These demands were met by Blum with an indignant protest. "Five men,"
said he, "who manage the army cannot understand that, though their
bullets may kill men, they cannot make a single hole in the idea that
rules the world." The town councillors of Leipsic were equally firm.
Carlowitz abandoned his attempt as hopeless; and on March 13th the King
summoned a Liberal Ministry which abolished press censorship, granted
publicity of legal proceedings, trial by jury, and a wider basis for the
Saxon Parliament, and promised to assist in the reform of the Bund.
In the mean time the success of the French revolution had awakened new
hopes in Vienna. Soon after the arrival of the news, a placard appeared
on one of the city gates bearing the words: "In a month Prince
Metternich will be overthrown! Long live Constitutional Austria!"
Metternich himself was greatly alarmed, and began to listen to proposals
for extending the power of the Lower Austrian Estates. Yet he still
hoped by talking over and discussing these matters to delay the
execution of reforms till a more favorable turn in affairs should render
them either harmless or unnecessary.
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