The Promise of American Life

by Herbert David Croly

• Pan-Americanism, [313]-[314].
• Parker, Alton B., [163].
• Paternalism, German, [250].
• Patriotism,
  • national, [2];
  • American, contrasted with that of other nations [2]-[3].
• Peace,
  • democracy and, [308] ff.
• Pensions,
  • old age, in England, [239];
  • military, in United States, [274].
• Philippines,
  • questions concerning American acquisition of, [308]-[309].
• Poland,
  • partition of, [222].
• Police force,
  • state, [344]-[345].
• Political specialist.
  • See "[Boss]."
• Politics,
  • separation of the business man from, [117];
  • specialized organization of, [118]-[121].
• Popular sovereignty,
  • Stephen A. Douglas's theory of, [84]-[86];
  • criticism of democracy defined as, [176]-[178];
  • principle of, as represented by French Revolutionaries, [223]-[224];
  • principle of national sovereignty not to be confused with, [265]-[266];
  • the essential condition of democracy, [269]-[270];
  • definition of the phrase, [279] ff.;
  • is equivalent for Americans to the phrase "national Sovereignty," [280];
  • misconceptions of, notably Douglas's error, [281].
• Porto Rico,
  • relations between United States and, [308].
• Poverty,
  • as a social danger in a democratic state, [205].
• Prisons,
  • improvement of, as a function of the state, [345].
• Profits of corporations,
  • disposal of question of excessive, [370].
• Property,
  • preservation of institution of private, [209].
• Protection,
  • Whig policy of, and its defeat, [68];
  • Bismarck's policy of, [250].
• Public ownership, [366]-[367];
  • municipal, [372]-[375];
  • the portion of railroad property properly subject to, [376]-[377];
  • another plan of, regarding railroads, [377]-[378].
• Public Service Commissions of New York State, [360]-[361];
  • principal objection to, [368].
• Public service corporations holding municipal franchises,
  • should be subject to cities only, [349];
  • municipal policy toward, [372]-[373].
• Pure Food Bill,
  • class discrimination in, [191].

R

• Railroads,
  • conditions of growth of American, [109];
  • the granting of rebates by, [110]-[111];
  • public ownership of, advocated by W.J. Bryan, [158];
  • state ownership of, in Prussia, [250];
  • constructive organization of, in United States, [351] ff.;
  • domination of, in politics of states, [352]-[353];
  • undesirability of state supervision of, and danger to roads themselves, [353]-[354];
  • ignorant and unwise legislation by states concerning, [354]-[355];
  • substitution of control of central government for state control, [356]-[357];
  • policy to be followed by central government toward [357] ff.;
  • law should be passed providing for agreements between roads, and mergers, [364]-[305];
  • freedom should be left to, to make rates and schedules, and develop their traffic, [365]-[366];
  • public ownership of, [366];
  • regulation of, by Federal commissions a doubtful step, [360]-[363], [368];
  • process of combination among, and results, [375]-[376];
  • value of monopoly possessed by, could be secured to the community by Federal government taking possession of terminals, right of way, tracks, and stations, [376]-[377];
  • the alternative plan, of government appropriation of roads, and its working out, [377]-[378].
  • See [Corporations].
• Real estate tax, [385].
• Rebates, [109], [110]-[113], [357].
• Recall,
  • principle of the, [332]-[333];
  • employment of the, in suggested administrative system, [338], [340].
• Referendum,
  • movement in favor of, in state governments, [320];
  • pros and cons of the, [327]-[328].
• Reform,
  • course of the movement, [141]-[142];
  • variety in kinds of, [142]-[143];
  • variety found in exponents of, [143]-[144];
  • function of, according to the reformers, [144]-[145];
  • disappointment of hopes for, and reasons, [145]-[147];
  • a better understanding of meaning of, and of the function of reformers, necessary to successful correction of abuses, [147];
  • causes of need for, [148]-[150];
  • wrong conceptions of, and intellectual awakening essential for, [150];
  • true methods for accomplishing, [152]-[154];
  • state institutional, [315] ff.;
  • policy of drift should not be allowed in, [315]-[316];
  • state administrative, [333] ff.;
  • impossibility of accomplishing, by Australian ballot, direct primary system, and similar devices, [341]-[343];
  • direct practical value of a movement for, may be surpassed by its indirect educational value, [408].
• Reich, Emil, quoted, [1].
• Religious wars,
  • bearing of, on national development of European states, [219].
• Republicanism,
  • represented by Jefferson, [28]-[29], [30], [31];
  • identified with political disorder and social instability by Federalists, [32]-[33];
  • opposition of, to Federalism as represented by Hamilton, [42]-[46];
  • alliance of Federalists and party of, [46]-[47];
  • effects of combination, [50]-[51];
  • Jefferson's Republicanism contrasted with Jackson's Democracy, [52];
  • views held by supporters of, on slavery question, [78].
• Republican party,
  • causes leading to organization of the modern, [83];
  • its claims to being the first genuinely national party, [83]-[84];
  • rescue of, by Roosevelt, [171].
• Revolutions,
  • question of, [210].
• Rockefeller, John D., [111]-[112], [114], [115].
• Roman Empire, the, [216].
• Roosevelt, Theodore, [86], [136], [155];
  • as a reformer, [142], [167];
  • nationalization of reform by, [168]-[170];
  • policy of, compared with Hamiltonian creed, [169];
  • theory and practice of, contrasted with Jefferson's, [170];
  • the rescue of the Republican party by, [171];
  • vulnerability of, on the point of equal rights, [172];
  • has really been building better than he knew or will admit, [173]-[174];
  • criticism of, as a national reformer, [174]-[175].
• Roosevelt-Taft programme, of recognition of corporations,
  • tempered by regulation, [358]-[359];
  • how best to carry out, [359]-[360].
• Root, Elihu, [135];
  • international system indicated by, [301].
• Russia,
  • faith of Russians in, [2];
  • international situation of, at present, [253], [256]-[257], [258];
  • weakness of, exposed, [311].

S

• Saloon licenses, [385].
• Santayana, George, quoted, [454].
• Scientists,
  • methods of, a perfect type of authoritative technical methods, [434].
• Sherman Anti-Trust Law,
  • a bar to proper treatment of corporate aggrandizement, [274];
  • as an expensive attempt to save the life of the small competitor who cannot hold his own, should be repealed, [359].
• Slaveholders,
  • an impartial estimate of, [81]-[82].
• Slavery,
  • effect of introduction of factor of, on Democrats and Whigs, [72];
  • sanctioned by the Constitution, and results, [72]-[73];
  • attitude of the two political parties toward, [73]-[74];
  • shirking of the question, and compromises, [74];
  • brings out inconsistency of alliance between Jeffersonian democracy and American nationality as embodied in Constitutional Union, [75];
  • Webster's attitude on the question, [75]-[77];
  • American people separated into five parties by, [77];
  • attitude of Constitutional Unionists toward, [78];
  • beliefs of Abolitionists, Southern Democrats, Northern Democrats, and Republicans, [78]-[79];
  • body of public opinion looking to de-nationalizing slavery, which was organized into the Republican party, [83]-[84].
• Smythe, William, [151].
• Social Democrats,
  • party of, in Germany, [251].
• Socialism,
  • weakness of, [210];
  • idea of an international, a mistake, [210]-[211].
• Socialists,
  • doctrine preached by extreme, in France, [243].
• Social problem,
  • democracy and the, [138]-[140].
• South America,
  • bearing of Monroe Doctrine on, and possible complications resulting from, [294]-[296].
• Spain,
  • religious wars of, [219];
  • national feeling in, increased by abuses of Napoleon, [225].
• Specialization,
  • contempt for, in Middle West of pioneer days, [63]-[65];
  • necessity for, resulting from industrial development, [102]-[103];
  • of the American business man, [105] ff., [117];
  • of the politician, [117] ff.;
  • labor unions a decisive instance of, [126] ff.;
  • among lawyers, [134]-[135];
  • regarded as a revolt from the national democratic tradition, [138]-[139];
  • perils of, to American social organization, [139];
  • part to be played in individual emancipation by, [427]-[441].
• Spoils system,
  • causes of introduction of, [57], [59]-[60];
  • effect of, opposite of that intended, [60]-[61];
  • civil service reform and the, [143].
• "Square deal," Roosevelt's, [20], [151], [172].
• Standard of living,
  • a constantly higher, for wage-earners, [206];
  • labor unions an effective machinery for raising, [387].
• Standard Oil Company,
  • attempted regulation of, by various states, [355].
• Standards,
  • in scientific work and in liberal or practical arts, [434]-[435];
  • acquirement of authentic, [435]-[436];
  • of technical excellence, [436]-[437];
  • only way of improving popular, for men of higher standards, [443]-[444].
• State,
  • development of the national, [215] ff.;
  • increasing political efficiency of, shown to be proportioned to responsible exercise of powers, [217]-[220].
• State governments,
  • reorganization of, in democratic spirit, after Revolutionary War, [31];
  • lack of success of American, [317];
  • failure of criminal and civil courts, [318];
  • chaotic condition of tax systems and educational systems, [318]-[319];
  • incompetent and frequently dishonest financial and economic legislation, [319];
  • fault lies partly in existing standards of morality, but in part also is result of unwise organization, [319];
  • demand for reorganization of, [319]-[320];
  • movement in favor of initiative and referendum in, [320], [327]-[328];
  • wrong diagnosis of causes of legislative corruption and incompetence, [320]-[321];
  • reasons for failure of, [321] ff.;
  • disadvantages of system of checks and balances in, [323]-[324];
  • failure of, to be imputed chiefly to lack of a centralized responsible organization, [324];
  • improvement in legislatures necessary, [326]-[329];
  • plan suggested for improvement of, [328]-[331];
  • administrative reform in, [333] ff.;
  • maintenance of order by, [344];
  • reorganization of criminal laws by, [344]-[345];
  • improvement of prisons and insane asylums by, [345];
  • possible activities of, in relation to labor, educational questions, etc., [346];
  • method of attaining their maximum usefulness, [347];
  • relation of, to cities, [347]-[349];
  • questions such as regulation of commerce, control of corporations, distribution of wealth, and prevention of poverty outside of field of activities of, [350];
  • domination of railroads in, [352]-[353];
  • interference of, with railroad, insurance, and other corporations, [353]-[355].
• Steffens, Lincoln, [163].
• Sterilization of criminals, [345].
• Strikes, [127]-[128], [392].
• Suffrage,
  • advantages and disadvantages of a limited, [198]-[199].
• Supreme Court,
  • power of the, [132]-[133];
  • success of, in the American political system, [134];
  • question of life tenure of office of judges of, [200].

T

• Taft, President, [135].
• Tammany Hall, [125], [151].
• Tariff,
  • an example of class legislation, [191];
  • Federal authorities responsible for, [274];
  • first duty of United States to revise, [305].
• Tariff reform, [142]-[143].
• Taxation,
  • remedying excessive profits of corporations by, [370];
  • as a weapon of municipalities against monopolies, [374];
  • use of power of, to equalize distribution of wealth and raise money for governmental expenses, [381];
  • of inheritances, [382]-[385];
  • of incomes, [384]-[385];
  • real estate and saloon, [385].
• Tax systems,
  • state, chaotic condition of, [318].
• Technical schools,
  • growth of, [429]-[430].
• Tobacco manufacture,
  • regulation of, by government, [379].
• Tolstoy,
  • pernicious results of triumph of democracy of, [282];
  • led into error by brotherly feelings, [453].
• Trade schools, [391].
• Tradition,
  • force of accumulated national, in forming a people into a state, [227], [259];
  • the national, of England, Germany, France, and America, [267]-[270];
  • necessity of emancipation of nations from, [279].
• Trust funds,
  • evils of, [383]-[384].
• Trusts.
  • See [Corporations].

U

• Un-Americanism,
  • the reforming spirit wrongly called, [49].
• Unification, of Germany by Bismarck, [247]-[249];
  • wars which helped toward, were justifiable, [256].
• Unionism, labor.
  • See [Labor unions].
• United States Steel Corporation,
  • lease of ore lands by, [114].

V