REVIEW QUESTIONS. 1. What is the relation of the powers that be to God? By what denominations and by what society is the civil Kingship of Christ made a leading doctrine? Is the doctrine limited to these? How was it shown that the doctrine is entrenched in public conscience? 2. What is the American theory as to the relations of Church and state? What is the theory and practice as to sectarian appropriations ? What acts of our national history have been inconsistent with our theory of the union of Christianity and the State, and what preeminently recognitions of it? 3. By what acts have the executive, judicial, and legislative departments of government declared or recognized that this is a Christian nation, responsible as a moral person to God's law? What constitutional amendment is needed to give national Christian institutions an unquestionable constitutional basis? By what court decisions has such amendment been shown to be necessary? 4. What is the most radical cure of political corruption? Is a "business administration" an adequate ideal for city politics? Is attendance at primaries and polls a duty as well as right? Should political notices be given in the pulpit? 5. What form of toleration needs especially to be preached? Is neutrality the true attitude for the pulpit as to political matters? Should a preacher attend the primaries? 6. How does the relation of government and people in our country differ from their relation in monarchies? How does the sovereign people resemble European sovereigns in the indirection of its rulership? Where is our choice of officers really made? What relation have the polls to the primaries? Does it matter about the party if the candidate is of good character? What fundamental political duty must be performed in order to exert positive influence in securing proper candidates? 7. What is the primary fact and force in politics? Is the existence of parties an evil? Why should city elections be separated from national politics? Why are they not? 8. Why is the caucus or primary needed? What substitute for it is provided? How could the abuses of the primary be prevented? What reasons are there for its continuance? 9. Why are not more good men elected to public office? Where are primaries held in our large cities most frequently? Which is the best treatment for unfit nominations-protest or prevention? What if the primary is on prayer me.ting night? What came of Christian attendance at the primaries in Cincinnati ? 10. What events have shown that good political machinery is of little value without good men to run it? If the ignorance were eliminated from our suffrage by improved naturalization and educational tests, how might good citizens be still left without good candidates to vote for? Has a man who "scratches" his ticket a right in any primary; and if so, what one? II. Which is the greater peril to our land, anarchy or lawlessness? To what extent is crime increasing? What are the present aims of prison reform? (Note.) Which is greatest, the punished or the unpunished law-breaking? 12. What are the three worst examples of our national habit of lawbreaking? Who besides Tammany were shown to be law-breakers by the investigation of the New York Police Department? How have even teachers and preachers often broken the laws? 13. The Chicago strike brought out what examples of weakness and what of strength in executive officers? What States have adequate laws to punish unfaithful executives? What varieties of mayors are found in American cities? 14. In what respect do Western municipal reformers disagree with those of the East as to method; and which has the best plan, and why? How might the executioners of the laws reduce public evils? 15. What evidence has recently been afforded that it is useless to attempt to purify city politics without antagonizing the saloons? What three watchwords for municipal reform are suggested? 16. What are the relative powers of mayor, sheriff, governor, and President? What of city councils and State legislatures? 17. What three powers of judges might be exerted more positively in checking current evils? 18. What mistakes were made by the North and South respectively in connection with negro suffrage? What movement in the South promises improvement? What of the Indian vote? 19. How is the foreign vote a peril, and how can that peril be lessened? What were the real reasons for Chinese exclusion? 20. What has been shown as to the "venal vote"? How can the traffic in votes be suppressed? 21. What arguments are offered against civil service reform? What two classes that should have championed this reform have hitherto mostly failed to do so? 22. On what does recent hostility to the U. S. Senate rest? How far has Congress indorsed the proposal that Senators should be elected by the people? What three arguments for it are cited? How would the conservatism of the Senate be preserved in case of such elections? What is the current opinion as to State legislatures and city councils? 23. What recent helps and hindrances to international peace are mentioned? 24. What new mode of adjusting the tariff is suggested? What is its present relation to party divisions? On what general principle do the income tax and graduated taxation rest? What is the present status of inheritance taxes? (Note.) 25. What objection is made to internal revenue from liquors and to canteens and dispensaries and licenses? 26. Why should the State always stand in the attitude of a foe of the liquor traffic? Why not license it? What proof is given that prohibition reduces the liquor traffic more than any other form of restriction? What words of Washington and Lowell warn us against compromise with sin? 27. What is proportional representation, and why is it urged? 28. What are the Initiative and Referendum, and why are they advocated? How would they be of service in restraining city governments? How would they need to be modified for larger legislative bodies? What laws need especially to be put into constitutions where legislatures and lobbies cannot change them? 29. What can be said in defence of "the third house"? What mode of lobbying can be used by the whole people? 30. What three political necessities of life does the Sabbath supply? Against what special perils of our time does it protect us ? RESOLUTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND ADOPTION IN GOOD GOVERNMENT CLUBS, MUNICipal Leagues, Good Citizenship Meetings, etc. 1. Resolved, That the Sixteenth Amendment, by which the National Constitution would forbid the States to make sectarian appropriations, should be passed. 2. Resolved, That American Christian institutions should be placed upon an unquestionable constitutional basis by the incorporation in the national constitution of the words or substance of the declaration of the U. S. Supreme Court, that "this is a Christian nation." 3. Resolved, That neither political nor other corporations are "soulless," but rather "moral persons," owing allegiance to the Decalogue and the Golden Rule. 4. Resolved, That governmental recognitions of, and supplications for Divine aid, through Thanksgiving proclamations and chaplaincies, are not inconsistent with the American doctrine of religious liberty and the separation of Church and state. 5. Resolved, That church property should not be taxed. 6. Resolved, That Sunday mails violate the spirit, at least, of the constitutional prohibition against a religious test, by excluding conscientious Christians from the postal service, and also needlessly infringe upon State laws against Sunday work, and the rights of government employees to the full enjoyment of the general rest day. 7. Resolved, That Sunday trains should be discontinued, and could be, without material loss to the companies, the employees, or the public, if the element of competition were eliminated on that day by a national law against such trains. 8. Resolved, That every citizen should belong to a political party and take an active part in politics. 9. Resolved, That suffrage should be safeguarded for the new century at hand, by laws providing in advance that new voters, native and foreign, must then be able to read and write, at least, and must have attended expository readings of the Constitution given in evening schools or by judges of naturalization. 10. Resolved, That immigrants should not be allowed to vote until at least five years after making written application for citizenship. 11. Resolved, That all having the right to vote who neglect to do so at any election should be required to enter in a public record their reasons for not doing so, on penalty of forfeiting their right to vote the succeeding year. 12. Resolved, That suffrage should not be conditioned by sex. 13. Resolved, That election laws should be extended to protect politi cal rights at the primaries as well as at the polls. 14. Resolved, That city elections should be separated from State and national elections. 15. Resolved, That U. S. Senators should be elected by popular vote. 16. Resolved, That the Constitution should not allow the President to succeed himself. 17. Resolved, That minorities should be allowed proportional representation. 18. Resolved, That the Initiative and Referendum are needed as checks upon corrupt city and state legislators. 19. Resolved, That a national imperative petition should be provided for by which a million affidavit petitioners could compel Congress to vote on any measure thus moved and seconded by the people. 20. Resolved, That appointments to civil service, excepting only the President's cabinet, should be made, continued, and ended, on civil service reform principles. 21. Resolved, That the neglect or refusal of a city or county officer to perform his sworn duties should in every case (enlarging Minnesota and Washington laws) be punishable, not by impeachment, but by indictment and trial in the courts as is the case with other perjurers. 22. Resolved, That the existing jury system should be radically modified. 23. Resolved, That taxes should be levied wholly or chiefly on unearned incomes from land and bequests and street franchises. 24. Resolved, That both labor and capital are more injured by the liquor traffic than by the present monetary and tariff laws. 25. Resolved, That the most powerful factor in the liquor traffic is the element of profit or cupidity, and that this is dangerously extended when by high license or the Gothenberg plan the whole body of taxpayers seem to secure a reduction of their taxes. 26. Resolved, That a national bankruptcy law is desirable at the present time. 27. Resolved, That no municipal reform or other civic revival can achieve permanent success except by the overthrow of saloon domination, the citadel of political corruption. 28. Resolved, That the political principle of "Protection," having been accepted by the party formerly opposed to it in the enactment of the law now in force, should be retired from politics, for the protection of business against the disastrous fear of sudden changes, by limiting tariff legislation to the year following each decennial census or by committing the administration of the tariff to a non-partizan commission, and that "Home Protection " should take its place as the watchword of a political crusade against intemperance, monopoly, and other foes of the home, the unit of the state. 29. Resolved, That contract labor in the State prisons be abolished. FIELD WORK. 1. Visit all penal institutions within reach. Examine records and interrogate officers and prisoners as to causes and cure of crime. Visit courts also. 2. Visit political establishments, city hall, etc. Examine Constitution and laws of State and city ordinances, and make note of laws neglected. Examine citizens indirectly as to what they suppose the laws to be. 3. See party leaders and ascertain methods and attendance and location of the primaries. 4. Test last State vote as to its bearing on proportional representation. 5. See resident legislator and ask as to proportion of good and bad men in lobbies, of selfish and unselfish letters in his legislative mail; as to good bills that would have passed if the people could have compelled a vote by imperative petition. |