ALABAMA CLAIMS. 81 



in the Diet, and was active in asserting the rights of 

 the Federation against the seceding States of the 

 Sonderbund. He served in that war as Treasurer 

 and Paymaster-General of the Army. Displaced for 

 a while, he resumed the practice of his profession as 

 advocate, but soon returned to power, in 1851, as Pres 

 ident of the National Council, where he continued to 

 be distinguished as a close reasoner and incisive speak- 

 ,er, full of intelligence and of resources, supported by 

 great energy of character. In 1856, he was elected 

 President of the Confederation, and again in 1859, 

 and the third time in 1862 : these repeated but in 

 terrupted re-elections illustrating the Swiss Constitu 

 tion, according to which the President is elected for 

 one year only, and can not be re-elected for the next 

 succeeding year, but is otherwise re-eligible without 

 limitation. Events of great importance to Switzer 

 land occurred in the years of the administration of 

 Mr. St^empfli ; among others, the separation* of Xeu- 

 chatel from Prussia, the war in Italy, and the annexion 

 of Savoy to France. His theory of executive action 

 was characteristic of the man, namely, &quot; When peril 

 is certain, it is better to advance to meet it, rather 

 than timidly to await its approach.&quot; In ftne, prepa 

 ration and decision are the distinctive traits of all the 

 official acts of Mr. Staempfli. 



There is one peculiarity in the political character 

 of Mr. Staempfli, which belongs to him, indeed, as a 

 Swiss, namely, definiteness and affirmativeness in 

 the matter of international neutrality and morality. 

 Switzerland no longer permits capitulations of for- 



F 



