one and a half per cent increase in taxation or a total expenditure of
60,000 francs. With increasing confidence in the people, the cantons of
Lucerne, Zug, Bâle City, Schaffhausen, St. Gall, Ticino, Neuchâtel, and
Geneva refer a proposed law, after it has passed the Grand Council, to
the voters when a certain proportion of the citizens, usually one-sixth
to one-fourth, demand it by formal petition. This form is called the
optional Referendum. Employed to its utmost in Zurich, Schwyz, Berne,
Soleure, Bâle Land, Aargau, Thurgau, and the Grisons, in these cantons
the Referendum permits no law to be passed or expenditure beyond a
stipulated sum to be made by the legislature without a vote of the
people. This is known as the obligatory Referendum. Glarus, Uri, the
half cantons of Niwald and Obwald (Unterwald), and those of Outer and
Inner Appenzell, as cantons, or demi-cantons, still practice the
democratic assemblage--the Landsgemeinde.

In the following statistics, the reader may see at a glance the progress
of the Referendum to the present date, with the population of
Switzerland by cantons, and the difficulties presented by differences of
language in the introduction of reforms:--

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| No. inhab. | | Form of Passing | Yr. of
Canton. | Dec., 1888. | Language. | Laws. | Entry
-------------|-------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------
Zurich | 337,183 | German. | Oblig. Ref. | 1351
Berne | 536,679 |Ger. and French. | " | 1353
Lucerne | 135,360 | German. | Optional Ref. | 1332
Uri | 17,249 |Ger. and Italian.| Landsgemeinde. | 1291
Schwyz | 50,307 | German. | Oblig. Ref. | "
Unterwald | | | | "