Scarcely less dangerous was the state of affairs in Gelderland.  Here the Estates of the Gelderland had an Orange majority, but the patriots had an influential leader in Van der Capellen van den Marsch.  Petitions and requests were sent to the Estates demanding popular reforms.  The Estates not only refused to receive them but issued a proclamation forbidding the dissemination of revolutionary literature in the province.  The small towns of Elburg and Hattem not only refused to obey, but the inhabitants proceeded by force to compel their Councils to yield to their demands.  The Estates thereupon called upon the stadholder to send troops to restore order.  This was done, and garrisons were placed in Elburg and Hattem.  This step caused a very great commotion in Holland and especially at Amsterdam; and the patriot leaders felt that the time had come to take measures by which to unite all their forces in the different parts of the country for common defence and common action.  The result of all this was that the movement became more and more revolutionary in its aims.  To such an extent was this the case that many of the old aristocratic anti-stadholder regents began to perceive that the carrying out of the patriots’ programme of popular reform would mean the overthrow of the system of government which they upheld, at the same time as that of the stadholderate.

The reply of the Estates of Holland to the strong measures taken against Elburg and Hattem was the “provisional” removal of the prince from the post of captain-general, and the recalling, on their own authority, of all troops in the pay of the province serving in the frontier fortresses (August, 1786).  As the year went on the agitation grew in volume; increasing numbers were enrolled in the free corps.  The complete ascendancy of the ultra-democratic patriots was proved and assured by tumultuous gatherings at Amsterdam (April 21, 1787), and a few days later at Rotterdam, compelling the Town Councils to dismiss at Amsterdam nine regents and at Rotterdam seven, suspected of Orange leanings.  Holland was now entirely under patriot control; and the democrats in other districts were eagerly looking to the forces which Holland could bring into the field to protect the patriot cause from tyrannous acts of oppression by the stadholder’s troops.  In the summer of 1787 the forces on both sides were being mustered on the borders of the province of Utrecht, and frequent collisions had already taken place.  Nothing but the prince’s indecision had prevented the actual outbreak of a general civil war.  At the critical moment of suspense an incident occurred, however, which was to effect a dramatic change in the situation.