Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-01-11
Communism No Issue
For Prosperous and
Conservative Swiss


Conservative Swiss
By Helene Huntington Smith
GSTAD, SWITZERLAND (By
Air MaiD There is no displaced
persons problem in Switzerland, and
not enough Communism to amount
to anything.
The simple facts Of normality and
prosperity in this country are SEN
sational, to a traveller from Central
Europe. Switzerland is so normal
it's abnormal.
It is still a land of hot water,
clean linen and plenty of good food.
After the grimness of Vienna, after
the tension underlying the surface
normality of Prague, 1t is almost a
shock to wake up in this prewar
fairyland of bright sun on snow,
sleigh bells and people skiing.
The shops are full OF tempting
things to buy-at stiff Swiss prices:
cameras, scarves and luscious win
ter sports clothes. The money is
harbour and quarter solid Swiss
francs to the dollar. The franc
pieces are made Of silver, which used
to be considered the proper mate
rial for money-not aluminium or
lead.
Women Well Dressed.
Another near-shock Is the sight
OF smart, well-to-do women who are
not American. Swiss mountain re-
sorts are crowded and Furnishing;
they are having an all-out winter
season. This prosperity Is home
made, with little outside help ex-
cept from near neighbors-the
French, Belgians and Dutch. You
see few Americans, and those few
mainly are army officers or civilian
officials on holiday from Germany.
Almost the only serious Com
munism in this self-startfng dream
world exists in the Participating
southwest corner, and has its
strength in the motor, electrical and
precision-tool industries Of Geneva,
Lausanne and Vevey. The Com
munists hold seven out Of 1914 Par
liamentary seats, which Is enough
to give them a representation on
all important committees.
But they can make little Roadway
against Swiss conservatism, indi-
vidiualism and prosperity. Almost
everyone in Switzerland owns some-
thing-a farm, a house or a little
business. Thousands of workmen
have their own homes and little
garden plots outside Of town; most
of them came from the scountry
originally, and they still think with
the sturdy independence Of farmers.
Watch Industry Flourishes.
The matchmaking industry, has
become rather heavily centralized,
but the Swiss watch worker Is still
a highly skilled, individual CARTS
man. He has his own strong, non
fellow travelling union, and COM
munism doesn't get to first base in
the big watch making centers OF
Biel and Neuchatel.
Every now and then in resorts
like this you see a plain wooden
sleigh with a load of hay or fire
wood, driven by a bearded peasant
or stout peasant mama. Both look
at though they disapproved
thoroughly of all this winter sport
nonsence. They are from that other
Switzerland of the remote mountain
valleys = Catholic, conservative and
poorer than the rest. But they, too,
area powerful counterweight against
change.
No Swiss. will claim that his
country is free of poverty, or that
the standard OF living everywhere
is all that 1t should be. He will
point out, however, that there are
no big landed estates, and not many
miserable, marginal subsistence
farms. The average size ola Swiss
farm is Is acres-enough for q de-
cent living.
Little United Nations.
The Swiss are little United Ma
lions and proud Of 1t. People of two
religions and three national strains
live together here without conflict.
There is no minority problem.
French, Germans and Italians are
all one people. Perhaps, because
of this successful mixture, they seem
more like Americans than any other
people in Europe.
They are proud of their democ-
racy too. They teach their school
children that the national consti-
tuition, adopted in 1848, was pat
termed after the American one. It
has a States Council made up Of two
representatives from each Of the 20
cantons, corresponding to our
Senate; and National Council with
a representation based on population,
like our House of Representatives.
But when it came to the executive,
the cautious Swiss wouldn't trust 50
much power to one man; 50 they
have a seven-man board whose
members rotate the top job.
Swiss businessmen probably are
the most conservative in the world.
and Swiss conservatism has its less
attractive side. The types you see
in a second-class railroad compart-
ment at committing time are so
solid as to make club car full OF
American tycoons seem positively
Eighty by comparison.
Woman Suffrage Opposed.
Switzerland is firmly antiwoman
suffrage. About three weeks ago the
canton of Zurich submitted two
propositions to its male electorate.