The Elections – Sydow

Friedrich Engels

** Bern, 21 November. The Federal Assembly (both chambers united), in its session yesterday, dealt with the Freiburg elections. The *Vorort* previously announced that it was on the point of reaching an understanding with Ticino, and therefore wished that the troops ordered there be withdrawn. The *Vorort* further wishes that the Diet constitute itself as soon as possible (as a result of the complications with the Reich government). – Herr Escher requests his resignation as representative of the Confederation in Ticino. – Herr Furrer declares that for the time being, until the next session, he will accept the post of Federal Councillor and President of the Confederation. Thereby 4 members (Furrer, Ochsenbein, Frei-Herose and Näff) are present; Herr Ochsenbein declares the Federal Council constituted, leaves the chair of the Assembly, which Herr Escher takes, and the four Federal Councillors are sworn in.

Proceeding to the order of the day, Herr Bruggissen, on behalf of the majority of the relevant commission, moves the adoption of the National Council’s resolution by which the Freiburg elections are annulled. The minority demands confirmation of the National Council’s resolution. Messrs Kopp, Anton Schnyder, Pottier, Eytel, Pittet, Castella (Freiburg), Weder (St. Gallen), Ochsenbein and Fazy spoke for the majority motions, Messrs Tanner, Trog, Escher, Frei, Streng and Imobersteg for the minority. The arguments were mostly of a juridical nature, but among the defenders of the Freiburg elections political necessity, namely to retain the government there and not again abandon the canton to the intrigues of the clergy, played a very significant part. The motion of the majority of the commission was finally adopted by 68 votes to 53, and the resolution of the National Council annulling the Freiburg elections was thereby overturned.

The “Suisse” and the “Verfassungsfreund” are jubilant, for this decision secures them five votes that will vote for Bern as the federal seat. The “Nouvelliste Vaudois” will also be jubilant, for the radical Freiburg government and the five radical votes in the National Council are for the time being secured. The “Berner Zeitung”, although in its principles far closer to the Nouvelliste than to the above two Ochsenbein papers, in contrast declares the decision of the Federal Assembly to be the first victory of cantonal sovereignty in the new Confederation. We believe the *Berner Zeitung* is mistaken. The questions of principle brought up in this debate were certainly not seriously meant by most of the majority speakers, least of all by Herr Eytel, who even went so far as to speak against the party of unity. For them it was a matter of quite practical interests, as the above papers, which pay homage to the most opposite parties and whose partisans yet defended the same side of the question with the same arguments, may demonstrate. In contrast, for most of the members of the minority, and especially for the Bern radicals, the question of principle was serious. But it remains to be seen whether these gentlemen have not allowed themselves to be driven a little too far by their juridical conscience.

The day before yesterday, to general astonishment, His Excellency Herr von Sydow, Prussian envoy, arrived here again after an absence of a year. It is known that since the Sonderbund war he had taken up residence in pious Basel – birds of a feather, etc. What his sudden journey here means is not yet known. Probably nothing at all. At least he has made no communications to the *Vorort*, nor to the Federal Council. His whole chancellery, too, has for the time being remained in Basel.

My news yesterday concerning the differences with the Reich thus had something correct in it after all. There is admittedly no talk of a declaration of war, nor has any new Reich note arrived. But that 50,000 Reich troops are concentrating on the Swiss border and are to form a cordon from Constance to Basel – this news the *Vorort* did receive the evening before last, and the same evening, as I wrote to you, held a sitting. We shall soon learn what counter-measures have been decided on by it and the now constituted Federal Council.

The day before yesterday, in the district of Mittelland (Bern and environs), the elections for two National Councillors took place, to replace Dufour, who, having been elected in three constituencies, opted for Seeland, and Ochsenbein, who loses his status as a member of the National Council through his election to the Federal Council. In the city the conservative (i.e. reactionary) candidates Fischer received 1,059 and Blösch 893 votes. The two radicals Weingart 559 and Mathys 540. Fischer’s election is certain, that of Blösch, against whom there are greater antipathies, less so. The significant majority of the conservatives in the city of Bern stems mainly from the influence which the rich old patrician families exert here on the elections. By far the largest part of the voters is dependent on them and breaks free of tutelage only when moments of crisis occur, or when a personality such as Ochsenbein stands as candidate, who possesses popular antecedents and has attained a respected position in Switzerland. Here, as in most places in Switzerland, the actual revolutionary popular force resides in the Swiss and German workers, who, however, have no fixed domicile in the city and therefore possess the franchise, even if they are cantonal citizens, only very rarely. This circumstance, as well as the influence of the patriciate, which reasserts itself immediately with the return of calmer conditions, explains the conservative elections which inevitably occur a few years after every liberal or radical revolution.

In today’s sitting of the National Council, Dr. Steiger of Lucerne was elected President in Ochsenbein’s place. The Assembly debates the Ticino affair. Pioda (Ticino) in a long and, for an Italian, very flat speech, heaped up a host of accusations against the federal representatives and troops in Ticino. Escher of Zurich, however, is at pains to refute these accusations. I shall if possible supply the result of the sitting later. It will foreseeably be a complete endorsement of the *Vorort* and the representatives, and at best a simple motion to proceed to the order of the day, based on the *Vorort*’s communication yesterday (see above) that everything has been settled.

After several more speakers and finally Colonel Ziegler had spoken, the latter having added to the majority motions approving the measures of the *Vorort* the demand that the Ticino government be condemned at least to a part of the costs and that a vote of thanks be passed to the representatives, the discussion was adjourned until tomorrow on the motion of the President.