632 



THE STANDARD DICTIONARY ol FACTS 



Sweden. Under the Swedish Constitution 

 of 1809, with subsequent amendments, tin- 

 executive power is lodged in the king, who also 

 possesses legislative power in matters of political 

 administration; in all other respects such power 

 is exercised jointly by the Diet, which alone 

 may impose taxes. Kvery new law must have 

 the assent of the king. The 1 >iet consists of two 

 chambers, the first of l.~>() members (elected by 

 provinces and municipalities for nine years), 

 the second of 230 members (150 representing 

 rural and eighty urban constituencies), elected 

 directly for three years. Members of the second 

 chamber are paid $330 per session. 



Switzerland is a confederation of nineteen 

 entire and six half cantons, which have been 

 united for federal purposes since 1848. The 

 Constitution of 1874 vests supreme legislative 

 and executive authority in two chambers viz: 

 (1) a state council of forty-four members, chosen 

 two for each canton and one for each half-canton 

 for three years; and (12) a national council of 

 1(')7 delegates of the Swiss people (of whom 

 twenty-nine are sent by Berne and twenty-two 

 by Zurich), chosen also for three years, directly 

 by manhood suffrage, one deputy for every 

 I'D. DUO of the population. The united chambers 

 form the federal assembly, to which is confided 

 the supreme government. The executive author- 

 ity is deputed to a federal council of seven 

 members, elected for three years by the assembly, 

 the president and vice-president of which are 

 elected annually, and are the first magistrates 

 of the republic. The council sits at Berne, 

 which is the headquarters of the federal admin- 

 istration. The principles of the referendum and 

 of the initiative are in force. The latter signifies 

 the right of any 50,000 citizens to demand a 

 direct popular vote on any constitutional ques- 

 tion. The federal government can alone con- 

 tract treaties or declare war. The army, postal 

 system, finance, and customs are also under its 

 control. Civil and criminal law, justice, police, 

 public works, and schools are all left under the 

 jurisdiction of the cantonal authorities, while 

 labor legislation may be initiated either by the 

 confederation or by the cantons. The neutrality 

 of the country is guaranteed by the treaty of 

 Vienna, 1815. 



Tennessee. The Constitution adopted in 

 1796, was superseded by that of 1S34, which 

 gave place to that of 1870, now in force. Con- 

 stitutional amendments proposed in either 

 House of the Legislature and agreed to by a 

 majority of All the members of each are referred 

 to the Legislature next elected. If they are then 

 passed by a two-thirds majority of the members 

 elected to each House, they are submitted to the 

 popular vote, and, if ratified by a majority of 

 those who vote, become part of, the Constitution. 

 Amendments, however, may not be proposed in | 

 the Legislature oftener than once in six years. 

 The legislature, known as the General Assembly, 

 consists of a Senate of thirty-three members, 

 elected for two years, and a House of Representa- 

 tives of ninety-eight members elected also for 

 two years. Any bill may originate in either 

 House. Senators must be 30 years of age, and 

 representatives 21; both must have resided in 

 the State three years and in the county or dis- 



trict one year next before election. No clergy- 

 man of any denomination is eligible to either 

 House. The chief State officer is the governor, 

 who is elected for two years. " He shall not be 

 eligible more than six years of any term of eight." 

 He has the usual powers of State; governors. 

 including limited pardoning powers and a veto 

 which may be overridden by a majority of the 

 members of each House. Other State officers are 

 the treasurer, comptroller, adjutant-genera^ 

 attorney-general, ami superintendent of public 

 instruction. 



Texas. The Constitution of 1845 was suc- 

 ceeded by new Constitutions in 1866, 180S. and 

 1S7C). That of 1876, amended seven tim< 

 in 1904), is still in force. Amendments proposed 

 in either House of the Legislature, approved by 

 a two-thirds majority of the members of each 

 House, and ratified by a majority of the electors 

 voting on them, become part of the Constitution. 

 The Legislature consists of a Senate of thirty- 

 five members, elected for four years (about half 

 their number retiring every two years), and a 

 House of Representatives of 108 members. 

 Bills for raising revenue must originate in the 

 House of Representatives. The Senate tries 

 cases of impeachment brought by the other 

 House. Eligible as Senators are citizens 20 years 

 of age, resident in the State five years next before 

 the election; as Representatives, citizens 2 1 years 

 of age, resident in the State two years next before 

 the election. The chief executive officer is the 

 governor, elected for two years. He has the 

 authority usually vested in State governors, 

 including the limited veto and pardoning powers. 

 With the advice and consent of the Senate he 

 appoints the State secretary, and also fills vacan- 

 cies not otherwise provided for. State officials 

 elected for two years are the lieutenant-governor, 

 comptroller, treasurer, commissioner of the gen- 

 eral land office, and attorney-general. 



Turkey. The commands 'of the sultan are 

 absolute, unless opposed to the express direct ions 

 of the Koran, a legal and theological code upon 

 which the fundamental laws of the empire are 

 based. The legislative and executive authority 

 is exercised through the grand vizier and the 

 Sheik-ul-Islam, who are appointed by the sultan, 

 the latter with the nominal concurrence of the 

 ulema or general body of lawyers and theolo- 

 gians, over which the Sheik-ul-Islam, as head of 

 the Church, presides. The grand vizier, as he; id 

 of the temporal government, is assisted by the 

 medjliss-i-hass or cabinet of ministers, of whom 

 there are twelve, including the grand vizier and 

 the Sheik-ul-Islam. The ten other ministers 

 each take charge of a department, e. (/., the 

 interior, war, foreign affairs, finance, justice, etc. 



United States. The Declaration of Inde- 

 pendence was adopted by the First Congress of 

 the United States, July 4, 1776. On November 

 30, 1782, Great Britain acknowledged the inde- 

 pendence of the colonies, and on September 3j 

 1783, the treaty of peace was concluded. The 

 form of government is based on the Constitu- 

 tion adopted September 17, 1787, to which ten 

 amendments were added, December 15, 1791; 

 an eleventh amendment, January 8, 1798; a 

 twelfth amendment, September 25, 1804; a 

 thirteenth, December 18, 1865; a fourteenth, 



