mmutable
the fundamental law of the state, we desire immobility, and should
throw aside all advances which have thus far been made by the
constituted authorities. I understand that in the _Statuto_ of Charles
Albert nothing is said of revision, and this was prudent. But how
should this silence be interpreted? It should be interpreted in the
sense that it is not necessary to the Italian Constitution that a
constituent assembly should be expressly convoked, but that Parliament
in its usual manner of operation is always constituent and
constituted. Whenever public opinion has matured a reform, it is the
duty of Parliament to accept it, even though the reform may bring with
it the modification of an article of the _Statuto_."[537] It is in
accord with the principles here enunciated that--to mention but a few
illustrations--the law of December 6, 1865, regulating the
organization of the judiciary, the Law of Papal Guarantees of 1871,
and the measures of 1882 and 1895 overhauling and extending the
franchise, were placed upon the statute books.

[Footnote 537: Quoted by G. A. Ruiz, The Amendments
to the Italian Constitution, in _Annals of the
American Academy of Political and Social Science_,
Sept., 1895, 38.]

*403. Nature of the Constitution.*--The _Statuto_, in eighty-four
articles, is an instrument of considerable length. It deals,
successively, with the Crown, the rights and duties of citizens, the
Senate, the Chamber of Deputies, the Ministers, the Judiciary, and
matters of a miscellaneous character. The bill of rights contained in
Articles 24-32 guarantees to all inhabitants of the kingdom equality
before the law, liberty of person, inviolability of domicile and of
property, freedom of the press, exemption from non-parliamentary
taxation and, with qualifications, freedom of assembly. It is (p. 367)
constantly to be borne in mind, however, that, so overlaid is the
_Statuto_ with statutory enactments and with custom, that one cannot
apprehend adequately the working constitution of the kingdom to-day,
in respect to either general principles or specific governmental
organs, through an examination of this document alone. In the language
of an Italian publicist, the Italian constitution no longer consists
of the Statute of Charles Albert. This forms simply the beginning of a
new order of things. Many institutions have been transformed by laws,