9. If you were a voter, to which political party would you belong? Give your reasons.
10. What are the important points to be emphasized in discussing the reform of party organization? Name some reforms which you think would be advantageous.
Topics for Debate
1. Municipal elections should be conducted on party lines.
2. The campaign expenses of presidential candidates should be paid from the national treasury.
3. A three-party system would be preferable in this country to the present two-party organization.
CHAPTER IX
COUNTIES AND RURAL COMMUNITIES
The purpose of this chapter is to show how the counties, towns, and villages of the United States are governed, who their local officials are, and what they do.
The division of governmental functions.
What Local Government Is.—The functions performed by governments fall into two divisions. First, there are functions which relate mainly to the life and activities of the neighborhood, such as police administration, fire protection, the cleaning of streets, and the care of the poor. These things can best be managed by the local authorities. Second, there are functions of a more general character which relate to the life and activities of the entire state or nation, such as the regulation of the railroads, the coining of money, the maintenance of post offices, and the control of corporations. These functions we have committed, accordingly, to the state and national governments. In earlier days, before industry and commerce developed so greatly, local functions were the more numerous; but as population grows the whole country tends to become one great community, hence many functions formerly performed by the local authorities are being taken over by the states and the nation. It is impossible to lay down any rule as to what functions are local and what functions are general. A few years ago each town and village made its own regulations concerning the speed limit for automobiles; to-day that matter has been taken over almost everywhere by the state authorities.