Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/337

 1899.] Switzerland. — State Bank. |329

was postponed from time to time in consequence of some of the delegates having to refer to their respective Governments in this important matter. At length (June 21) the German representative, Colonel von Schwartzhoff declared that his country felt so little the weight of the existing military system, that he was instructed to refuse to consider even a temporary reduction of the annual quota. The whole organisation of the country, its system of education, the arrangement of its rail- ways and the duration of the period of service were arranged so as to ensure a gradual increase of strength, and to arrest that increase would dislocate everything. There were doubtless many other delegates who shared the views thus boldly enunciated by the German representative. In any case no reply was forth- coming and the subject was allowed to drop, whilst the final views of the congress on the question of arbitration were em- bodied in a report which was sent to each Government for acceptance. The full text of the protocol signed by Great Britain will be found under " Russia " of the present volume. At the closing meeting (July 29) M. de Staal, the President, summed up the proceedings in a speech thanking the repre- sentatives for the attention which they had given to the questions brought under discussion. He admitted that although the conference had failed to bring about a reduction in existing armaments, it had strengthened the law of nations against need- less cruelties in war, had solemnly recognised the principle of arbitration and had created a machinery through which nations, when willing, might invoke arbitration.

III. SWITZERLAND.

Switzerland is the country of which the chief magistrates have the shortest tenure of office, and national traditions possess the strongest vitality, notwithstanding the remoteness of their origin. The Federal institutions, however, in spite of every form of resistance and delay, move forward and assimilate themselves, putting aside slowly but surely cantoned invasions of matters which concern their common welfare, whilst at the same time within the limits of each canton a similar movement goes on concentrating more and more influence and authority in each of its capitals.

The proposal to establish a State Bank, which had been rejected by the referendum in 1897, was again taken up by the Federal authorities in the course of the present year, and submitted with a few slight modifications to the Councils of State. Instead of providing for the whole capital, the Confedera- tion would not take upon itself more than one third, the cantons would provide another third, and the remainder would be left for the public to subscribe. The bill was laid before the National Council in June, and was brought up to the State Council shortly before the close of the year. In both assemblies