Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/1409

 1287 SWITZERLAND.

(ScHWEiz. — Suisse. — Svizzeea. )

Constitution and Government.

I. Central.

On August 1, 1291, the men of Uri, Schwyz, and Lower Unterwalden, entered into a defensive League. In 1353 the League included eight members, and in 1513 thirteen. A-^arious allied and subject territories

were acquired either by single cantons or by several in common, and in 1648 the League became formally independent of the Holy Koman Empire, but no addition was made to the number of cantons till 1798. In that year, under the influence of France, the unified Helvetic Republic was formed. This failed to satisfy the Swiss, and in 1803 ISapoleon Bonaparte, in the Act of Mediation, gave a new constitution and out of the lands formerly allied or subject increased the number of cantons to nineteen. In 1815 the perpetual neutrality of Switzerland and the inviolability of her territory were guaranteed by Austria, Great Britain, Portugal, Prussia, and Russia, and the Federal Pact which had been drawn up at Zurich, and which included three new cantons, was accepted by the Congress of Vienna. The Pact remained in force till 1848, when a new constitution, prepared without foreign interference, was accepted by general consent. This, in turn, was, on May 29, 1874, superseded by the constitution which is now in force.

The constitution of the Swiss Confederation may be revised either in the ordinary forms of Federal legislation, w ith compulsory referendum, or by direct popular vote, a majority both of the citizens voting and of the cantono being required, and the latter method may be adopted on the demand (called the popular initiative) of 50,000 citizens with the right to vote. The Federal Government is supreme in matters of peace, war, and treaties ; it regulates the army, the postal and telegraph system, the coining of money, the issue and repayment of bank notes, and the weights and measures of the Republic. It provides for the revenue in general, and especially decides on the import and export duties in accordance with principles embodied in the constitution. It legislates on macters of civil capacity, copyright, bankruptcy, patents, sanitary police in dangerous epidemics, and it may create and subsidise, besides the Poly- technic School at Ziiinch, a Federal University and other higher educational institutions. There has also been entrusted to it the authority to decide concerning public works for the whole or great part of Switzerland, such as those relating relating to rivers, forests, and the construction of railways.

The supreme legislative and executive authority are vested in a parliament of two chambers, a * Standerath,' or State Council, and a ' Nationalrath,' or National Council. The first is composed of forty- four members, chosen and paid by the twenty-two cantons of the Confederation, two for each canton. Their remuneration depends on the wealth and liberality of the caditons, the average being about 20 francs (16s.) per day ; representatives from the canton of Geneva receive 30 francs (25s.), from Uri and from Unterwalden 15 francs (12s. Qd.) per day. The mode of their election and the term of membership depend