No More Learning

Mathews and Berdahl's Documents and Readings in American Govern-
ment (1928), Chaps. XVI-XVII.
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? CHAPTER XXI
(pp. 481-498)
THE STATE AND ITS CONSTITUTION
1. How extensive are the powers enjoyed by the State Gov-
ernments under the Federal Constitution?
2. What is a State? How are the States related to the federal
system in the United States?
3. Do the States play any part in the alteration of the
Federal Constitution? Explain.
4. Of what importance are the State Governments in the
lives of the citizens?
5. May it be said that the States are laboratories for political
and economic experimentation? Explain.
6. What has been the tendency in State Constitutional de-
velopment?
7. Point out the results that have come from increasing the
length of State Constitutions.
8. What are the parts into which State Constitutions are
usually divided? Explain each.
9. By what authority is the suffrage regulated in the United
States?
10. Prepare a list of the usual qualifications for voting.
11. List the common disqualifications for the suffrage.
12. For what purpose were the so-called "grandfather
clauses" enacted?
13. What bearing does the fourteenth amendment to the
Federal Constitution have upon the imposition of restrictions
on the suffrage?
14. To what extent is the principle of the separation of powers
employed in the State Constitutions?
6g
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? 70 PROBLEMS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
15. Have the States been successful in maintaining a distinct
separation of powers into the three departments? Explain.
16. What constitutes the supreme law of the States?
17. Is the principle of judicial supremacy maintained in the
States?
18. Should the State courts be permitted to declare laws un-
constitutional? Explain.
Questions and Problems for Further Study and
Discussion
1. Distinguish between a constitution, a statute, and a
charter.
2. Is there a separation of powers in State Governments as
there is in the National Government?
3. Do the State Governments employ the principle of
"Checks and Balances"? Illustrate.
4. How many constitutions has your State had? Is the
present one of the old or new type?
5. List the outstanding provisions in the Bill of Rights of
your State Constitution.
6. Does the Constitution of your State contain all the parts
of a typical constitution?
7. Explain the amending process provided in your State
Constitution. Does it require a majority of those voting in the
election in order to ratify or only a majority of those voting
for or against the amendment? Which of these requirements do
you think the more desirable and why?
8. List the qualifications for the suffrage in your State.
9. What changes have been made in the qualifications for
suffrage in your State since its admittance to the Union? Do
you think that the present qualifications in your State might
be improved? Explain.
10. By whom are State constitutions made? Are there any
limitations on this power?
11. How many times have the people voted in favor of con-
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? THE STATE AND ITS CONSTITUTION
stitutional revision in your State? When? What was the out-
come? Explain if necessary.
12. What is a constitutional convention act? By whom is it
enacted?
13. Draft a plan for a State constitutional convention.
14. List the steps in the process of making a State constitution.
15. Should a constitution be brief and general in its provisions
or long and detailed? Explain.
16. List the outstanding points of uniformity in our State
Governments.
17. Prepare a brief outline of the constitution of your State
showing the main topic of each division and article.
18. Should the question of constitutional revision come up in
your State would you vote for or against it? Explain.
19. Do you think it would be desirable to organize such cities
as New York and Chicago into States? Give reasons for your
answer.
20. Through what formalities would it be necessary to go in
order to organize New York City into a State?
21. Carefully read through a copy of your State constitution
and check what you regard to be its outstanding weaknesses.
Then correct these weaknesses by putting the constitution in
the phraseology and form that you think it ought to take.
References
Munro's The Government of the United States, Third Edition, Chap.
XXX.
Ogg and Ray's Introduction to American Government, Fourth Edition,
Chap. XXX.
Bates and Field's State Government (1928), Chap. II.
Holcombe's State Government in the United States (1926), Chaps. III-V,
XIV.
Mathews' American State Government (1924), Chaps. I-II.
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? CHAPTER XXII
(pp. 499-S2! )
POPULAR CONTROL IN STATE AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS
1. Of what importance is public opinion in a democracy?
2. What provision has been made to enable the people to
alter their fundamental law?
3. What three methods of setting the amending process in
motion are referred to by the author? Point out the merits of
each?
4. By means of what devices may the people participate
directly in the enactment of laws? Explain each.
5. List the names of the States now providing for the use of
the initiative and referendum in some form or other.
6. Should it be easier for the voter to change an ordinary
statute than to change a constitutional law? Explain.
7. In what ways may the initiative and referendum be used?
8. Outline the Oregon plan for the use of the initiative and
referendum.
9. With what success have these democratic devices met?
10. Prepare a list of arguments for and against the use of the
initiative and referendum.
11. By what means have the voters brought elective officers
directly under their control?
12. Trace the development of the recall and explain how it
enables the voters to exercise control over elective officers.
13. Point out the possible variations in the use of the recall.
14. List arguments for and against the use of the recall.
15. What is the usual means through which the people control
the government in a democracy?
72
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? POPULAR CONTROL IN GOVERNMENT 73
16. Explain why the ballot has become so detailed.
17. What has been the effect of increasing the work of the
voter at the polls? Is this desirable or undesirable?
18. List the principles involved in the "Short Ballot. "
19. In what units of local government are the principles of
the short ballot most widely used? How do you account for this?
20. How do you account for the tendency toward centraliza-
tion in State, municipal, and local government?
21.
Even though the election machinery has been simplified,
what important problems of popular control in politics still
remain unsolved?
Questions and Problems for Further Study and
Discussion
1. Distinguish between revision and amendment of consti-
tutions.
2. What is meant by direct legislation?
3. Explain each of the following.
a. Initiative b. Referendum c. Recall
4. What is the difference between the compulsory and op-
tional use of the referendum?
5. Who, in practice, promotes legislation under the initiative
and referendum?
6. Make an outline map showing the States of the Union
now using the initiative, the referendum, and the recall. By
means of colors show which make use of each of these devices
for popular control of the government.
7. Are the principles underlying the short ballot compatible
with democracy?
8. How does the amending process in your State differ from
that found in the Federal Constitution? Which do you think
the more democratic, and why?
9. Are there any proposed amendments to your State Con-
stitution under consideration at the present time? If so, do you
approve or disapprove of the same? Explain.
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? 74 PROBLEMS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
10. By what means do the voters of your State control their
government?
11. To what extent, if used at all, do the voters of your State
make use of the initiative, referendum, and recall? Do you
approve or disapprove of the use of these devices? Give reasons
for your answer.
References
Beard's Readings in American Government and Politics, New and Re-
vised Edition, Chap. XXIII.
Munro's The Government of the United States, Third Edition, pp. 571-
580, 583, 637.
Ogg and Ray's Introduction to American Government, Fourth Edition,
pp. 671-674, 716-720, 871-874.
Mathews' American State Government (1924), Chap. V.
Holcombe's State Government in the United States (1926), Chap. XV.
Mathews and BerdahFs Documents and Readings in American Govern-
ment (1928), Chaps. XVTII-XDC
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? CHAPTER XXIII
(pp. 522-553)
STATE AND LOCAL POLITICS
1. How important is the use of the ballot?
2. Of what importance is a primary election?
3. What is the relation between the State and National
party organization?
4. Make a list of the different units in the State party or-
ganization. How important is each?
5. Outline the work of a State party convention.
6. Why is the county organization important?
7. Trace the historical development of Tammany Society.
8. What is the difference between Tammany Society and the
Democratic Organization in New York County?
9. Of what importance is the precinct, the ward, or the
election district in politics?
10. List the regulations that are provided by law for the
control of elections.
11. For what purpose are legal restrictions placed on political
parties and their activities?
12. Indicate the chief feature of the "Australian ballot sys-
tem. " Why is this name applied?
13. What is the difference between the party-column or
Indiana ballot and the office-column or Massachusetts ballot?
14. Trace briefly the development of the non-partisan idea.
15. What are the arguments in favor of absent-voting legis-
lation?
16. What principles are quite generally involved in absent-
voting laws?
17. According to the law what is a political party?
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? 76 PROBLEMS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
18. What provisions are made for determining party member-
ship? Give your opinion of each.
19. List the regulations laid down by law for protecting the
voter at the ballot box.
20. To what extent have State legislatures attempted to
regulate State party organizations?
21. What is the direct primary? For what purpose was it
adopted?
22. To what extent is the direct primary used?
23. List the advantages and disadvantages of the direct
primary.
24. How does the indirect primary differ from the direct
primary?
25. Is the indirect primary still in use? Explain.
26. What has been done to control the use of money in
elections?
27. Point out the purpose of the movement for non-partisan
politics.
28. In what unit of government does the non-partisan or in-
dependent element play the most important part?
29. What is the most far-reaching non-partisan organization
in the United States?
30. What has been the effect of a half century of warfare on
party abuses?
Questions and Problems for Further Study and
Discussion
1. What are the functions of a political party?
2. Do you think that every voter ought to join some political
party and support its candidates and policies?
3. If a voter does not approve the candidates nominated
by his party or the policies which it adopts, what should he do?
Do you think that independent voting ought to be encouraged?
Explain.
4. What is the method of procedure in calling and conducting
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? STATE AND LOCAL POLITICS 77
a caucus in your State? A primary election? A State conven-
tion?
5. How are the delegates to the county and State conven-
tions chosen in your State?
6. Which parts of the party organization in your State
complete their work in a short time and disband? Which con-
tinue in existence between elections though not active con-
tinually?
7. What is the difference between a "closed" and an "open"
primary? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
8. Which is more important in your State, the primary or
the general election? Explain.
9. If the direct primary is used in your State for nominating
candidates, how does the party proceed to prepare its platform?
10. What is meant by registration of voters? How frequently
must one register in your State? What is the procedure for
registration?
11. Make a list of arguments for and against compulsory
voting.
12. Explain how money is raised for the conduct of political
campaigns. Is it the duty of every party member to contribute?
13. Is your State predominantly in control of one party?
Would it be more conducive to good government to have two
parties of about equal strength? Explain.
14. On an outline map of your State indicate the number of
votes by counties that were cast by each of the major parties
for the office of Governor in the last election. Of what value
might these be to one interested in active politics?
15. Is an individual justified in standing with one party in
National politics and with another in State politics?
16. Is it inevitable that "in the democratic forms of govern-
ment the operation of universal suffrage tends toward the selec-
tion of the average man for public office rather than the man
qualified by birth, education, and integrity"?
17. Would it be better to vote for an undesirable candidate
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? 78 PROBLEMS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
who will support the political program you want than for a more
desirable candidate who is opposed to your political program?
18. How can the voters secure dependable information as to
candidates and issues?
19. Was William Howard Taft right in saying that "The
general primary is a fraud"?
References
Beard's Readings in American Government and Politics, New and Re-
vised Edition, Chap.