The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1854-03-22
TREATY WITH SWITZERLAND.

now before the Senate, and notwithstanding
such communications are confidential, the
New York papers have managed to get hold
OF and publish it. If the draft as it appears
in these papers, is correct, we earnestly hope
that every member of the Senate of the U.
States who has the slightest regard for reh
gious liberty will give his attention to this
treaty with Switzerland, and unless it is
amended in the feature to which we refer,
unanimously vote it down.
The first article of the treaty submitted in
1851, beginning "The Christian citizens of
the United States of America, and the citi-
Gems of Switzerland was seen at once to
make an odious antirepublican and uncon.
stitutional discrimination between the jew
ish and Christian citizens of the U. States,
and several of the leading members of that
body Immediately proclaimed their hostility
to the ratification of that unjust and unequal
provision. This provision, in the draft now
before the Senate, is amended, but the amend
ment does not remove the injustice and illibe-
rality of which the Jewish people complain.
The first article now begins as follows:
"The citizens of the United States of America
and the citizens OF Switzerland shall be admitted
ana treated upon footing of reciprocal equality in
the two countries, where such admission and treat
ment shall not conflict with the constit utioua To-
cal provisions, well Federal State and cartonal
OF the contracting parties"
In order to see the effect of this upon the
Jews, we ask attention to the following law
of Swiss canton or State, of the 1 9TH of No
vember, 1851, and which the Swiss Govern
ment, though petitioned by three thousand in
habitants, to expunge the odious edict from
the statute book, has deliberately refused to
repeal:
Il No Jew, without exception is permitted to
settle TO carry on commerce, trade, or any handi.
craft, la the canton (BaselLand
y ANY citizen who admits Jew into his house.
be 1t Tor commercial purposes, Clerk servant
in any other capacity for what other purpose So
ever, is liable to fine of three hundre francs
~ Hawking goods OF with patterns dealing in cat
tie produce leather &c, is prohibited to any Jew,
under hne OF from five to twenty francs for the
first offence. and of conscation of goods and of the
sane fine for the second offence.
Nv hoover let's a wareroom stall or house, to any
Jew during fair for period exceeding six days. is
liable to fine of fifty francs for the frat contraven-
ton, and of two hundred francs for the second"
This rigorous enactment, worthy of the
midnight hour of barbarism, is still the law
of two of those Swiss cantons whose broad
provisions by the treaty now before the
Senate are made obligatory on all citizens
of the United States. Jews as well as Chris
tians are admitted there And this is what is
called reciprocal equality No restriction
is put upon the Swiss who comes to this
country, while the most offensive and intole-
rable restrictions are imposed upon the Jews,
who compose at least 100000 of the people
of America, on account of their religious
faith. If the Senate of the United States
should ratify such treaty, it will prove that it
has less sympathy with religious freedom than
Louis Napoleon, for, upon the enactment of
the above infamous law, he forwarded a note
to the Council of the Swiss Confederation,
declaring THAT France will expel all Swiss
citizens established in France, in case the
two cantons (Basle, city and county, should
insist on carrying out this law against the
jews" Yet, here we have the singular spec
tacle of Republican Senate of America,
On the point of accepting a treaty by which
it succumbs to an invasion of the rights of
conscience so fragrant that it drew forth an
explanation and angry menaces from Louis
Napoleon!
The odious edict has, however, been car
ried out in the two cantons. The Jews of
America and of every other country, are for
ever prohibited from entering these coun-
tries. The other Swiss cantons, as well as
those we have mentioned, have passed ex-
elusive and oppressive laws against the Isra-
elites. In substantiation of this assertion,
and to illustrate the kind of euen-handed ms |
'ice which prevails in the Alpine Common
wealth, mention is made in "The Oceidcnt
and american Jewish Adcocate." A Jew,
residing in the canton of Argovia, brought
suit, in Schaffhausen, small canton on the |
Rhine, AUDITING upon the territory of Baden,
for sum of money due him from woman |
residing in Schaff hansen for goods sold. |
The plaintiff, who was ready to prove his |
claim by his books, kept strictly in accord |
ance with the regulations prescribed by law,
and by an oath, was however non-suited,
with costs, because the law of that canton |
against the Jews enacts-" That no claim of
Jem against a Christian can be considered |
u
chant in the register of the blue book
This is specimen of religious liberty in |
iand which has made great cutlery on that
subject and which, upon the triumph of the
Reformation in Geneva, inscribed these
words, in huge letters, in one of the most
conspicuous places of the city:
FREEDOM OF CosscIEscE.'.
We have nothing to do, however with tho
inconsistency of the Swiss, except as # of
fecfs the citizens of the United States r..
rs American citizens we Indignantly nrotest
against the ratification by the Senate of ths
United States of a treaty containing nrov;
sion which strikes at the very roots ~ tha |
religious liberty of one hundred Thousand |
American citizens. No member of the u s
Senate ought ever to be returned to thai
body, or to be permitted again to hold any
official station, who Is SO thoroughly ignorant
or regardless of the institutions of his coun.
Try u to sustain by bis vote the bigoted. in.
tolerant, anti constitutional, anti-repnblican
provision contained in the first article of the |
treaty with Switzerland