THE SWISS DEMOCRACY.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9070, 10 February 1908, Page 7

THE SWISS DEMOCRACY.

New Zealand found a curious and interesting student and commentator in Mr Henry Demarest Lloyd, whose book, “A Land Without; Strikes,” dealt with the colony as he saw it. New Zealanders should take a healthy interest now in a new book which is practically a posthumous work of Mr Lloyd, having been produced after his death by Mr John A. Hobson. The book, “A Sovereign People,” published in New York by Doubieday, Page and Co., deals extensively with the Swiss Democracy, as investigated by Mr Lloyd in 1901 and 1903. It contains a great deal of the’original work which has been compiled and built up from the author’s very extensive notes, and has been well edited by Mr Hobson. Switzerland is one of the most interesting countries in the world, for it is the only country where, under a system of full civilisation, large questions of politics and economy are referred direct to the popular vote. Mr Lloyd was greatly impressed by the importance of the political lessons which America could learn from Switzerland and by the necessity of bringing them home to his people. In his endeavour jto do so he has supplied, through his uncompleted labours, a text-book worthy of the study of all nations. “In Switzerland,” says Mr Hobson, “he saw a people grappling boldly, confidently, and in the main successfully, with the power of railroads, liquor lords, financial magnates, and industrial corporations, socialising some of these great economic functions, controlling others, and using the government of city, canton and confederation in harmonious cooperation for this common work. . . . the How Much of Federal Power and the How Much of Socialism being worked out peacefully by a series of tentative experiments. . . by the body of the people stamping the diiect impress of their considered judgment upon the individual acts |by which this democratic Government was effected.” The scope of the [book may.be judged from Mr Lloyd’s own words: —“My point is not to present the Swiss people-as a perfect democracy. . .*? but to give a picture of a people really deciding for themselves, whether they decide rightly or not. Switzerland proves that a people of different nationalities, different religions,[different customs, different climates, different allegiance, and divided by barriers, can agree and disagree in political harmony and apply successfully an economic regime through governmental instrumentalities. It these Italians, Frenchmen, Germans—witli a mixture of romance —can do this, why cannot the rest of the Italians, etc., etc., do it? Why cannot we of the United States do it?” The question is one that any nation may ask itself.