New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-06-11

fed and the Diet collected an army of 100 GOO IN.

field and the Diet collected an army Of 100 GOO IN
der command of Cen Dufour.
The struggle was of short duration, The con.
federates were soon overcome, and in November
of the same year the seven cantons surrendered.
So far the analogy with our own case is perfect,
except in the more indisputable independence and
sovereignty of the States composing the American
Union. The war in both cases was commenced
and conducted forthe purpose of restoring broken
Union, and of Quieting the spirit of secession.
In both cases minority insisted on the right to
secede when they thought their rights assaied, or
threatened; in both cases the majority disputed
and denied this right, and invoked armed force to
prevent it from being effectively exercised. In
both cases the minority were beaten and forced to
yield to the majority.
But here, unfortunately, the parallel ends. In
Switzerland the very first thing, after the surren-
der of the seeded cantons, was an imitation to
them to at once reoccupy their positions in the
Diet, and on the 18th of February, ls4S, commit
tee had already commenced the revision of the
Federal compact that was selected by the repre-.
sentatiyes of all the Swiss cantons.
The new constitution promulgated in the autumn
of the same year, was not in the least a centraz-
ing scheme. 1t only changed mere confederaey
into national government, nearly in the same
way as we ourselves did in 1888, leaving the rights
Of the several eantons in regard to their home in
situations untouched, and even allowing them
exclusively to decide about the conditions of the
naturalization of foreigners. Whilst here the war
has been used as a pretext for the change of
Constitution for the benefit of some Eastern
States in Switzerland the war against the Sender
bund furnished only an occasion, equally desired
by dHcantons, and necesstated by the relations of
Switzerland to their neighboring States, to change
many obnoxious and obstructing features of the
old compact The consequences Of this reasona-
BILE policy were most beneficial to the whole coun-
try. The new Constitution was carried out with
equal alaerity in all the cantons; and not more
than one year afterwards, when the Prussians
threatened Switzerland with war, the whole Swiss
nation stood up as one man against the common
enemy, and Prussia, having calculated upon the
disunion spirit of the subdued Sonderbund can.
tons, had at once to abandon its schemes.
Remarking on this historical parallel, and on the
contrast which its subsequent course offers with
the more recent events Of our own history the
Republican says: ...-....--
To show what a correct understanding the
people of Switzerland possess of their own States
rights theory we will briefly allude to an instance
the old cantons man was bodily punished for
some crude and ostentatious utterances of infdel-
lty or impiety. The spirit Of all Switzerland was
| so much aroused by that infamous proceeding
that the federal government proposed, among
! other amendments to the constitution, a para
| graph which looked to the abolition of corporal
punishment all over Switzerland. The majority Of
all the cantons and great majority of all the
voters declared themselves against that federal in
reference with matters belonging exclusively to
the determination Of the several cant6ns, and the
/ proposed amendment to the constitution was lost
Notwithstanding nine ont of ten that voted against
it would have voted also against corporal punish
ment if the question had come to q test in their
| own canton.
Now we ask, in all candor, if this parallel, taken
| from sister republic is not worth more than the
| treatment that Poland and Hungary received from
Austria, Prussia and Russia? IF the democratic
policy Of Switzerland did not prove more beneficial
to herself than the eternal commissions to which
those despotc governments have been condemned
BY the outrageous policy drawn from an arsenal Of
1niquity, brutal force and mplaeability2 And fol
every one reason which the Swiss have had to act
as they have done, we have thousand Nobody
on earth is above us, or has right or even pre-.
tence to control us. whilst in Europe every neigh
boring State had an interest in the arrangement OF
the national affairs Of Switzerland IF we continue
IN our policy of injustice and excluaiYeness, we
have to bear the responsibility of it solely our
selves; and God knows it is heavy one