Fukuoka was asked in later years 'Were you also going to get common people engaged in this assemblies at that time?' and he answered 'It can be interpreted so in retrospect, but I'm ashamed to say, I was not thinking about that at that time' 'Widely didn't mean holding assemblies by gathering people's opinions widely, but holding assemblies widely through all prefectures.'
福岡は後年「この時平民までも此議会に与らしめる御つもりであったか」と問われ、「それは後から考えればそうも解釈されるが、御恥ずかしい話ですが当時私はまだその考えはなかったです」「広くとは人々の意見を広く集めて会議するというのではなく府藩県にわたりて広く何処にも会議を興すという義です」と答えた。