Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1894-12-05
HAPPY SWITZERLAND.
The Extent to Which It's People
Enjoy Home Rule.

1JOJ 3AOAA0 1btAA0s
A Country Where Every Citizen Ii . Leg.
islatOr and No Act Of 0eyernmenf BE.
comes q Law Until It Has Received
the Popular Approval.
The political divisions and subdivisions
Of the Swiss confederation arc tho same AZ
those Of the United States, save that tho
commune performs the functions of both
township and county. The citizens Of Q
neighborhood are grouped in the govern
ment of commune; regional interests
have given rise 10 tie Canton the federal
government unites the whole people. A
correspondent of Geneva writes: To what
extent the Swiss ENJOY homo rule and how
far the people govern themselves directly
may be seen in the operations of the ref.
erendum in each division Of the state, and
in the composition Of the cantonal and fed.
eral executive powers.
In one form or other the system Of the
referendum has prevailed in aome parts Of
Switzerland from time INIT emorlal. To
this day in many of the comm unes of Uri,
Glaris, Schwyz, Appenzell AMI Unterwald
the citizens meet, as did their fathers be-
fore them, in the town markes place or in
the open air on mountain plata to accept
OE ICJCCb W q ouOW VI u6uuS buo Jaws IalU
before them by the communal councils. In
these radical democracies the right Of
initiative belongs to every citizen, he who
conceives a law having the opportunity to
present it and explain it ai meeting of his
fellow-electors. The Swiss commune 10 as
nearly autonomous as is consistent with
oantonal and federal rights. II is re-
garded as in q state en- petit. It really ex-
ercises the powers that NJ. de TocQueville
mistakenly attributed to the American
township. 1t is jealous of interference by
the state. 1t does not part with the ad-
ministration Of its forests, police, roads,
schools, churches or asylums until the
point is reached where tho interest Of tho
state manifestly take the place of locality.
Through the refe rendum Of the popular as
semblages Of the purely democratic com.
munes every citizen becomes legislator,
his voice and vote directly influencing the
decision Of public questions. Yet even the
communss having a representative govern.
Ment the referendum may be invoked SO
readily that the people hold control in de-
tails. Within year on the official bulletin
boards Of q commune in Geneva was posted
Q printed notice announcing that, unless
| vote of the people TO the contrary was
called for, professor In one Of the colleges
would be presented by the communal coun-
all with an honorarium of $240.
The constitution of the canton Of Geneva
| provides that the people may sanction or re-
| ject not only the laws passed by the can.
tonal legislature, but the orders issued by
the cantonal legislative and executive pow
ers. The exceptions to the exercise Of the
| cantonal referendum are laws declared to
| be ''of urgence" by the legislature and
! those relating to the annual budget, except
l.. - ,4e lick l.
creaSing q tax already existing, or necessi-
tat0s . call for public loan. On the de.
mand Of ct least $500 votsrs-ahout one in
four of the total number In the canton
within thirty days after the official publica.
| ton Of a law or order the question Of. adoption
| or rejection must be submitted to tho
| people. The vote on the referendum must
| take place within forty days after the thirty
days Just mentioned. Thus all the functions
| Of direct democracy lie with the citizens
| Of the eanton in general, save that Of DELHI
GRAFTON in assembly.
Under the Swiss constitution $4,000 citi.
xens, or majority in eight cantons. may
demand q popular vote On any federal law
| whatsoever and on any order emansting
from the legislative or executive power
which 10 Of general import or il not urgent
in character. The petition Of the federal
| Referendum IuuS6 DC HAAS W1t1lu ulQ6IY
days after the publication OF the law or
ofder.
The cantonal and federal constitutions
are also subject to revision on q vote Of the
peopie The voters of the canton of Geneva
are called upoR every fifteen years to de.
| eide whether its constitution ahau be re-.
viSOd. The federal constitution may be re.
| Vised at any time. On the petition Of 66, 600
voters-about one-tweltth Of the total vote
! or in case either house Of the federal as
sembly (Congrsss) demands Q revision, the
question whether IL shall take place is sub
mitted to the country.
Tbs records Of the referendum are curl.
GUS, inasmuch as they show the frequency
with which the people have had recourse 20
it and the tenacity with which the denloc-
racy has chung to the conservative Gus
toms, In the hfty-hve years from 1859 to
1924 the referendum was resorted to in
Berne sixty times. In the six years from
1874 to 1850 FIVE measures recommended by
the federal executive and passed by both
houses OF the federal assembly, the aeu.
beers of which were elected by universal
suffrage, were vetoed by national vote. In
1880 q proposal to revise the federal consti-
tuition so as to change the regulations Of
the issues of bank notes was rejected by q
tks3ority of $4,000. In 1852, and again
in 1878, the people Of the Canton Of Geneva
rejected proposed change in Its constitu-
ton, the last time by u majority Of 6,eo6 in
vote OF 11.o00, Twice since 1a47 the same
canton has voted not to increase the salary
of the members of its executive council, and
it has since declined to reduce the number
of members from seven 70 FIVE The TIVE
French cantens Of Geneva and Neuchatel,
which only entered the confederation In the
present century, adopted the referendum on
the avowed ground Of its efficiency as q
check to hasty and inconsiderate legisla-
toP.
On the other hand, the Swiss people have
shown no blind dislike Of change or fear OF
oattiipR ence and for all questions Of the
RrayesE eharaeter. A constitution cub
mitted to them In 1872, the work Of the
partisans of Capitalization, who had pre-
sented the programme Of IAN army and q
law,n went down before a majority Of
5000 Only two years later, however, the
present constitution was adopted, religious
Questions CONNECTED with il aroaslng 3
Strong feeiing It was adopted by vote Of
$4,000 aPainst l9S,0Oa, the Catholic eantens
throwing heavy majeFitiss against It, es Il
suppressed converts and the Order Of
Jesuits in Switzerland. In 1878 in the mat
ter of the st. Gothard tunnel subsidy the
Swiss people showed their capacity to ap
breciate questions of broad policy. Al
ebongnt the granting oI the subsidy puI
) strain upon the National resources And TIL
enterprise was adverse to the local inter
ssts af cantpns, half million voters wen
TO the polls on . Aretched day in midwinteI
and swo-thirds of them voted yes
Descent Into the Grand Canyon.
II went to the bottom Of the Grand