Chapter 1351: Chaotic Switzerland
Speaker Oberholzer didn't seem bothered, instead offering a cheerful smile. "Count Gasseran, you see, if this railway can be built, it will greatly boost trade throughout Switzerland..."
Gasseran grew somewhat impatient, raising his voice slightly. "Mr. Speaker, radicals in our country are inciting civic unrest, and the city guard urgently needs these funds to quell the disturbances. This is a resolution of our council, please understand."
Oberholzer paused awkwardly for a couple of seconds, then merely nodded. "While it is regrettable, we will respect the cantonal council's decision."
He consulted the documents in his hand. "The Republic of Geneva previously provided supplies worth a total of 350,000 francs. These funds will be disbursed to you by the end of next month."
Switzerland was a very loose confederation of states. All thirteen cantons had their own councils, laws, and armies, and the Confederation Parliament held no jurisdiction over them.
Indeed, each of the thirteen cantons had a different political system. For instance, cantons like Uri and Schwyz in the central-southern forest regions practiced a direct democracy based on assemblies of self-sufficient farmers. In contrast, Bern, Zurich, and Basel were ruled by aristocrats and urban oligarchs. Many areas were even in a colonized status, subservient to larger cantons.
Therefore, if a cantonal council was firm in its stance, the Swiss Confederation Parliament could only comply.
Geneva's situation was even more unique; it was not even part of the Confederation, but rather a "Republic of Geneva" closely tied to the Confederation Parliament, making it even more independent than the other cantons.
Gasseran nodded with satisfaction, then added, "Please pay us in Francs. The Batzen is not widely accepted in the south."
Oberholzer sighed internally, quickly skipping past this point, and continued, "Regarding the distribution of returns for this investment: referencing the French government's standards, we will set a minimum return rate of 4.5%. Any excess will then be distributed according to each canton's investment proportion..."
From the floor, representatives from Schwyz and Uri exchanged glances, then raised their hands one after another. "Mr. Speaker, if the Canton of Geneva does not participate in the railway investment, our cantons will also withdraw our funds."
"And Uri as well..."
They had originally been concerned that reclaiming the funds would offend the Confederation Parliament and the Canton of Zurich, but now that Geneva had taken the lead, their concerns had largely diminished.
Both of these cantons were located deep in the mountains; even if a railway connected Bern and Zurich, they wouldn't gain any benefit from it.
The Vice Chairman of Bern immediately grew anxious, rising to his feet. "Perhaps you don't need to make a decision so quickly, we could..."
He quickly gestured back and forth with his index finger between himself and the representative from Schwyz, the implication being a private "deal."
The Uri representative, a mercenary officer who had started out as a lumberjack, always preferred to speak plainly. He gruffly demanded, "What compensation can our canton receive?"
The Vice Chairman of Bern stammered, "For example, lowering tariffs on goods traveling from Uri to the southwestern regions."
The Canton of Bern held extensive influence, with much of southwestern Switzerland under their control.
"I'm afraid I cannot convince our council with that," the Uri representative said, shaking his head. "Please have the Confederation Parliament disburse our funds as quickly as possible."
Uri's main source of income was providing mercenaries to the German regions; its trade with other regions was minimal, so they had little concern for tariffs.
The Vice Chairman of Bern failed to retain Uri and Schwyz, but this only caused dissatisfaction among representatives from other cantons.
The Lucerne representative looked at him and said, "Count Erlach, our canton can support your railway plan, but we also hope to receive tariff concessions."
"Fribourg also demands that regarding tariffs..."
By four in the afternoon, when the Confederation Parliament adjourned, Count Erlach was drenched in a cold sweat.
Currently, five cantons firmly refused to participate in the railway project, and another four cantons demanded concessions from Bern.
If they couldn't be persuaded, the funds provided by France would dwindle to less than 2 million francs, and the Bern-Zurich railway would certainly remain unfinished.
It was important to remember that the Bern council had originally assumed that with the support of the Confederation Parliament, they could definitely retain the 6.7 million francs. Therefore, they had pre-emptively raised over 8 million francs from private citizens and abroad.
By extensively utilizing the almost free labor from Vaud and Jura, and adding the funds from the Zurich council, a total of 18 million francs would have been sufficient to complete the railway construction.
Unexpectedly, the unrest in Geneva had grown increasingly severe, prompting other cantons to refuse cooperation, resulting in a funding shortfall of nearly 30%!
Speaker Oberholzer approached with a grave expression, anxiously asking, "Can you still find investors on your end?"
Count Erlach shook his head.
Oberholzer's expression darkened further.
Zurich had previously suffered war damage, and raising over 3 million francs was already their absolute limit.
Both the Zurich and Bern councils had attracted investors by promising "long-term railway profits." If the railway couldn't be completed, both cantons would have to pay astronomical compensation.
After a long moment, Count Erlach finally spoke. "I will try to persuade the cantonal council to meet the demands of Lucerne, Fribourg, and other cantons.
"And you, please exert some more pressure on those forest cantons..."
Neither of them had anticipated that this funding issue would cause such a dramatic upheaval in Switzerland.
Given the loose structure of the Swiss Confederation Parliament, it wasn't long before word spread that many cantons were reclaiming their contributions.
After a Milanese bank, which had invested in the Bern-Zurich railway, received this news, they prudently hired two experts from the French Railway Company to conduct an assessment. The conclusion was stark: "The current total funds are far from sufficient to complete the railway construction."
The bank immediately approached the Bern cantonal council, demanding to review the project's financial status and construction plan.
The Bern council could only resort to various delaying tactics, whereupon the Milanese bank took them to court.
Even a judge of the Bern cantonal court had invested his entire fortune in this railway project. He grew anxious after seeing the indictment documents and sought out several influential noblemen with whom he had close ties, attempting to reclaim his investment.
Just like that, in just over half a month, all of Switzerland knew there was a problem with the Bern-Zurich railway.
The Bern cantonal court was practically overrun by people suing the council.
The financial officer in charge of the railway project submitted the estimated compensation report to the cantonal council chairman. Count Erlach and other key council members stared at the terrifying figure of 25 million francs on the paper, each of them looking ashen-faced.
Forget 25 million; they couldn't even repay the 8 million in investment funds. After the railway project was decided, the project committee had ordered 3 million francs worth of iron rails, as well as surveying levels, handcars, and other construction equipment from France. Of course, a considerable portion of that money had circulated through a few hands before finding its way into the pockets of the council members.
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