The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-08-20

| contributed to form that OF his country. How
| true this 10 will be evident when ono recalls
how many OF his personal ideas and purposes
have become national and permanent. Liberal
education. liberal politics. liberal religion: n
free press: America for Americans; faith In
the simple arts OF peace in science.
In material progress. in popular rule.
in popular honesty, in Government economy;
no kings no caste room for the oppressed OF
all nations; hostility to monopolies. the divorce
OF Government from banks. from pet corpora
tions. and from every form OF paternalism;
foreign friendship and intercourse without
foreign alliances; the gradual propagation OF
republican ideas on this Western hemisphere.
while gently pushing Europe out: meagro
force establishments; meagre preparations
for war in time OF peace: n leaning toward
militia and State volunteers for defence in
emergencies rather than dependence upon ma
tional troops and prmtorian guards; faith in
the indefinite expansion Of the Union and OF
the practice OF self-government upon this con-
tinent, to the ultimate complete exclusion OF
monarchical institutions: all this. though
others also have inculcated some OF tho max
inns, Is JefIersonism. and Jeffersonism is
Americnnism.
Direct Legislation In Switzerland and the
United States.
In notice OF the late Prof. Freeman's His
tory OF Federal Government" we adverted to
the strange omission to mark the extent to
which direct legislation in the form OF popular
initiative. as well as OF ultimate decision. Is
applied in Switzerland. to federal as well as
communal and cantonal affairs. Throughout
that work the author seemed to take for
granted that n community must renounce the
advantages OF n pure democracy and ADOPT
some kind Of representative government the
moment it becomes impracticable for all its
citizens to meet in one general assembly.
That the assumption is Ill founded In the
sense that large population may re-
serve to itself large powers OF direct legisla-
ton. while delegating relatively limited pow
ers to legislators. Is proved by the case OF
Switzerland, which contains at the present
time considerably more white inhabitants
than were included within the thirteen Ameri-
can colonies during the Revolutionary war.
Moreover in the United States themselves
there are already many moro examples OF the
reference Of proposed laws to the people for
ultimate decision than are observed by most
students OF our political institutions, who
commonly speak OF our municipal. county.
State and Federal Governments ms all based
exclusively upon the representative principle.
We have long needed book specially devoted
to the purpose Of showing how imperfectly
this assumption corresponds to the facts even
in the case OF our own country. and more con-
spicuously in that OF Switzerland. Such a book
has been prepared by Mr. j. W. SULLIVAN. and
brought out through the Twentieth Century
Publishing Company. 1t bears the title OF Direct
Legislation Through the Initiative and ReJeren-
dun. So far as this work deals with Switzerland.
1t differs from other books on the same subject
by concentrating attention. not on the applica-
lions, but on the limitations OF the representa-
tive principle. and the result is demonstra-
ton that the extent to which direct legislation
is exercised by tho Swiss people Is already
great and is constantly increasing. In sup
Elemental chapter. the author adduces sur
prisng number OF instances In which the
referendum is already practised In the United
States. and points out that this mode Of direct
legislation Is frequently employed among
American labor associations