POTTER United Families

Eventually, Louis chose not to run for office because: “I believed that
it was my duty to run the revolutionary government until a
representative power was elected, in order to respect the wishes of
the citizens who were willing to vote...” It is curious that this conflict
of interest did not seem to bother the other potential politicians.
Louis, though, always tried to act as he thought one should, and
colleague Jottrand credits him with being a "pure high caliber
philosopher, working for the common good and never for his
personal interests."
In his personal political legacy, Louis made another plea for a Belgian
democratic republic, claiming that kings were afraid of themselves as
they had exaggerated with the gorgeous lifestyle while the mid and
low classes were suffering like never before.
Upon the decision of the new Congress, and without Louis’ vote,
censorship voting was applied in all provinces, instead of the
Universal voting right, so much requested by the young rebels, before
they got power. Paid by the businessmen, ballots were legion, there
were fifty aristocrats also elected in function of their fortune, and a
few clergymen in function of their education. Coppieters claims that
Catholic and Liberals were of equal strength.
With help from colleagues (Merode, Rogier, Hoogvorst,
Gendebien…), the oldest member elected with paid ballots, obtained
Gendebien (father), to the presidency of Congress. Louis, elder
statesman of the Central Committee, had the honor of inaugurating
the assembly, based on his historic, international and successful
opposition role. Surlet de Chokier was (s)elected as interim “regent”,
while no decision was made to (s)elect a king ...
On the appearance of the provisional government at the table of the
hall, as they were escorted there by the Bourgeois Guards, Louis de
Potter further described the objectives of the congress, the causes
which had brought the members together, the course which had been
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