Evening star., 1916-08-06
SWISS VIEW OF NEUTRALITY

ceives no more cotton. England after
having decreed the blockade. had neg.
lected. singular to say, to declare cot
TON sa, eontrahand ,ea OF war; detai, which
mass of the federal forces is assem-
bled along the French frontier. And
NJ. Louis Bresse remarks:
without our knowing why. exactly.
Switzerland has become toward France
the left wing OF Germany. Switzerland
serves g bulwark in covering a part
OF her frontiers with inaccessible Alps
and numerous battalions. BY Switzer-
land Germany mandates the country
with spies in communication with the
bureau of military information at Lor-
rach The taubes. aviatiks and albatross
can fly over Belfort and the valley OF
the Doubs along the Swiss frontier
From this Swiss point of view Swiss
| neutralit~ appears quite different from
the general view.
NJ Loosli, under the title of 'Switzer-
| land of Tomorrow" writes. pessimis-
tically: The heart of every Swiss pa
trtot is stirred when he asks himself
the question. What will become Of us
after the war? Provided Switzerland
comes out unhurt. II Is certain many
things must be changed: many tares. Of
which we were not aware and which
were revealed since the war, must be
eliminated from our national life"
The question that Switzerland has
| need of regeneration Is vital II is
necessary to find a solution. else Il IL
all over with the national life Of
Switzerland. The first question is that
OF language-the German OF the Ger
man Swiss and the French Of the Ro-
mand Swiss The second question 10 OF
switzerland situation with reference
to the peoples who surround her en-
gagged in death struggle.
The author insists that there is ur-
gency In the solution, and invites dis
cussion. which has been already be-
gun. The disunion dates far back.
and the war has only disclosed H.
Down to the first OF August, 1914,
swiss politics interested no one In
switzerland. except perhaps. those who
make of politics lucrative profession.
The right Of suffrage. for example.
for which generations before sacrificed
their property and Iives-suffrage has
become derisive in the eye of the
| the half OF the citizens exercise II.
1T II lis asked why. the author replies
| at the risk OF having his motives i'm
pugned. he who Is re-
democratic publican heart and soul.
| pr;, lit is due to the demo-
tenn" For Of the democratic principle.
he says. I'VE have maintained only tn.
outward sign. and Of that a caricature.
which is more demogogie than demo-
cratic, which our revolutionary aucee-
tors gave us in 1898. and in 1s4s."
The democratic principles failed
! under the "Jacobfnism" OF the conven-
| ton. Experience showed that govern
| ment direct from the people did no,
| accord with a society Of men NOT
| YET ripe to understand II and apply il
and soon to the democratic ideal there
was substituted the empire Of a will
| more or less unilateral. which may be
| Jacobinism.
1t followed that it was not the peo-
pie who governed. but factions and
parties, and then the press That
press, recent events have shown T. has
no contact with the mentality and SEN
some honorable exceptions Of which
the Switzerland of tomorrow will not
forget, II has arrived voluntarily and
since long time at all its possible as
And this was foreseen Montesouieu,
in La Grandeur ct la Decadence de
Romans. wrote. 200 years before. re-
ferring to the canton Swiss. which then
represented for the foreigner Switxer-
land entire. these prophetic words:
There is at present in the world
republic which few know (Canton
Bern). but which in secret and silence
augments its force each day. It Is GER
tain that II II arises ever to q state OF
grandeur to which its wisdom destines
| ii it will necessarily change its laws;
and that will not be the work of
legislator. but Of corruption"
NJ. Loosli expresses the opinion that
Switzerland has come to the state Of
corruption which had been foreseen by
Montesquieu.
Switzerland. according to NJ. LoosIi.
has hopelessly gone over to ''anarism.
or moneymaking and corruption. in
trigues. and not forgetting nepotism.
which is one Of the great evils which
has sapped public probity in Switser
land.
**
Nepotism. the writer explains rs
naively as IL it did not exist else
where than in Switzer-
Nepotism land. consists In the
procuring Of some ad-
Charged. vantage or .mployment
for some one-a friend or q member OF