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SOLEURE (Ger. Solothurn)
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See also:SOLEURE (Ger. Solothurn) , one of the cantons of See also:north-western See also:Switzerland. Its See also:total See also:area is 305.5 sq. m., of which 294 sq. m. are reckoned as " productive," III 3 sq. m. being covered by forests and .29 sq. m. by vineyards. See also:Save two small districts in its See also:southern portion the whole See also:canton is situated in the See also:Jura range, while it is said to be the most irregular in shape of all the Swiss cantons, this being accounted for by the fact that it consists simply of the territories won at different See also:dates by the See also:town from which it takes its name. It includes most of the See also:Aar valley between the towns of See also:Bienne and Aarau, neither of which is in the canton, while in its See also:northern portion the See also:waters join the Birs See also:River, and in its southern portion is the last See also:bit of the Emme before its junction with the Aar. It comprises three isolated districts, of which one (Steinhof) on the See also:south is an " See also:enclave " in the canton of See also:Bern, while the others, Hofstetten, that includes the famous See also:pilgrimage resort of Mariastein, and See also:Klein Ltitzel, are on the Alsatian frontier, and bounded by the cantons of Bern and of See also:Basel. The highest point in the canton is the Hasenmatt (4748 ft.) which forms the culminating See also:summit of the Weissenstein See also:ridge, that rises just north-See also:west of the town of Soleure, and boasts of an hotel well-known as a See also:great centre for the See also:air and whey cure. The canton is well supplied in its southern portion with See also:railways, the See also:main See also:line from Bienne to Aarau See also:running through it past the great junction of Olten, where the See also:direct lines from See also:Lucerne by the St Gotthard, from Bern, from See also:Zurich, and from Basel all unite. Formerly the districts composing the canton were in the dioceses cf See also:Lausanne, Basel and See also:Constance, but since the See also:complete reorganization of 1814 they are all in the See also:diocese of Basel, the See also:bishop of which has his See also:chair in Soleure. In 1900 the See also:population was 100,762, of whom 97,930 were See also:German-speaking, 1912 See also:French-speaking, and 829 See also:Italian-speaking, while 69,461 were " Catholics " (the See also:census does not distinguish between Romanists and See also:Christian Catholics, who are still fairly strong here), 31,012 Protestants, and 159 See also:Jews. The See also:capital is Soleure, while the only other important town is Olten (6969 inhabitants). Between Soleure and Granges or Grenchen (5202 inhabitants) is the See also:village of Selzach, where since 1893 a See also:passion-See also:play has been performed every summer by the inhabitants. Till about 185o the canton was mainly agricultural and See also:pastoral, its pastures numbering 209, capable of supporting 4179 cows and of an estimated capital value of 2,395,215 francs. Nowadays it is distinguished for the variety of its See also:industries, especially in and around Soleure and Olten, among them being See also:watch-making, See also:shoe-factories, See also:cotton-See also:spinning and See also:cement factories. The canton is divided into ten administrative districts, that comprise 132 communes. The See also:present cantonal constitution dates from r887, but was revised as to some important points in 1895. The Kantonsrat, or legislative See also:assembly, is elected (since 1895 according to the principles of proportional See also:representation) by all citizens over twenty years of See also:age, in the See also:pro-portion of one member to 800 inhabitants. Since 1895 the See also:people have elected the Regierungsrat or executive, consisting of five members. In both cases the See also:period of See also:office is four years, though on the demand of 4000 citizens a popular See also:vote must be taken as to whether the existing members shall continue to sit or not. In the canton the " obligatory See also:referendum " and the " initiative " have obtained since 1875. By the former all See also:laws passed by the legislative assembly, and all See also:financial resolutions involving the See also:expenditure of See also:loo,000 francs, or of an See also:annual sum of 15,000 francs, must be approved by a popular vote. By the latter 2000 citizens can compel the legislative assembly to consider any proposal for making a new See also:law or for amending an old one. Further, the demand of the See also:majority of the assembly or of 3000 citizens is sufficient to necessitate a popular vote as to the advisability of revising the constitution, the revised draft itself requiring a further popular vote The two members of the federal Stdnderat and the five members of the federal Nationalrat are also chosen by a popular vote. (W. A. B. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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