The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1920-12-31

the Swiss federal compact, which is
Of comparatively recent origin.
The Everlasting League, as it is
called, had its beginning among simple
peasants, who fed their cattle and
raised their crops on the slopes and
valleys of mountain girdled land.
No cities were known in that region,
and the laws which governed each
community we're made by general
assembly of the people. The primitive
Swiss canton governed itself like a
New England town, but it's jurisdiction
was sovereign. It's popular assembly,
which met in the open air, made treat
les, formed alliances and declared war,
in addition to regulating matters of
merely domestic concern.
Both the town meeting and the
Swiss assembly are a common inheri-
lance of teutonic freedom, with the
COVE of the chief left out.
In time the original mountain league
was joined by free cities like Luzern,
Zurich and Bern, and by 1853 the
league of the eight cantons found it's
place in the State system of Europe.
1t took one hundred and fifty years
to expand this into the confederation
of the thirteen cantons, and this num-
Der remained unchanged until 1898,
whe nthe Helvetic Republic came into
being under the impulse of the French
Revolution.
| In 1903 new confederation, COM
posed of nineteen cantons, was organ
| lied under the auspices of Napoleon,
which was again expanded under the
European settlement of 1915 into the
confederation of twenty-five cantons,
which then, for the first time, became
| formallp known as Switzerland, and
took their place in Europe as the COM
posite Swiss nation which we know to-
day
| From the union of the three forest
cantons to the confederation of thir-
teen Independent and sovereign COM
munities the Swiss league remained
pure German. In course of time indi-
vidual cantons like Bern made con-
quests, and so did the confederation
itself. But down to the formation of
the Helvetic Republic the territories
acquired by contest did not rise above
the rank of being confederates, allies
or subjects of their German masters.
The artificial union of people speak
| ing three languages, but bearing a
common name, and organized on a
footing of absolute political equality,
is therefore somewhat younger than
that of our thirteen original States.
| 1t must not be supposed that the
Swiss Republic furnished the model
for our States, though it was not with
out its effect on our institutions. On
the contrary, our constitution and
laws, formed basis for the present
Swiss constitution, and the resemb-
lance is easily traced.
The Swiss Federal Assembly is
modelled after the pattern of Congress,
except that the Senate possesses no
powers which are not also given to the
lower house. The executive power of
the Swiss Republicv is confided to a
Federal Council, of which the so-called
president and vice-president of the
republic are merely chairman and vice
chairman. The seven members of
the Federal Council are elected by the
Federal Assembly for three years, but
the president and vice president are
elected for one year, and are not re-
eligible for election till another year
has expired.
| The members of the Federal Coun-
Gil can sit and speak in either house of
the Federal Assembly, so that the ex-
ecutive and Legislative branches of the
government are in constant intercour-
course with each other.
| But the Swiss are excessively con-
sentative and resent any innovation
that may in the least trammel their
freedom The men Uri and Inter
walden still assemble in the open air,
without the Intervention of any parlia-
mentary machinery, to make laws and
appoint public officers, as they did six
hundred years ago. 1t would be hard
to find, the world over, an unbroken
precedent of freedom so well worth
celebrating.