Bannatyne's Hand-book of Republican Institutions in the United States is an authoritative work based upon federal and state laws, and other authoritative sources of information. It is entirely descriptive and very complete. Other general works are Mulford's The Nation: the Foundation of Civil Order and Political Life in the United States; Laboulaye's Histoire Politique des Etats-Unis, 3 vols.; and Lamphere's The United States Government: Its Organization and Practical Workings, this last being chiefly valuable for its statistical and tabulated information.
Among foreign works that consider the theory and practice of the United States Government, are Bagehot's English Constitution; Sir Henry Maine's chapter on the Constitution of the United States in his Popular Government; E.A. Freeman's article Presidential Government contained in his Historical Essays (1871); Lord Brougham's chapter on the Government of the United States in his Political Philosophy, Vol. 3; and E. Boutmy's Etudes de droit Constitutionel. For current political information McPherson's Hand-book of Politics, issued every two years since 1870, is valuable. Besides statistical information regarding government revenues and expenditures, public debts, votes, population, names of congressmen, &c.; these hand-books contain Presidential and Gubernatorial messages, transcripts from the Congressional Record relating to leading matters discussed in Congress; and decisions of the Supreme Court that are of general importance. The Statesman's Year-Book, published annually by Macmillan & Co., is valuable for reference in matters concerning both foreign and American governments. Bibliographical references are also given to each existing government.
John Fiske's recent volume on Civil Government in the United States, stands in merit far above other manuals bearing this name, most of which are simply running commentaries on the constitution. An excellent feature of Mr. Fiske's book is the addition of bibliographical notes at the ends of the chapters.
The following are manuals that may be recommended as of comparative merit: Macy, Our Government: How it Grew, What it Does, and How it Does it; Cocker's Civil Government; Thorpe's Government of the People of the United States; Martin's Civil Government, and Ford's American Citizens' Manual.
The most complete collection of bibliographical references to the Constitution of the United States is that prepared by W.E. Foster, and published as Economic Tract No. xxix, by the "Society for Political Education," New York.
Government.
Dr. J.C. Bluntschli's Lehre vom Modernen Stat, in three volumes, gives the finest treatment of the various forms and general principles of governments. A portion of Dr. Bluntschli's work has been translated into English and published under the title The Theory of the State. There is also a French translation of this work. Other authorities under this head are: Bluntschli's Staatswörterbuch; Woolsey's Political Science, or the State Theoretically and Practically Considered; and Montesquieu's De l'Esprit des Lois. Interesting from an historical point of view, are the theories contained in the works of political philosophers in the past. See Plato's Republic; Aristotle's Politics, Cicero's De Republica; Thomas Aquinas' Of the Government of Principles; Dante's De Monarchia; Machiavelli's Prince; Jean Bodin's Of the Commonwealth; Hobbes' Leviathan; Filmer's Patriarcha; Hooker's Ecclesiastical Polity; Locke's Civil Government; J.J. Rousseau's Social Contract; Bentham's Fragment on Government; J.S. Mills' Representative Government.
Pollock's History of the Science of Politics, published in the "Humboldt Library," contains an admirable summary of the views of these political philosophers.
The works of several of these authors (Hobbes, Hooker, Locke, Filmer,
Machiavelli) are contained in "Morley's Universal Library," published by
Routledge at one shilling per volume.
For theories regarding the origin and development of government, see
Maine's Ancient Law, Early History of Institutions, and Early Law and
Custom; Spencer's Principles of Sociology, Vol. I; Morgan's Ancient
Society; McLennan's Studies in Ancient History, and The Patriarchal
Theory; and Bagehot's Physics and Politics, published in the Humbolt
Library. The contract theory of government is presented in various forms
in the works of Hobbes, Hooker, Locke and Rousseau.