The Advocate and news., 1899-04-05

latlon C00k the place OF representative gov
ernment and Switzerland, after more or
less rapid initiation according to historical
circumstances OF the several cantons, hav-
ing reached the age Of popular sovereignty,
has now entered the era OF pure democracy
"This momentOus step, which has trans
formed, in our country, the very conditions
OF political struggle, was the result of in
serting a short article in the amended con-
stitution Of 1874.
"'0n the request of 10000 citizens, fed
eral bills are TO be submitted to the people
for adoption or rejection.
"Thus was officially registered the birth
of that famous Swiss referendum which now
enjoys a widespread celebrity. In point OF
fact, the system of appealing to the voters
themselves in matters of legislation was for
merly known under different forms in many
Swiss States, But its fame had not grown
beyond their cantOnal boundaries. The
world at large totally ignored the existence
of the institution, but its strange Latin
elliptical name now enjoys the franchise in
all modern languages and is met under the
pen of political writer's in most different
countries.
what is still generally unknown is that
the adoption of the above constitutional
amendment, which one ought to look for in
the very middle of a chapter concerning the
powers of the Federal Assembly, was, like
the whole work of the constituent legisla-
ture elected in 1872, the result of compro.
mise.
ga first scheme, which aimed at thor.
ough transformation of the Swiss Confed-
GRAFTON to a state of the unified type, had
just been voted down by the people, acting
in their capacity of supreme constituent
power, and in the two representative coun-
ellis which were renewed the party Of cen
tralizatiOn was compelled to come to terms
with the champion of historical state rights
The arrangement consisted both in adjourn
ing the most radical articles of the disa-
vowed scheme and in granting the above
mentioned one to the believers in advanced
democracy and to the representatives of the
cantonalstic traditions. In this respect the
new article, which was already, under a
slightly different form, inscribed in the
draft framed by the former assembly, could
be introduced as modernizatiOn, an adap.
tation to federated democracy of that an
cient right of appeal to their constituency
which formerly belonged to the members
of federal diets, of that right of casting
their vote ad referendum which so many
times enabled cantonal deputies to reverse
the supreme decision of a sovereign state.
"They said: we greatly enlarge the
powers of the Bund. We engage the Re-
public in a way in which you follow us
with regret and looking backward, let us
have the trial which we believe to be for |
progress and prosperity of the country. We
will then concede to you, if n l. share in |
the direction, at least the means of stopping
us in our march as often as you think it be |
contrary to the popular will. The team of
the commonwealth we will drive, but we
will place in your hands, for want of the
reins, this powerful brake which you shall
be able to apply
"Thus can be roughly sketched, under
One Of its multiple aspects, the tenor of the
accepted compromise of 1874. From that
time, Independently of the popular votings
On constitutional amendments, which were
already in use under the former federal
of lS4S, the legislative refer
sndum was demanded on about twenty or
twenty-five important bills, half of which
we're actually rejected by the voters
"The exercise of the referendum became
ihus the ordinary and effectual resort of
ninorities. Since every act of the Federal
Assembly is subject to that appeal, since all
questions of some magnitude are generally
eferred to the supreme decision of the body
# voters, the Swiss people has grown to be
of it's own fate in degree which
10 other people in our times ever reached.
The Swiss of to-day can say of themselves,
What Roger Williams wrote to Sir Henry
Zane in the name of the citizens of Rhode
sland in the middle of the seventeenth
entury: We have drunk of the cup of
Teat liberties as much as any people that
re can hear of under the whole heaven!'
SIS that for their good and welfare?