West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-04-19


Tho people in our pension, who
were so intelligent and we'll informed
about other things, bore witness TO the
great security of the state, and the
tranquility of the Swiss mind gener-
ally concerning politics, by their ignor-
ance of the name of their existing
President. They believed he was a
man OF the name of Schultz; but il APP
peared that his name was not at all
Schultz, when we referred the matter
to our pasteur. IL was from him, in
deed, that learned nearly all 1 knew
OF Swiss politics. and il was from his
teaching that became a conservative
partisan IN the question, then before
the voters, OF a national free-school
law. The radicals, who, the past eur
said, wished Switzerland to ATTEMPT
the role "qrdTlde nation" had brought
forward this measure in the Federal
Legislature, and IL was now, according
to the sensible Swiss custom. to be sub
mitted to a popular vote. 1t provided
for the establishment of q national
bureau OF education. and the conserva-
tives protested against il as the enter
ing wedge OF Capitalization in govern
ment affairs. They contended that in
n country shared by three races and
two religious education should be left
as much as possible to the several can
tons, which in the Swiss constitution
are equivalent to our States. L am hap
Ply to say that the proposed law was
overwhelmingly defeated; am happy
because liked the pasteur so much,
though whom i remember the sympa-
thetic bric-a-brac dealer at Vevay, who
was a Radical but who sold me some
old pewters at q very low price, can't
help feeling little sorry too. How
ever, the Swiss still keep their old
school law, under which each canton
taxes itself for education, as our States
do, though all share in the advantages
of the universities, which are part Of
the public-school system.
The parties in Switzerland are fortu-
nately not divided by questions of race
or religion, but the pasteur owned
that the Catholics were difficult ele-
ment, and had to be carefully managed.
They include the whole population of
the Italian cantons and part of the
French and German. In Geneva and
other large towns the labor question
troublesomely enters, and the Radicals,
like our Democrats, are sometimes the
retrograde party.
AltSI ulNlHe beTVlco Oh election sum
day L went to the Croix Blanche for
my coffee, to pass the time till the vot-
ing should begin. On the church door
was posted o printed summons to the
electors, and on the cafe billiard tables
i found ballots of the different parties
scattered. Gendarmes had also distrib-
uted them about in the church pews:
they were inclosed in envelopes, which
were voted sealed. On q table before
the pulpit the ballot box-a glass urn
was placed; and beside it sat the
judges Of election, with lists of regis.
tered voters. But in any precinct OF
the canton an elector who could prove
that he had not voted at home might
deposit his ballot in any other. The
church bell rang for the people to as
semble, and voting began and ended in
perfect quiet. But could not witness
an election of this ancient republic,
where freedom was so many centuries
old, without strong emotion; it had
from its nature and the place the con-
secration of religious rite. William
Dean HoWells, i1I Hdrper's MAGAZINE.