People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1896-05-07

" A"SHidtlNC' dLU Uuc
compulsory. Both forms are in use:
many OF the cantOns, which are SINH
lar to our states, employ thecompulsc.
~ and some the optional. The
Federal government employees the
optional, as they think it needless
for the people to vote on such meas
ures as appropriations and salaries.
However the compulsory Referendum
is being much agitated fec the Federal
Government.
Switzerland has a deliberatiye body
called the Federal Assembly, whose
members are elected almost in the
same manner as our own Congress
Instead Of our whole executive power
being vested in one man. the Federal
Assembly every three years elects a
Federal Council Of seven. responsible
Tor the execution Of the laws. One
OF the members Of this body is elected
yearly by the Federal Assembly as
president. He is really no more than
chairman Of the Council and his DOW
erS do not exceed those of his associ-
ates' He is simply primus inter par.
es' All questions Of Importance are
decided by the whole council not nv
the president alone. Each of the
members of the council is at the head
OF department, similar to the cab
met of the president of the United
States. To show bow unimportant
is the pOsitiOn'Of Swiss President. it
is said that if you were to ask an in.
telligent Swiss, who the president is
this particular year, he would probab.
lystop to ponder over it, and then say.
he does not know.
Here is.anilluStratiOn of thej prac.
tical workings Of the Referendum.
If the federal assembly pass a law,
which by the way is not as frequent
an occurrence as in the United States,
or propose a constitutional amend
ment, it is printed at government ex-
pense, and sent over the country, so
that The citizens may all have an op-
pOrtunity TO see and discuss it,.
Then, if the people want to vote on
it, thirty thousand of the voters
petition for the use of the Referen-
dunn, which Of course is given, and a
vote is taken on the measure, If they
do not want to vote on it, being salts.
fed with the bill as it stands, it be.
comes law at the end Of ninety day.
from the date Of its passage.
On the other hand, if the iegisla
ture does not pass or lnauguratC
measures according to the popular
will, certain number make use OF
the Initiative.
Now we may think all this sounds
very well, and may work in othe
countries, but we do not want it
And yet, we have it here in our mids
in many different forms, hidden unde
various DISCUSSES. The simplest form
is local option. There have been ef
forts made in the State Of Kansas Il
have the prohibitOry law re-submittet
which were very properly vote
down. Every state 10 the Union, i
we except Delaware has a provision
for the submitting Of constitutions
amendments. to vote Of the people
There is also growing tendency Il
leave less Of the laws to be formulatet
by the State legislatures, and to in
culcate them into the constitution
upon which all vote. Thus we oh
serve leaning toward democratic
forms and the direct expression o
the popular will.
These then are the advantages o
this system used in Switzerland. II
simplileS laws; it awakens though
among the people; it purifes the bal
lot it strikes away the shackles O
party bondage.
The problem of grating Swis
ideas and usages upon our America
institutions can not be solved all q
once, but the forms OF the Referen
dumwe already have must be enlarge
slowly and cautiously. There nee
be no dlsrupting Of established Gus
toms but the change may be accom-
plished by a peaceful revolution.
Then will we have government b
the people, for the people; "a govern
ment, whose corner stone is equal an
exact justice TO all.
Liquid Lightning Lice
Destroyer is guaranteed
to kill all kinds of Lice
Mites and Bedbugs. Fol
sale only by F. B. shy
: der, 1928 North Washing,
ton Avenue, Wellington
Kansas.
Horrible Holocaust.
What might have been terribl