ers
of the Federal Council, the two persons who shall act as President and
Vice-President of the Swiss Confederation. The Swiss President is,
therefore, only the chairman of an executive board, and presents a
complete contrast to the President of the United States, who is
virtually a monarch, elected for a short reign. Sir Henry Maine says
in his book on "Popular Government," that somewhat exasperating but
always instructive arraignment of democracy: "On the face of the
Constitution of the United States, the resemblance of the President of
the United States to the European king, and especially to the King of
Great Britain, is too obvious to mistake. The President has, in
various degrees, a number of powers which those who know something of
kingship in its general history recognize at once as peculiarly
associated with it and with no other institution." In truth he is
vested with all the attributes of sovereignty during his term of
office. He holds in his hand the whole executive power of the
government; he is Commander-in-Chief of the army and navy; possesses a
suspensory veto upon legislation and the privilege of pardoning
offences against Federal law, and finally is intrusted with an
appointing power unparalleled in any free country. With all this
authority he is still a partisan by reason of the manner of his
election, so that he cannot possibly administer his office
impartially, and must, from the necessity of the case, forward the
interests of one political party at the expense of the rest. It is
certainly worthy of consideration whether the Swiss Federal Council
does not contain valuable suggestions for reformers who desire to
hasten the triumph of absolute democracy in the United States.

The institution of the Referendum has no counterpart in our own
country, unless we except the somewhat unwieldy provisions in various
States for the revisions of their constitutions by popular vote. It is
undoubtedly the most successful experiment in applying the principles
of direct government which has been made in modern times. Having
already written more fully upon this subject in the March number of
THE ARENA, the writer will here confine himself to reminding the
readers of this review that the referendum is an institution by means
of which laws framed by the representatives are submitted to the
people for rejection or approval. It is significant of the interest
which the referendum is already exciting in this country that