eputies should be chosen. The lack was supplied
by an election law enacted February 5, 1817. The system established
was that of _scrutin de liste_. Under it the electors--men of a
minimum age of thirty who paid each year a direct tax of at least
three hundred francs--were required to assemble in the principal town
of the department and there choose the full quota of deputies to which
the department was entitled. The system proved of distinct advantage
to the liberal elements, whose strength lay largely in the towns, and
in 1820 when the conservative forces procured control and inaugurated
a general reaction a measure was adopted, though only after heated
debate, by which the arrangement was completely altered. The
membership of the Chamber was increased from 258 to 430 and for the
principle of _scrutin de liste_ was substituted that of _scrutin
d'arrondissement_. Each arrondissement became a single-member district
and the electors were permitted to vote for one deputy only. In this
manner 258 of the members were chosen. The remaining 172 were elected
at the chief departmental towns by the voters of the department who
paid the most taxes, an arrangement under which some twelve thousand
of the wealthier electors became possessed of a double vote. Voting
was by ballot, but the elector was required to write out his ballot in
the presence of an appointee of the government and to place it in his
hands unfolded.[435]

[Footnote 435: Duguit et Monnier, Les
Constitutions, 206-209; Helie, Les Constitutions,
934-936.]

*320. Liberalizing Changes in 1830-1831.*--Upon the enforced (p. 297)
abdication of Charles X. in 1830 a parliamentary commission prepared a
revision of the Charter, which, being adopted, was imposed upon the
new sovereign, Louis Philippe, and was continued in operation through
the period of the Orleanist monarchy. The preamble of the original
document, in which language had been employed which made it appear
that the Charter was a grant from the crown, was stricken out.
Suspension of the laws by the sovereign was expressly forbidden. Each
chamber was given the right to initiate legislation, the
responsibility of the ministers to the chambers was proclaimed, and
the sessions of the Peers, hitherto secret, were made public. The
integral renewal of the Deputies, established in 1824, was continued,
but the term of membership was restored to five years. Th