How does the Federal
Government
proceed to collect its
revenues?
revenues?
Beard - 1931 - Questions and Problems in American Government - Syllabus by Erbe
3. May the President be sued on account of an official action?
May he be compelled to attend court to act as witness?
4. Name the Executive Departments.
5. Does the pardoning power of the President overlap with
that of the State Governors?
6. Explain the following.
a. Amnesty b. Commutation c. Reprieve
7. Why does the President never call the House in session
without the Senate?
8. Is it true that the executive department of the National
Government has grown in power and importance at the expense
of the other departments? Explain.
9. Distinguish between executive powers and administrative
powers.
10. Compare the powers of the President with those of the
Governor of your State?
11. For what causes may the President be removed from
office by impeachment?
References
Beard's Readings in American Government and Politics, New and Re-
vised Edition, Chap. X.
Munro's The Government of the United States, Third Edition, Chaps.
XI-XII.
Ogg and Ray's Introduction to American Government, Fourth Edition,
Chaps. XIV-XVI.
Fairlie's National Administration of the United States (1905), Chaps.
I-H.
Goodnow's Principles of the Administrative Law of the United States
(1905), pp. 64-93.
Mathews and Berdahl's Documents and Readings in American Govern-
ment (1928), Chaps. VI-VII.
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? CHAPTER X
(pp. 203-226)
ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION AND CP7IL
SERVICE
1. To whom is entrusted the business of law enforcement
in the United States?
2. Does the Federal Constitution provide for Executive De-
partments of government? If so, where?
3. Where does Congress get the power to create Executive
Departments?
4. What is the relation of the President to the Heads of the
Executive Departments?
5. Point out some factors that are commonly taken into
consideration in the appointment of Executive Department
Heads.
6. How may Congress exercise control over the Executive
Departments?
7. What are some of the functions that the Head of an
Executive Department must perform?
8. Describe the internal organization of the Federal Execu-
tive Departments.
9. What functions do independent boards and commissions
perform?
10. Characterize in general the powers and duties of inde-
pendent boards and commissions.
11. What recent attempts at reform have been made in Na-
tional administration?
12. Is it possible to entirely avoid overlapping in any rigid
classification of the functions of the Federal Government?
21
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? 28 PROBLEMS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
13. What is the business of the chief coordinator in the
Bureau of the Budget?
14. Into what different classes do the positions coming under
the civil service acts fall?
15. What is the nature of the work of the Civil Service Com-
mission?
16. How does the Civil Service Commission proceed to select
competent administrative officials?
17. Who is eligible for examination for federal civil service?
Is preference shown to any class of applicants?
18. What provisions, if any, has the government made in
regard to tenure?
19. Give the chief provisions of the Classification Act of 1923
and as amended in 1930. Why is this act important?
20. To what extent, if any, should federal employees be lim-
ited in their political activities?
Questions and Problems for Further Study and
Discussion
1. Is centralization in government a desirable thing?
2. What after all is the chief concern of the budget, to save
dollars or guarantee the highest standards of public service?
3. Is the budget an instrument of democracy?
4. Can it truthfully be said that the "history of the develop-
ment of representative government is the record of a struggle
for popular control of the purse'?
5. How are the following forms of control over administra-
tion secured?
a. Popular d. Judicial
b. Political e. Administrative
c. Legislative
6. Explain the expression, "a government of men and not
of laws. "
7. Prepare two charts, one showing a system of effective
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? ADMINISTRATION AND CP7IL SERVICE 29
and responsible administrative organization and the other a
system of ineffective and irresponsible administrative organiza-
tion.
8. Compare the above charts with the type of administrative
organization to be found in the National Government; the
State Government; the County Government; the City Govern-
ment.
9. Make a list of rules that will be helpful to one concerned
with the selection of competent administrative officials.
10. To what extent should the competitive examination be
extended over federal officers and employees?
11. How, other than by examination, may responsibility and
efficiency be introduced in national administration?
12. About how many employees and officers in the United
States secure their positions through the taking of competitive
examinations?
13. Why is the President's Cabinet referred to as an "extra-
legal" institution?
14. How does the American Cabinet differ from the British
Cabinet?
15. Should the Department of State be renamed and called
the Department of Foreign Affairs?
16. Do you think that we should have a Federal Department
of Health? Of Education? Explain.
17. What federal officers or agents reside or have duties in
your city or county? How is each selected?
18. Make a list of the Executive Departments in the United
States in the order in which they were created and give the
date when each was established.
19. Make a chart in which you show how administration in
the United States is organized and centralized.
20. Make a list of important Boards and Commissions that
have been established by Congress and give the date when each
was created.
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? 3o PROBLEMS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
References
Beard's Readings in American Government and Politics, New and Re-
vised Edition, Chap. XI.
Munro's The Government of the United States, Third Edition, Chaps.
XII-XIII.
Ogg and Ray's Introduction to American Government, Fourth Edition,
Chaps. XVII-XIX.
Fairlie's National Administration of the United States (1905), Chaps.
I-II, IV.
Mathews and Berdahl's Documents and Readings in American Govern-
ment (1928), Chaps. VII-VIII.
Mathews' Principles of American State Administration (1917), Chap. I.
Haines and Haines' Principles and Problems of Government (1926),
PP- 334-398.
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? CHAPTER XI
(pp. 227-247)
TAXATION AND FINANCE
1. Of what importance is the power of the Federal Govern-
ment to lay and collect taxes?
2. What agency of the Federal Government enjoys the
power to lay and collect taxes under the Constitution? Point
out the constitutional limitations on the exercise of this power.
3. Distinguish between direct and indirect taxes.
4. Of what significance is the implied restriction that Con-
gress cannot tax the instrumentalities or the property of any
State?
5. For what purposes may Congress lay and collect taxes?
6. Has the Supreme Court always been in agreement in
regard to the restraints placed by the Constitution upon the
taxing power of Congress? Discuss.
7. What are the outstanding features of the federal tax
structure?
8. Describe the formal procedure for the passage of a revenue
bill.
9.
How does the Federal Government proceed to collect its
revenues?
10. From what sources does the Federal Government derive
its income?
11. How has the budget and accounting system of the United
States Government been improved?
12. Of what value is money to modern civilization? Who
should have the power to issue it?
13. Where did Congress get the constitutional authority to
31
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? 32 PROBLEMS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
establish a United States Bank? What differences of sentiment
developed concerning the exercise of this power?
14. For what purposes were the following established?
a. National Banks c. Federal Land Banks
b. Federal Reserve Banks d. Postal Savings Banks
15. Who is responsible for the general management of federal
finances in the United States?
Questions and Problems for Further Study and
Discussion
1. What is a tax? Point out the essentials of a good tax.
2. Is it unjust to compel one to contribute toward the sup-
port of the government?
3. Why is it difficult to levy a tax that will fall equally on
all citizens?
4. What in your judgment constitutes the best and most
just basis for apportioning taxes?
5. Is the possession of real estate a good test of one's ability
to pay taxes?
6. What kinds of property ought to pay more taxes than
they now pay?
7. When in our history did the National Government levy a
direct tax on land?
8. How may taxes be classified according to purpose?
9. List the steps in the process of taxation.
10. What is meant by "double-taxation"?
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?
