be constructed by private enterprise. Nevertheless, railroads demand a large share of attention upon the part of the State, and in two thirds of the States there are State railroad commissions. These State railroad commissions perform for. intrastate commerce services similar to those performed for interstate commerce by the Interstate Commerce Commission: they see that the railroads do not favor one locality or one individual at the expense of another, that they publish their rates, and that they conform generally to the constitution and the laws of the State. In several States the railroad commission determines where stations are to be located, and supervises the construction of crossings. The Transmission of Intelligence. Closely allied to the subject of commerce is the transmission of intelligence. The transmission of intelligence by the telegraph (or telephone) is an affair of State control when the message is not sent outside of the State, but a telegraphic message sent from one State to another is an affair of interstate commerce and comes under federal regulation. The universal instrument of transmitting intelligence is the post-office, the right hand of commerce, and one of the greatest forces of civilization. In colonial times there was a regular system of postal communication between the colonies, and the old Congress of the Confederation maintained a line of posts that extended from New Hampshire to Georgia. The Convention of 1787 placed the postal system under the control of the federal government (51), and in 1794 Congress established the Post-office Department as one of the great executive branches. In addition to the transmission of intelligence the postoffice renders several other valuable services. It maintains a registry system which reaches every post-office in the world and which insures the safe transit and delivery of letters and packages; it conducts a money-order system by which money may be transmitted to all parts of the world cheaply and with safety; it hastens the delivery of mail by means of a special delivery system; it sends by a "parcels post" packages (weighing less than eleven pounds) to twenty-three designated foreign countries; and it manages a system of postal savings-banks. QUESTIONS ON THE TEXT 1. Distinguish between interstate and intrastate commerce. 2. What were the hindrances to interstate commerce during the period of the Confederation? 3. What are the powers of Congress in reference to interstate commerce? 4. Give an account of the powers and duties of the Interstate Commerce Commission. In what respect are the powers of this commission insufficient? 5. What are the powers of the State in respect to intrastate commerce? 6. To what government is the construction of roads usually assigned? In what States does the State government assist in the construction of roads? 7. How does the State usually treat the subject of railroads? SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES 1. What does the constitution of this State say about commerce? 2. What are the constitutional provisions in this State in reference to railroads? in reference to roads? 3. Prepare a five-minute paper on The Value of Good Roads. 4. Does this community suffer on account of bad roads? If so, in what way does it suffer? 5. Prepare a five-minute paper on The Commerce of Your State, naming the principal articles of its commerce, describing its commercial centers, its highways, its railways and its waterways. 6. Name six great railway systems engaged in interstate commerce. 7. Do you think the federal government should assist in road build ing? 8. How much money did the federal government spend last year on the improvements of rivers and harbors? What share of this money did this State receive? 9. What effect has the Erie Canal had on the commerce of the United States? 10. Examine the map of the United States and nals beneficial to commerce might be constructed. determine where caWhat would be the probable effect on commerce of a canal connecting the Mississippi River and the southern waters of Lake Michigan? From what quarter would opposition to such a canal come? 11. Name the great inland centers of commerce in the United States. Describe how the commerce of each may have been influenced (1) by rivers, (2) by canals, (3) by roads, (4) by railroads. 12. Debate this question: The telegraph business should be conducted by the post-office department. Topics for Special Work.-Government Control of Railroads: 21, 361-372. The Post-Office Department: 16, 176-187. The Public Nature of Railroads: 20, 534-543. Origin of the American Railway: 26, 1323. The Power of Congress to Control Interstate Commerce: 30, 483485. The Court of Commerce and the Federal Incorporation Law: 30, 497-502. XLV ELECTIONS The Importance of Elections. The holding of elections is plainly a proper function of government, for it is through the election that the people express their will, and whatever passes as an expression of the popular will should have upon it the stamp of government. In a democracy there is no task of government that requires a more faithful and honest performance than the holding of elections, for on election day popular government is on trial. In the pollingbooth the people either justify their right to rule or declare democracy a failure. For this reason the election should be the purest of political institutions. Election officers should be men of the highest character, and election laws should be the embodiment of justice and fairness. rupt practices at elections should be punished with the greatest severity, for a fraud upon the ballot-box is treason to democracy, and should incur a penalty suitable to so great a crime. Elections Conducted by State Authority. We have learned that the right of suffrage and the qualifications of voters are determined by State authority (p. 103). The holding of elections is also almost entirely an affair of the State. The only instance of the power of the federal government to participate in the management of elections is seen in the right of Congress to make regulations concerning the elections held for choosing representatives (24). Under this clause of the Constitution Congress could doubtless provide for an almost complete control of the election of representatives, but it has refrained from using its power to the fullest extent. It has been content merely to appoint a day (p. 124) on which the elections of representatives shall be held, and to require the division of the State into districts, leaving all other matters to the State. This accords with the American principle of a decentralized government. Registration. The real work of preparation for election day is accomplished by the voluntary action of political parties. One step in the work of preparation, however, is taken under the direction of government. This is the registration of voters. 1 All the States but four provide for a system of registration, by which the qualifications of those who wish to vote are ascertained several weeks before election day. When a person who has been duly registered presents himself at the polls as a voter, the election officials, with the registration book before them, have little trouble in satisfying themselves of his right to vote. There is no doubt that registration is a great enemy of fraudulent voting. The Casting and Counting of the Ballots. In nearly every State the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November is general election day. On this day the voters repair to the polls to elect whatever officers are to be elected, and to vote upon any questions that may be referred to the people. For convenience the counties and cities are subdivided into election districts or precincts, a precinct usually containing several hundred voters. The election is conducted by the election officers of the district, judges 1 Registration is required in New York in villages and cities of 5,000 inhabitants and upward; in Iowa in cities of over 3,500; in Nebraska in cities of over 7,000; in Kentucky in cities and towns of over 3,000; in Ohio and Kansas in cities of first and second class; in Missouri in cities of over 100,000; in Wisconsin in villages of over 2,000; in Texas in cities of over 10,000. In Arkansas, Indiana, New Hampshire, and West Virginia registration is not required. |