_La Riforma Sociale_, Aug. 15, 1900. A useful
biography is W. J. Stillman, Francesco Crispi
(London, 1899), and an invaluable repository of
information is M. Prichard-Agnetti (trans.), The
Memoirs of Francesco Crispi, 2 vols. (New York,
1912). On the parties of the Extreme Left the
following may profitably be consulted: F. S. Nitti,
Il partito radicale (Turin and Rome, 1907); P.
Villari, Scritti sulla questione sociale in Italia
(Florence, 1902); R. Bonghi, Gli ultimi fatti
parlamentari, in _Nuova Antologia_, Jan. 1, 1895;
G. Alessio, Partiti e programmi, ibid., Oct. 16,
1900; G. Louis-Jaray, Le socialisme municipal en
Italie, in _Annales des Sciences Politiques_, May,
1904; R. Meynadier, Les partis d'extreme gauche et
la monarchie en Italie, in _Questions Diplomatiques
et Coloniales_, April 1, 1908; F. Magri, Riformisti
e rivoluzionari nel partito socialista italiano, in
_Rassegna Nazionale_, Nov. 16, 1906, and April 1,
1907; R. Soldi, Le varie correnti nel partito
socialista italiano, in _Giornale degli
Economisti_, June, 1903. On recent Italian
elections see G. Gidel, Les elections generales
italiennes de novembre 1904, in _Annales des
Sciences Politiques_, Jan., 1905; P.
Quentin-Bauchart, Les elections italiennes de mars
1909, ibid., July, 1909.]

PART V.--SWITZERLAND (p. 405)

CHAPTER XXII

THE CONSTITUTIONAL SYSTEM--THE CANTONS

I. THE CONFEDERATION AND ITS CONSTITUTION

Among the governments of contemporary Europe that of the federal
republic of Switzerland is unique; and the constitutional experiments
which have been, and are being, undertaken by the Swiss people give
the nation an importance for the student of politics altogether out of
proportion to its size and population. Nowhere in our day have been
put to the test in more thoroughgoing fashion the principles of
federalism, of a plural executive, of proportional representation, of
the initiative and th