Morris tribune., 1883-04-04
SWISS Papers.

Switzerland, unlike most other coun.
tries, has no leading journal or journals.
No one town enjoys any great predomi-
nance of influence or population, and
the system of cantonal and communal
government that prevails in Switzerland
deprives the proceedings of the Federal
Executive, and, consequently, the opin-
ions of the press of the Federal capital,
of the Importance which, were the adj
ministration more centralized, they
would doubtless possess. There are
probably thousands of Swiss electors
who do not know the name of the Presi-
dent of the confederation, and Gene
van, Vaudois or Zuricher takes far
more interest in the doings of the great
councils of Geneva, Lausanne or Zurich
than in the proceedings of the National
Assembly at Berne-unless they affect
cantonal rights, when, almost of a GER
tainty, the people, by means of the
popular vote, reject the proposals of
their representatives. Hence the Swiss
press is very local, and, though many
papers are published, few, if any, have
large circulation. For this reason
they are small in size and unable to in
cur great expense in the collection Of
news. Their kilograms are often of an
cient date, and Swiss papers are occa-
sionaIly indebted even for their local
news to their London contemporaries.
When Elm was destroyed last year by
an earthslip only two or three papers
sent correspondents to the scene of the
disaster, and those who did go thought
it sufficient to forward their dispatches
by post. On the other hand, Swiss ed
itors are almost invariably men of con-
siderable ability, their comments, for
the most part, being both original and
well written, and the Swiss are SO much
given to wandering that Swiss journals
not rarely contain letters of great interest
from places where none of their CONT
mental contemporaries are represented.
The foreign correspondence of one of
one Of them, the Journal de Ge1aere, is
probably not surpassed in quality by
any journal in Europe. According to q
recent official return, Switzerland pos
sesses 307 political papers and official
gazettes, published in 15S cities, towns
and villages. Of these Sc appear once
week, ia twice week, AZ three
times, four times, 46 six times, seven
times and l (the Ne,C Zarcher Zeitu,eg)
twelve, or twice every day except Sun
dav. But all the weeks issues put to-
gether contain less matter than is to be
found in single number of the Times.
The total circulation of these papers is
665, 900, about one each for every Swiss
citizen in the enjoyment of the franchise.
How widely disseminated are Swiss pa
pers is shown by the fact that, while
ia of them, with a circulation of 49,
500, appear in the various cantonal
capitals, 1913, with a circulation of $780,
600, are published in small town and
country communes. German is the
principal language of the confederation,
and 222 papers, having circulation of
665, 600, are printed in the language Of
the primitive cantons; II, having a cir
culation of 128,000, are printed in
French; Z, with circulation of 5000,
in Italian; in Romansch, and l in En-
glish. The number of non-political
periodicals published in this country is
253 164 in German, Is in French , FIN / II
italian, and in Romansch), with a
combined circulation of 100000. The
press in Switzerland is quite as free as