bread and milk, private benevolence made gifts of tea and other eatables. School houses and gymnasiums gave shelter to these unhappy, homeless Italians as far as quarters could be found anywhere, but a great number had to camp out in the open. Only when the great rush had somewhat abated was it possible to facilitate their return to their own country.
Side by side with these arrangements military preparations were carried out in Switzerland. On July 31 1914 the entire Swiss army was warned to be ready, and as early as Aug. i the order to mobilize was given. The first day for this was Aug. 3, and two days later the mobilization was quite complete. The troops were ordered to the frontiers which till now had been guarded in part by the second reserve (Landsturm), called out first of all. At the same time (Aug. 3) the Swiss Parliament gave the Swiss executive unlimited powers, even in financial matters. Col. Ulrich Wille was named as commander-in-chief, and Col. Sprecher von Bernegg as chief of the general staff. As it was hoped that the war would not last very long, the mobilized troops went off joyfully to the frontiers. The belligerent States solemnly assured Switzerland of their inten- tion of observing its neutrality, a declaration which brought about a certain amount of relief. When finally the principal operations of war were seen to be taking place far from the Swiss frontiers, the Swiss people were able to think of recalling the troops, in order to simplify matters, from the service on the frontiers, though some were later summoned to relieve those actually serving there. But if in Switzerland a sigh of relief arose, the sad fate of Belgium was felt to be a stern warning, and greatly embarrassed the Swiss authorities, military and political, and it was felt to be quite impossible to strip the frontiers of all watching troops. The fact of this monotonous service, and the conviction that the war might possibly last a long time, brought about a certain disinclination for further service of this kind. Besides, such protection of the frontiers threatened to become costly to an appreciable degree. Therefore much criticism was exercised, chiefly by the Socialists, who especially blamed what, from their point of view, were the mainly needless fortifications around Moral, which were regarded as simply a piece of military display and lavishness, and were considered as a partial measure directed against one only of the belligerents. Thus the Swiss authorities had to order certain alleviations and simplifications in this frontier service. In order to satisfy the agricultural in- terest the peasant soldiers were called out at a period which caused least disturbance in the cultivation of the land, etc.
Among the military war measures must be counted the aboli- tion, from the beginning, of telephonic communications between the different Swiss towns. This caused all the greater rush to the telegraph offices, and yet even these were under the censor, at least so far as regarded foreign countries.
The equipment of the Swiss army in new, field grey, uniforms was carried out in 1915-6. The expense of these new uniforms amounted to about 800,000.
Most unpleasant for Switzerland was the " Affair of the Two Colonels" (Jan. 15 1516), Egli and von Wattenwyl. This pair of Swiss officers were in regular communication with the German and the Austrian military attaches, ostensibly only for supplying such information as affected no Swiss military matters. All the same this " affair" caused great amazement, especially in French- speaking Switzerland, and in the breasts of the Socialists, who saw in this action of two officers of the Swiss general staff an unneutral and unfriendly act as regards the Entente. They were court-martialed, but were acquitted of the charge of infringe- ment of their official duties, and were handed over to the Swiss executive for " disciplinary punishment " because of their con- duct against Swiss neutrality. By this they were each sentenced to 20 days' strict arrest, and to suspension as leading officials in the Swiss general staff. Col. Egli demanded his dismissal at once. The Socialists and a delegation of the Government of canton Vaud required the summoning of the Swiss Parliament in order to discuss the " Affair of the Two Colonels."
About the same time the war control of the Swiss railways was abolished, while a census of Swiss who were not liable to do
military service and of arms in private hands was decreed. A later appeal for well-qualified sharpshooters among Swiss citi- zens resulted in the volunteering of about 100,000 men, of whom, however, only a small percentage was accepted as being really fit for such military service.
Much bad blood was caused in the Socialist camp, and also among other citizens, by the Swiss Government's decision that punishments for certain purely military offences were to be purged in the penal establishments of Witzwil and of Orbe, while in the case of the officers confinement in the fortresses of St. Maurice and St. Gotthard alone was directed. Complaint was also made of the alleged rigorous treatment of ordinary soldiers, and of the far lighter treatment of officers charged with offences.
All this occasioned the promotion of an " Initiative " for the total abolition of courts of military justice. Enough signatures were obtained for this " Initiative," but it was later defeated on a popular vote.
It is easy to understand that Switzerland was the special rendezvous of foreign spies, especially the frontier towns and even the capital, Berne. In this respect all the belligerents did their very best. So even the former director of the Bernese tourist bureau, for taking part in an intelligence service in favour of a foreign Power, was condemned to five months' imprisonment j and a fine of 8.
As early as Nov. 1916, the Swiss executive resolved to recruit 250 volunteers out of the army to serve as army police, and this for the entire duration of the war mobilization.
Certain troops, especially those from industrial regions, had to j be pacified by the Swiss Parliament by increased pay. This ' scheme did not find support as late as the end of the year 1916, but was adopted in April 1918, and then it was not merely the I pay which was increased, but also the amount of food rations carried in the knapsacks, and emergency support in case of need i (this in the case of soldiers' families).
The fact, too, must not be overlooked that in cases of discon- tent with the military service many unfortunate events contrib- uted to this dissatisfaction. One example was the accelerated mobilization of the 3rd Division (May 1917), and the following endurance marches in great heat, in consequence of which many soldiers were made ill, and fell exhausted on the roads. This brought about an exceedingly vehement movement against all military service, and was utilized to the utmost by the workmen.
In June 1917 the Swiss Government had raised the amounts of the emergency family grants in the big towns to about as. a head per day for grown-up persons, and to 8d. for children, while in the smaller towns the respective amounts were is. 6d. and 6d. In the same year the length of the relief services was fixed at 2| months for the younger and active men (Auszug), and at six weeks for the older men of the first reserve or " Landwehr."
Considerable discontent prevailed in French-speaking Switzer- land with the chiefs of the Swiss army, who seemed to it too " Germanophile." This went so far that, in course of the discussion by the Swiss Parliament of a report on Swiss neutrality (Aug. 1917), a formal vote of want of confidence was proposed, and the compulsory retirement of the general and of the chief-of-staff de- manded. All such proposals, however, were rejected, but they threw a lurid light on the disagreement between French-Swiss and German-Swiss. In the Assembly, however, the assertion of the supremacy of the civil power over the military power was approved, as was also greater economy in the matter of con- structing fortifications, etc.
In consequence of the prolongation of the war, and the fre- quent calling up as reliefs of soldiers without much means, great distress was inflicted on them and on their families, and many could not find work on being released from active service, as their situations had been filled by Swiss citizens exempt from military service and sometimes even by women. In order to alleviate this crying distress a department for the promotion of the welfare of the soldiers was founded by the Swiss executive which gave this department a first contribution of some 18,000 (Aug. 2 IQI?)- Later on came the " National Collection " (a voluntary contribu- tion made throughout Switzerland), which brought in millions
