POTTER United Families

After his arrest on November 15, 1828, Louis had commented on his
political activity in prison: “I was in direct contact only with the News
of the Low Countries and indirect contact only with The Belgian; The
other Newspapers were receiving from me a morale impulse which
was triggering unity with all other publishers from which we were
pulling our strengths. Moreover my prison was becoming a center
where all legal means of combat against the despotic management
were discussed. Each of us was proposing the best way to resist
against any possible surprise from the people in power.”
The Courrier des Pays-Bas in Brussels, Le Politique, formerly
Mathieu Laensberg, in Liège, Le Belge in Brussels, and soon the
Catholique des Pays-Bas of Ghent, continued the discussion of the
ideas Louis had raised at his trial in December.
The Catholics had been impressed with a Liberal calling for freedom
of education for them, and some had responded by calling for
freedom of the press for the Liberals. Louis felt that: “During my
speech of December 20, I had made a big step ahead towards the
creation of a unity pact between catholics and liberals.” What would
later be called “sacred union” and the national motto: “Unity makes
Force”.
1829 was a year of intense political writing for Louis who had a
greater influence on the revolutionary climate of Belgium in 1830
than any other journalist. Schueremans, the Procurator to the King,
claimed in his memoirs that Louis had given the government his word
that he would refrain from political writing while in the Petits-
Carmes. If there had been such a promise, it would have been made
under pressure, for Louis had no intention of abandoning criticisms.
His crusade to reform the Dutch government was remarked. While
in prison Louis received many support letters. One that he greatly
appreciated was from the French philosopher, Victor Cousin,
connected to Louis’ son in Cannes.
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