What are the
arguments
for and against government
operation of railways?
operation of railways?
Beard - 1931 - Questions and Problems in American Government - Syllabus by Erbe
11. What is a budget? How may one account for popular
interest in the budget?
12. Into what parts may a budget be divided?
13. Who should prepare the budget? Explain.
14. Should the legislative body have the power to increase
the budget recommended by the executive?
15. What may be done to secure greater cooperation between
the legislative and executive departments in the preparation of
the budget?
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? TAXATION AND FINANCE
33
16. When and for what purpose was the Tariff Commission
created? Was this done under a Republican or Democratic ad-
ministration?
17. Are there any limitations on the powers of Congress to
borrow money?
18. When and for what purpose was the sixteenth amendment
to the Constitution adopted?
19. Comment on the following quotations.
a. "The subjects of every State ought to contribute toward the
support of the government, as nearly as possible in proportion
to their respective abilities; that is, in proportion to the rev-
enues which they respectively enjoy under the protection of
the State. "--Adam Smith.
b. "Every tax ought to be so contrived as both to take out and
to keep out of the pockets of the people as little as possible
over and above what it brings into the public treasury of the
state. "--Adam Smith.
c. "It can safely be said, that a reduction in the income tax re-
duces expenses not only of the income taxpayers but of the
entire 110,000,000 people in the United States. "--Mellon.
d. "Taxation is the price that we pay for government and pro-
tection. "--Withers.
e. "Every man and woman who is not fit in mind and body to
be self-supporting has to be supported, to a greater or less
extent, by his or her neighbors; and so government spending
that lessens the number of unfit, by better care for the minds
and bodies of those who are born into conditions which do
not give them a fair chance, is a sound investment. "--Withers.
f. "The greater the number of hands through which the tax
passes on its way from the real payer to the Government, the
greater the number of profits and expenses which will be taken
out of the sum paid before the Government gets it. "--Hall.
g. "We are more heavily taxed by our idleness, pride, and folly
than we are taxed by the government. "--Franklin.
h. "Kings ought to shear, not skin their sheep. "--Herrick.
i. "We have always considered taxes to be the sinews of the
state. "--Cicero.
j. "Unnecessary taxation is unjust taxation. "--Abram S. Hewitt.
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? 34 PROBLEMS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
20. Make a chart showing the internal organization of the
Treasury Department.
21. Make a chart showing the distribution of government
expenditures for various general functions. Show these in per
cent.
22. On an outline map of the United States show the location
of the Federal Reserve Bank districts and the location of the
Central Reserve Bank in each.
23. Do the same thing for the Farmers' Loan Bank as you
did for the Federal Reserve Bank in Number 22.
References
Beard's Readings in American Government and Politics, New and Re-
vised Edition, Chap. XVIII.
Munro's The Government of the United States, Third Edition, Chaps.
XIX-XXI.
Ogg and Ray's Introduction to American Government, Fourth Edition,
Chaps. XXV-XXVI.
Jensen's Problems of Public Finance (1924), Chap. XI.
Mathews and Berdahl's Documents and Readings in American Govern-
ment (1928), Chap. XII.
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? CHAPTER XII
(pp. 248-280)
COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORTATION
1. For what purposes have governments been established?
2. Is it the business of government to interfere or regulate
private undertakings or engage in business for itself? To what
extent does public welfare enter into this question?
3. Where may one find a statement of the purposes for which
the United States Government was organized? What reasons
are given for its establishment?
4. Has Congress in any form or manner entered in the field
of business either directly or by restricting or encouraging pri-
vate enterprise? Explain.
5. What power does Congress enjoy under the Constitution
in connection with postal service? Have there been controversies
over the interpretation of this power? What position have the
courts taken on this question?
6. Outline the development of the postal service in the
United States.
7. By whom has electric communication in the United
States been developed? Why has the Federal Government been
reluctant to enter this field of communication?
8. Has Congress in any way assisted private enterprise in
the development of wire communication in the United States?
Does it demand any consideration in return for this service?
9. How has Congress proceeded to regulate and supervise
wire communication?
10. What problems have come to Congress with the de-
velopment of the radio? How has Congress dealt with these
problems?
35
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? 36 PROBLEMS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
11. How has the radio been used in promoting the business
of the National Government?
12. Does the Federal Constitution authorize Congress to
regulate navigation? Explain.
13. Of what importance is the question of water transporta-
tion? Is it growing or diminishing in importance?
14. What agency of the National Government has been
assigned the responsibility for the development of rivers, lakes,
and harbors? Why?
15. Point out some of the major accomplishments in the
field of water transportation.
16. How has Congress attempted to encourage water trans-
portation?
17. Has the Federal Government realized adequate returns
on its investments in the development of water transportation?
18. To what extent, if any, should the Federal Government
subsidize the building of ships?
19. In what ways has Congress aided the development of
rail transportation?
20. How did the railroads abuse the privileges granted them
by the Federal and State Governments? What was done to
correct these abuses?
21. What are some railway problems with which the Inter-
state Commerce Commission has to deal?
22. What was the significance of the decisions of the Supreme
Court handed down in the following?
a. Houston Railway vs. United States (Shreveport case)
b. Wisconsin vs. C. B. & Q. R. R. (Wisconsin case)
23. According to the views of some authorities, how might
the railway problem be solved?
24. How has the Federal Government encouraged and aided
the building of highways?
25. What effect has the building of highways had on the
development of motor transportation? Has this created new
problems for the National Government?
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? COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORTATION 37
26. What responsibilities does the Federal Government as-
sume in the field of aviation?
Questions and Problems for Further Study and
Discussion
1. Is the policy of government regulation of railroads more
or less desirable than government ownership? Discuss.
2. In what ways has the Federal Government aided the
construction of railroads?
3. What are the chief features of the present policy of rail-
way regulation?
4. In evaluating railway properties for the purpose of de-
termining rates, what factors should the Interstate Commerce
Commission take into consideration?
5. What constitutes a fair return on railway property?
Should this same principle be applied to the property of farmers?
Explain.
6.
What are the arguments for and against government
operation of railways?
7. Has private ownership of the railroads justified itself in
the United States?
8. Does the United States need a large merchant marine?
Explain.
9. What are the arguments for and against the granting of
subsidies for building up the merchant marine?
10. How much money is appropriated annually for improving
the rivers and harbors in the United States?
11. Are there good reasons why the government should carry
mail but not telegrams?
12. Is the serving of a group of customers for an indefinite
time at less than the fixed costs for rendering the service, justified
as a matter of public policy?
13. If regulation of communications and transportation is
necessary by the Federal Government, why not resort to public
ownership?
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? 38 PROBLEMS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
14. Should the National Government continue its supervision
of the means of communication?
References
Beard's Reading? in American Government and Politics, New and Re-
vised Edition, Chap. XIX.
Munro's The Government of the United States, Third Edition, Chap.
XXII.
Ogg and Ray's Introduction to American Government, Fourth Edition,
Chap. XXVII.
Mathews and Berdahl's Documents and Readings in American Govern-
ment (1928), Chap. XIII.
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? CHAPTER Xin
(pp. 281-315)
BUSINESS ENTERPRISE AND AGRICULTURE
1. Explain what is meant by the doctrine of laissez faire.
2. How do the major political parties stand today on the
question of protection and tariff? How do you account for this?
3. What problems are involved in attempting to base the
tariff on the difference between the cost of production at home
and abroad?
4. Why should a tariff be flexible?
5. What are the functions of the Tariff Commission?
6. For what purpose was the Sherman Anti-trust Act of
1890 passed? The Clayton Anti-trust Act of 1914?
7. Why was the Federal Trade Commission established?
How does it proceed to enforce its orders?
8. What are the divisions into which the work of the Federal
Trade Commission falls?
9. How has Congress protected inventors and authors?
10. What is the purpose of the Bureau of Standards?
11. How has Congress promoted foreign trade and commerce?
12. What part has the Federal Government played in in-
creasing the output of agriculture?
13. Has Congress done anything to restrain and control the
marketing of agricultural products?
14. Point out the functions of the Bureau of Reclamation?
15. What arguments may be presented for and against the
development of irrigation projects?
16. What special agencies does the Federal Government pro-
vide for increasing the general production of agriculture?
39
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? 4o PROBLEMS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
17. What are some of the natural foes of agriculture? How
has Congress attempted to aid the farmer in combating
these?
18. Has the farmer received financial aid in any form from
the Federal Government? Explain.
19. Why was the Federal Farm Board created? How does it
perform its functions?
20. What is a "contract market"?
21. Upon what is the future prosperity of agriculture largely
dependent?
22. Why has it been necessary for the Federal Government
to attempt to classify farm produce?
23. Does Congress provide any protection to the buyer of
perishable goods from a distant market in the United States?
Explain.
Questions and Problems for Further Study and
Discussion
1. Should the tariff policy of the government mean protec-
tion of certain industries or the equal protection of all indus-
tries?
2. What part, if any, should the President play in the process
of fixing tariff rates?
3. Is a flexible tariff a partisan tariff?
4. How true is the statement that "this country will not
be a good place for any of us to live in if it is not a reasonably
good place for all of us to live in "?
5. If a tariff is economically unsound, why should it play
such an important role in American political campaigns?
6. Is not the fixing of tariff rates a matter to be handled by
economic experts rather than by politicians?
7. What serious objections, if any, are there to a flexible
tariff? What arguments are there for a flexible tariff?
8. Was Calvin Coolidge right when he said that a "change
in the tariff would eliminate the farmer's home market. . . .
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? BUSINESS ENTERPRISE AND AGRICULTURE 41
It would mean a general shrinkage of values, a deflation of
prices, a reduction of wages, a general depression carrying our
people down to the low standard of living in our competing
countries"?
9. Would it be possible to secure agricultural relief through
a protective tariff?
10. Is the time coming when tariff protection will mean
more to agriculture than to industry in the United States, for
the reason that agriculture is becoming less, and industry more
dependent on foreign markets?
11. Since patents and copyrights are monopolistic in character,
do you think they are morally justifiable? Explain.
12. What is a caveat? Of what value is it to an inventor?
13. By whom are trade-marks registered?
14. Why should the terms of copyrights and patents be lim-
ited? Discuss.
15. Should the granting of copyrights and patents be a func-
tion of the State Governments as well as that of the National
Government?
16. Would it be a wise policy for the Federal Government to
pay inventors and authors outright for their contributions and
thereby remove the restrictions on their manufacture and
sale?
17. Should the National Government attempt to stabilize the
prices of farm products in order to guarantee the farmer a fair
return on his investment?
18. Point out the chief features of the McNary-Haugen Farm
Relief Act passed by Congress in 1927 and vetoed by President
Coolidge.
19. What changes are taking place in the character of the
urban and rural populations of the United States?
20. What may be said concerning the future of agriculture in
America?
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? 42 PROBLEMS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
References
Munro's The Government of the United States, Third Edition, Chap.
XXIV.
Ogg and Ray's Introduction to American Government, Fourth Edition,
Chap. XXVII.
Beard and Beard's The American Leviathan (1930), Chaps. XII-
XVIII.
Young's The New American Government and Its Work (1923),
Chaps. VI-X.
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? CHAPTER XIV
(pp. 316-336)
LABOR AND IMMIGRATION
1. What causes led to the need for federal legislation in re-
gard to labor?
2. Under what constitutional grants does the Federal Gov-
ernment get the authority to legislate in behalf of labor?
3. Why has organized labor sponsored the restriction of
immigration?
4. What classes of immigrants are now entirely excluded
from the United States?
5. Explain the present policy of the United States in regard
to immigration. What nationalities are allotted the largest
quotas?
6. What two classes of immigrants are admitted to the
United States without reference to the numerical restriction?
7. From what countries may aliens enter the United States
without regard to quota restrictions?
