By a popular vote in 1887 the federal authorities were given a monopoly of alcohol, but a proposal to deal similarly with tobacco has been very ill received (though such a monopoly would undoubtedly produce a large amount), and would pretty certainly be refused by the people if a popular vote were ever taken upon it. In 1895 the people declined to sanction a state monopoly of matches, even though the unhealthy nature of the work was strongly urged, and have also resolutely refused on several occasions to accept any projects for the centralising of the various branches of military administration, etc. Among other reforms which have recently been much discussed in Switzerland are the introduction of the obligatory referendum (which hitherto has applied only to amendments to the federal constitution) and the initiative (now limited to piecemeal revision of the federal constitution) to all federal laws, etc., and the making large federal money grants to the primary schools (managed by the several cantons). The former scheme is an attempt to restrain important centralising measures from being presented as laws (and as such exempt from the compulsory referendum), and not as amendments to the federal constitution, while the proposed school grant is part of the radical policy of buying support for unpopular measures by lavish federal subventions, which it is hoped will outweigh the dislike of the cantons to divest themselves of any remaining fragments of their sovereignty.[e]
BRIEF REFERENCE-LIST OF AUTHORITIES BY CHAPTERS
[The letter a is reserved for Editorial Matter.]
Transcriber’s Note: Chapters I-IV are not in this volume.
Chapter I. Switzerland to the Founding of the Confederation (earliest times to 1291 A.D.)
b Strabo, Geographica.
c John Wilson, History of Switzerland (in the “Cabinet Cyclopædia”).
d Ferdinand Keller, Pfahlbauten.