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Show liaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal HAPPY SWrrZEniiAiNa). M Tho Kstnut to Vhlc'' Ito Porplo Bujoy Homo H A Country AVIiern Kv.ry Cltli-ii It n ?( H lilater anil 11a AelorOovrrnraentlt - H oiuietaI..iiTUiitlllllla.r,"riIreil tlio Appio.al. H Tho pollllcal illvlakxis and suUtiv' jns H of tho tlwips contcilerntlon aro ttio kii, n aa H thoso of tbo United Htatea, auvo tlatt iho cosur.uno performs tho funottona of both H towssntn and county. The cllliuns ef a H neighborhootl tiro grouped lu tho cerern. H inent of a commune, rfU.nnl Intorosts M havo lvcn riao u iho canton; tho federal H goYcinnicnt unllun tlio whoiu iieoplo, A , H corre'poiult'ntof rjonora writes! To what X' extent Ilia Hivlas onjoy li"iroru o nnd iiovr '"i H far tho peoplo govern thrniiclvcn directly H may ho seen In tho openitlona ot Iho 1 of- H c rendu m hioacliOMalonof tho state, and ,H In the composition of tho cantonal nnd fed M oral oiooutlvo powers. H In ono form or other tho system of tha H referendum lmi prevulled In somo parta of H Switzerland from tlmo Immemorial. To this day In many of tha rommuncs of Ur), M Ul.irls, Bclnvjz, ApiK-ir.cU and Uutenmld H tho citizens meet, os did their fathom be- H foro litem, in tlio lown markot-placo or tit H thoopoiialronntr.oun.talu plain to accent H or reject by n show of hnndstba laws laid beforo them by tlio communal councils. In H tkeso radical democracies tlio right of H Initlatlvo belongs lo evory cltlien, ha who H conceives a law having; tho opportunity to iH present It and explain It at n mooting of bis 'H fellow-c'.cctors Tho Hwlss commune Is a H nearly autonomous as Is consistent with H cantonal and federal rights. It Is re. H garded as In n atato en petit. It really ex H trclsen tho ywcrs that M. do Tocquevllla inlstakciil; attributed to tho Amorican H township. It Is Joalous of Intorforonco by H tho stato. It docs not part with tho ad H ministration of its forests, pollco, roads, H schools, churches or asylums until the H llnt Is reached tvhero tho Intorostof tha H atato manifestly trtlto tho placo of locality. H Tnrough tho roftrendum of tho popular as- H semblagcs of tho puroly democratic com- H muues every cltlien liocomesn, legislator, H his volco and voto directly Influencing tha H decision of pubho questions. Yet even tba H communes having n representative govern. H inent tho referendum may bo Invoked so readily that tbo peoplo hold control In do- H lads. Within n year on tho ofllclal bullotln H boards of a communo In Uonova was postod H a prlutcd notlco announcing that, unless H a voto of tha peoplo to tbo contrary was H called for, n professo.' In ono of iho collogea H would bo presented by tho communal coun H ell with au bonornrium of JJIO. H Tho constlii tlon of tho canton of Oonora M provides that tha peoplo may sanction or re IjH ject not only tho laws passed by tho can- H tonal legislature, but tho orders Issued by H tbo cantonal legislative, nnd oxecutlvo pow- H ors. Tho exceptions to tho oxorclso of the H cantonal referendum nro laws declared to B bo "ot urgence" by tho leglslaturo nnd B thoso relating to tho annual budget, except- HH log when tho latter establish n now tax, In- HVH creasing, a tor. tilrcudyorlcUnff, or neccssi- HBhJ tatos n call for 11 public loan. On tlio da- HBhJ msnd of at least tl,.Y)0 oter. - about nno In jHHVJ four of 'ho total number 'in tho canton HBBj within thirty daj antler tlio ofllclal publica- HVJ UonofaIatvorori!ertlioo.'ji:aiioiiof,SdoptI'n BBVJ or rejection must bo submitted to the jHBV nAnlei ThA vol.. on flirt roforcnduul aaBBBBBBBBBa! take placo trlthiii forty uays attet ;im days just mcnllonod. 'Xliua all tlio func. jHHVJ of adlroctt'emoeincy ho with tho rit'n HBBj ot tho canton iu general, sat u that ot dcliu- J oration In asa;mUy. sTaaHaBBBBi Under tbo flwlss constitution 80,n0 c'tt- HVJ tens, or a majority In eight rontons, n-y demand a popular voto ou auy t edoral hvr HHHb whatsoever uud on uny cdor ciiiSuating BBVJ from tho legislative or oxc:utlvo power HBV VfU'.eh Is cf general importer Is ,.ot urgent BKhJ In character. Tiio v-.uto-of tDQ federal BBBj refercndivn must lio. mado witluu ulnoty -----J dsys af.er tho publleJtlaa of tho law or- J Tbo cantoial end federal constltullcua BHVJ aro nlso 'ibji-ct to revision on n voto of tlia HHHJ people, Tho vouirs of the canton "'(leaovt BBhJ are called open rvciy flfieca yenra to d HBhJ oide tvht'lier Iu constitution ahull bo r-- J vised. T'10 federal ocn'auon may bt rv BBhJ vised nt nuy time. On tio petition 0; 3d, 0 ) J votors-aboutono tt-elfthof tbo tit-' v a HHBJ orincnsoiitbor housDOf tho feil'n'ni- -HBhJ sembly (Congress) demands u revWivn, 1 10 flHVJ q'tentlon wliolliorltsbuii tnlo placo is tub. HBhJ milted to tao country. jHBVJ Tlio records nt tbo referendum are ourl- 9BVJ out, laasmucU as tlior k'iuw ti-.j frequency J with whleh tho peoplo have bad roeourso to BHVJ It and the tenacity with which tha domoa- 9BVJ racy has clung to tho conscrvatlvo cUs- HJ toms. In tho fltty-flvo years from HCO to HBhJ 153s the referendum uj ro.ortod to In HKhJ Uerno sixty times. Iu tbo six years from SHVJ 1ST! to lbsU tiro measures reevmrnondod by BBhJ the foderrd cxccutlvo and pasted by both 4HBVJ bouses of tbo federal assembly', tbo mem- 9BVJ bcra ot which wcro elccUs by universal SBVJ suffrage, wero vetoed oy u ua'.Unal voto. In flBBJ 15S0 a proposal to roviae tbo fed end conttl- HBVJ tutlon so as to chango tho regulations of HBVJ tho Issues of bank noteu was rejected by a HBl majority of 131,000. In lvfi, aud ngalu In 16TS, tbo peoplo of the canton of Geneva rejected n proxscd cbungo hi Us constltu. HH tlon, tho last tlmo by a majority of (1,000 In SHH nvotoot llJOO. Tivico r.im.-o l!v!7 tbo s.imii BHH canton has votwl not to Incroaso the silary of themomborspf Its oxooutlvc council, and It has slnco declined to reduce tho number HBVJ ot members from sovento P 0. Tim two HB French cantons ofU.-neva nnd Neucbatcl, which only cntcrnl th (i frdomtlon tn tho c HH present ccnturj-, adopiedthorofurcndumon HHl tho avowed ground ot Its cfilclcncy as a HBV check to hasty and Inconsldcrata fogisla- On the other band, the Swiss peoplo liavo IBS shown 110 blind disllko of change or f oar of settling onco and for all questions of tbe flBV gravest, character. A 'constitution sub- milled to them In 1570, tho work of tho AVH partisans of centralization, who had pro- seated tho programmo ot "an army and a law," went down bofore a majority ot SHV 0,000. Only two years later, however, tba present constitution was adopted, religious questions connected with It arousing a HH strong feeling. It was adopted by a voto of 310,000 against 193,000, the Cathollo cantons throwing heavy majorities against It, as It suppressed convents and tho Order of 9BH Jesuits tn (Switzerland. In 1S7S tn tho mat- BBfl teroftho St. Gotbard tunnel subsidy tbo Swiss peoplo showed their capacity toai- SBh proclato questions of broad policy. Ah HHJ though the granting of tbo subsidy put a H strain upon the National resources and tha H onterprlso was advorso to the local Inter.' H ests of cantons, half a million voters went H to tho polls on a wretched day In midwinter H and two-thirds of tbcm voted "Yes." jH |
