector he would expect to take in account he answered “We would expect around 500 000 electors in total, actually probably more, around 600 000 if we take in account the future increase of the capita tax”

The next day the Journal was titled “Louis Phillipe try to hide new tax behind a reduction of the cents”