9 JUNE 1894, Page 3

The last example of the working of the Referendum in

Switzerland is very significant. On Sunday, the adult males of the Republic were asked to accept or reject a law embodying "Le droit de travail," the right of every man who cannot find work elsewhere to get it, and the pay it is to carry with it, from the State. The pro- ject was defeated by a crushing majority. Those who sup- ported the "right to work" cast 75,000 votes, as against 293,000 on the other side. Two years ago, 127,000 citizens were found to vote for the nationalisation of the railways, so that the Socialist vote has declined. Happy the country that possesses so effective a check against " Parliamentary intrigue "! By huckstering among "groups," you may get a Socialistic revolution, but you will never get the people themselves to commit an act of national suicide.