To Citizen Schwitzguébel, Corresponding Secretary 
of the Jura Federal Committee 


I have placed your letter of July 15 inst. before the General 
Council and it has instructed me to inform you that its decision to 
hold the next Congress at The Hague was reached after due 
consideration of all the arguments contained in your letter, and 
that this choice was dictated by the following considerations: 

The Congress could not be held in Switzerland, since that is the 
place of origin and focal point of the disputes; the Congress is 
always influenced to some extent by the place in which it is held; 
in order to add more weight to its decisions and enhance the 
wisdoms of its debates, the local character must be avoided, for 
which it was necessary to choose a place remote from the main 
centre of disputes. 

You can scarcely be ignorant of the fact that three of the last 
four Congresses were held in Switzerland,’ and that at Basle the 
Belgian delegates were most insistent that the next Congress 
should be held either at Verviers or in Holland. 

In spite of the relative freedom which she enjoys, Switzerland 
can hardly claim the right to monopolise Congresses. 


4 In Geneva (1866), Lausanne (1867) and Basle (1869).— Ed. 


The General Council’s Reply to the Protest of the Jura Federation 189 


The Romance Federal Council has also expressed its dissatisfac- 
tion with the General Council’s choice and does not approve it. 


Greetings and equality, 
H. Jung, 
Corresponding Secretary for Switzerland 


July 28, 1872