To this end I abolished the title of Chancellor: the heads and deputy heads of the Directorate and Supreme Court were entitled Presidents. In the Provinces I set up everywhere “Representations” in charge of the administration, Cameral finance, and non-technical military business. The Provincial Military Commissioners were, in the interests of efficiency and uniformity, attached to the Representations. These bodies are responsible exclusively to the Directorate in Vienna, and similarly, the judicial instances in the Provinces report to the Supreme Court, which body is competent to decide any case according to its conscience, without reporting elsewhere.
Lists of all proposed decisions of the Directorate must, on the other hand, be drawn up weekly and submitted to me, and matters of importance are considered every Friday in a conference in the presence of myself and H.M. the Emperor. In general, I have laid down the rule that all business coming in each week must be dealt with immediately and nothing held back unless it needs much work, when it must be kept constantly under review.
I have, indeed, set up a separate Department of Commerce, subordinate to the Directorate, but this is composed chiefly of Councillors from the Directorate, and has also been instructed to concert most closely with that body in all matters involving administrative action, to which end its President attends a weekly meeting of the Directorate, and is also invited by me to the conference on internal policy.
I am convinced that these fixed institutions are the true foundation on which I can support the Monarchy entrusted to me by God, with the strong help which I hope, He will continue to give me, and preserve it to the best interest and profit of my successors. Seeing that such institutions give a Monarch the opportunity of acquiring personal knowledge of the nature of his dominions, discussing and examining their grievances and withal promoting a just relationship, such as is pleasing to God, between lords and their subjects, but especially of watching closely that the poor, and particularly the unfree population, be not oppressed by the rich and by their masters.
print version
return to list
previous document