"I assure you," continued M. Motta, "whatever sympathy the German-Swiss
may feel toward Germany, the French-Swiss toward France, or the Italian
toward Italy, it is nothing like as warm and as intimate as that which
each Swiss feels toward his fellow-Swiss."
This was the national note which dominated everything. At first there
was a little difficulty in the councils of the nation. Some showed a
tendency to lose their balance, but that phase had passed, and each day,
I gathered, purely Swiss interests were coming uppermost.
"And the press, M. le President?"
M. Motta admitted that some writers had been excessive in their
language and had been lacking in good taste; but, on the whole, he
thought the newspapers had impartially printed news from both sides, and
he cited a list of leading organs--Switzerland is amazingly full of
papers--which had been conspicuous for their moderation.
And then there was the question of contraband. Orders were very precise
on the subject; the Cabinet had limitless power since the opening of the
war; if there was any smuggling it was infinitesimal, and, as to
foodstuffs, Switzerland regretted she could not import more for her own
needs. The Government had established a monopoly and forbidden
re-exportation, but supplies were not up to the normal.
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