Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-11-12
ALPINE REPUBLIC!
Professor j. n. Raymond at
High School Tells of the
Swiss Government.
PUREST DEMOCRACY IN W0RL o
Berne, the Capital, the Main cities
and the Grandeur of the Noun
famous Regions Described.

The city of Berne as a monument to
the triumph and virtues of democracy.
and Switzerland, the little mountain
GUS republic of which it is the capital.
as one of the grandest scenic regions
| in the world, were the themes of tao
lecture given at the high school last
| evening by Professor jerome H. Ray.
mond as one of his university exten-
sion course of lectures being given III
| the city.
In opening his discourse the speaker
praised the model foundation of Swiss
government and principles, which were
stated to be a living example for all
other nations, both large and Small
Though there exists a diversity in
| races in its population and also in It's
religion a thorough union prevails
The four peoples, each speaking dis
tlnct tongue, were given as the Ger.
mans, who prepOnderate in Is of the
cantons; the French, in five cantons;
the Italians, in one of the large south
ern cantons, and Roumansch, in 4
| southwestern canton. The two r.
ligions specified are the Protestant.
followed by SO per cent of the popuia-
| ton, and the Roman Catholic fol
lowed by 40 per cent
Was Founded In 1921.
| Starting with the founding of the
confederation in 1891 Professor Raw
mond continued in substance as fol-
ilows:
THE expulsion of Austrian interests
soon occurred. and until 1875 Switzer-
land was a league of small sovereigtr
states without any central rule II
1898 occurred the French invasion un.
der Napoleon, resulting in destruction
lOf the former long standing founda-
tons and forcing central govern
ment upon the people. Napoleon did
not materially rholest the Swiss. only
desiring to obtain from his invasion
some of the hardy Swiss soldiers
The Swiss confederation under its own
rule was agreed to by the other Euro,
pean powers in 1914. The federal con
stitution was framed in 1S4S and Ill
1874 suffered a complete revision.
THE Swiss government is a com
bination of federal and cantCnal power
with a federal constitution modelled
similar to that of the United States
The legislature consists of the national
council, corresponding to the United
States house of representatives: the
council of states, corresponding to the
senate, and the federal council, one
member of which is chosen president
of the republic with the small salary
l of $1,000 a year,
Municipal Ownership.
Public ownership is practiced, tn
government or municipalities owning
: and operating the railways, telegraph
+ system. express system and telephones
: and controlling the manufacture of al
CohOlic liquors. They exert their rule
: also in the regulation of factory labor
: compulsory insurance of Workmen an.
a in the supervision of streams and for
. ests and of religious bodies and or
ders.
prominent in the system of gov
ernment is the power granted for di
rect legislation. What is known as
D the Landsgemeinde, which is mass
meeting of the citizens of canton
p is permitted to let the people make
y known their wishes.
Q The Referendum.
), "The referendum prevails in tvs
:, forms: optional referendum, submit
: ting laws to popular vote when peti
= toned by a certain number of citizens
y and obligatory referendum, submitting
/ all laws to the people, the latter being
5 in effect in a number of cantons
What is known as the initiative alst
il exists whereby. the people can propose
i a law and submit it to popular vote
/ though the legislature refuse to adop
i their views. Proportional representa-
: ton exists, allowing the minority rep
5. resentation in proportion to the mum
i Der of its followers In the, politica
: parties which exist there is an absenc
= of party machinery, of corruption il
administration, of struggle for offic
and of harmful election excitemen
? and persuasion. The labor association
of the country is powerful and has Sc
n lcured protective legislation of seve~a
forms for the factory artisan"
' | us Dfuerent here.
d The speaker said that the statemen
y had been made to him by Swiss tina
r the man whom the Americans send t
E. the legislature the Swiss send to tn
a, penitentiary.
III Switzerland the speaker emphasized
er lis the purest country of its form {
government existing. The reasons fc
: thI5 are the small size of the countr
. and small number of great manufa
| turing centers, with their masses {
| populations and accompanying pro
lens of poverty and misery. TT
, people themselves are self respectin
industrious and frugal in the extrem
, their manner of livelihood compellir
: III saving methods, and tending iowa
, an exact and pure government
e Picturesque Country.
S A careful description was given
e the picturesque regions of the COUNT