10. What are factory laws and how are they enforced? 11. What are child labor laws and what is the theory behind them? Describe a workmen's compensation law and explain the object 12. 13. of a minimum wage. What kind of highways does the State build? SECTION 2 14. 15. Why must there be more rules in a city and why must there be more public services? Name all the duties of a policeman that you can. 16. What are the Rogues' Gallery and the Bertillon System? Who is the head of the police department? 17. 18. What can we do to prevent fires? 19. 20. 21. What must we do the instant we discover a fire? Do you know how to send in an alarm? Describe the two chief branches of the health department's service. 22. How does the street-cleaning commissioner aid public health? 23. Why should we have abundant parks? 24. What do the tenement-house inspectors do? 25. What recreations do cities furnish? How does a city run its schools? 26. 29. What are the ones that cities usually own and run? 31. What does a city do with respect to a public utility that it does not own or operate? SECTION 3 32. How does village government differ from city government? SECTION 4 33. To what government and what officers does a farmer look for police protection? 34. What officers have the care of rural roads. QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION SECTION 1 1. Are there any State institutions near your home? 2. Do you know where the State university and colleges are located? 3. How much control does your State commissioner of education exert over your school and your courses of study? 4. Have you ever seen a factory law posted in a factory and do you know any factory regulations? 5. What is the child-labor law of your State? 6. Has your State a workmen's compensation law? 7. Has your State passed any laws protecting working women? 8. Are there any State highways near your home? SECTION 2 9. What is the name of the policeman usually near your home? 10. Where is the fire-alarm box nearest your home? 11. Was your house ever on fire? 12. Where is the nearest fire-engine house? 13. What is the danger of a bush or grass fire in the country? 14. Did a burglar ever enter your house? 15. How can you help keep the streets clean? 16. What parks are near your home? 17. What public utilities does your city or village own or run? 18. Are your local roads good or bad? 19. How much did your schoolhouse cost? CHAPTER XVI POLITICAL PARTIES AND ELECTIONS 1. A SACRED DUTY The Ballot.-We come now to the most important duty of an American, the basis of all the fine structure we have studied. That is to vote, wisely and patriotically. A certain number of Americans always fail to turn up on Election Day. They are too lazy or too indifferent. They are cheating themselves out of their birthright, that should be their proudest possession; they are cheating their country, for they enjoy her protection and care, and they refuse to bear the chief responsibility of citizenship. There is no magic in the word democracy. Unless the citizens of a country give it their best wisdom and aid whenever needed, it will become corrupt and fail and perish. 2. PARTIES The Reason for Parties. You must understand political parties in order to understand elections. There is nothing about them in the Constitution. They have grown up gradually to satisfy a natural tendency in human nature. That is to unite in groups in support of certain ideas and certain leaders. Sometimes a great leader creates an idea and the party forms around him. Sometimes the idea is developed by a party, and the leader is merely chosen to carry the idea into effect. Whichever way it happens, most people instinctively join such a group. We call those who prefer to remain out of groups independents. They are a small but important part of any community. The Two Main Parties.-There have usually been two main parties in the United States. Under changing names they have lasted down to our present time. In the first years of the republic the two parties were the Federalist (the party of Hamilton and John Adams) and the Democratic-Republican, usually called simply Republican (the party of Jefferson). The former believed in a broad construction of the Constitution, giving the national government wide powers. The latter believed in a strict construction, and in holding the national government to the powers clearly set forth in the Constitution. The dispute was largely over the "elastic clause" referred to before. (Art. I, Sec. 8, Par. 18.) In a very general way this distinction has lasted right through; only the names have become reversed. The original Republican party founded by Jefferson changed its name to Democratic about 1828, and has retained that name to this day. The Federalists lasted only a generation, being succeeded by the National Republicans of 1828, the Whigs from 1833 to 1854, and the Republicans of 1854 down to the present. New issues have arisen frequently. The present Republican party sprang up to oppose slavery and advocate a protective tariff. The Civil War ended slavery, and after that for many years the tariff was the chief issue. Of course many other issues have from time to time come to the front, and by the time of the Great War the issues had become much confused. But the original dispute over The men seated at the table on the left are clerks of the Board of Registry; those standing behind them are watchers. |