Our state and nation

Preface

In the supervision of schools the author has felt the need of a book on civil government within the comprehension of children in the sixth grade.

In this grade they begin the elementary U. S. History. The want of definite notions of the machinery of government stands in the way of a definite understanding of what they read and are taught about the life and growth of our nation.

The attempt is here made to give the twelve-year-old child as clear an insight into the structure and workings of our government . as the intelligent citizen has, who has not made a special study of the subject. It is thought to be a good plan to alternate these lessons with those in elementary history — a lesson in the history one day and in civil government the next. It should be reviewed in the seventh and sixth grades and special stress laid upon county and town government and land survey.

If a more detailed knowledge is desired, it can be obtained from other more elaborate works on Civil Government, of which there are many.

It is the hope of the author that this little book may not only give the children of our great State a working knowledge, but that by its aid the teachers may inspire an active and abiding love for the land in which we have the good fortune to live.

THE AUTHOR.

OUR STATE AND NATION.

CHAPTER I. Government

Government means control. In this country we say the people govern themselves. But this does not mean that each person controls himself. It means that each person is controlled to some extent by all the rest. The people make the laws. They choose officials who compel all to obey the laws who fail to do so of their own choice. Our -government is a Republic. We say the right to govern belongs to the people themselves. In some countries the government is an absolute Monarchy. There the king claims the right to govern in his own way. The people have nothing to say. They must obey the king as children obey their parents. He makes the laws and chooses the officials who aid him in the work. When he dies his son or other relation next, in line of succession takes his place whether the people wish it or not. In a Republic the people have a plan for making their own laws, choosing the officials who shall govern, and replacing both laws and officials with others when more than half the people want a change.

KINDS OF OUR GOVERNMENT.

Our country, the United States of America, is divided into parts called States and Territories. The states are divided into parts called counties. The counties are divided into smaller parts called towns, and the towns may contain cities, villages and school districts. Each one of these divisions has a government of its own, suited to its needs. The national government extends over all the United States; the state government extends over the state only; the county government extends over the county; and so also with the town, city, village and school district governments.

The national government is in Washington, District of Columbia, for its chief officials are there, but its minor officials are scattered all over this country and over other countries where they are needed. The state government is in Springfield, and minor state officials are scattered over the state where they are needed. The county government is at the county seat, and the town government meets at the Town House. The city government meets at the City Hall.

The city or village government is made up of the officials that are elected by the people who live in the village or city. Its laws, called ordinances, are made by these officials, and provide rules for doing what needs to be done in the city or village that is not already taken care of by state laws, such as paving the streets, lighting the city, keeping order on the street, providing for water and drainage.

GOVERNMENT. 7

The county government is administered by officials elected by the people of the county. The Board of Supervisors makes rules for doing the things that need to be done in the county and which are not provided for by state laws; such as building roads and bridges, fixing and collecting taxes, caring for the poor, fixing salaries of county officials and enforcing the county and state laws in the county.

The state government is administered by officials elected by the people of the state. In it reside all the powers that rightfully belong to government except such as have been given over to the national government. It makes laws about wrongdoing against persons and property, the education of the children, caring for the insane, the blind, the deaf, and the feeble-minded. It cannot make war against another state or nation, coin money, enter into agreements with other nations; for these and many other rights have been delegated to the national government.

The national government has all the powers that rightfully belong to governments, powers that concern all the people of all the states alike and that have not been reserved to the states. It makes treaties or agreements with other nations. It may declare war against other countries. It coins and prints the money to be used by the people of the nation. It improves rivers and harbors, and builds roads that are for the good of all the people. It punishes those who violate the laws made by the United States.

In an absolute monarchy the king- has all the power in his own hands and may use it to injure the people, and they cannot help themselves except by making war against him, which is very hard to do. In a republic the power is in the hands of the people, and they can soon turn out of office those who do not govern according to the people's wishes.

We think the plan of separating the government into so many kinds a very good one. Each has its particular work to do, and so if a part be badly done it need not all be bad, and can be more easily changed. Then, too, the work of governing that concerns people most closely is in the hands of officials right at home. If these officials do not do their duty they can readily be turned out of office. The work of governing that does not come very close to any one personally is in the hands of officials who are farther away.

In the past, the work of governing had been much abused and the people had suffered. When our forefathers formed our plan of government they tried to put every possible check upon the officials so that they could not injure the people through bad laws. You can see how the plan of having several governments acts as a check upon bad laws. But you will see that even a greater check has been provided when you stud} the general plan, as set forth in the national government.

GOVERNMENT. 9

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. •

In the year 1787 the people of this country, then only thirteen colonies, sent their ablest men to Philadelphia to formulate a plan for a new government. George Washington was made chairman of the convention. The foremost men of every colony, who had done much for the country during the Revolutionary War, were members. They worked all summer, and when they were through they had written the Constitution of the United States.

This instrument sets forth the plan of government, states what kind of officials shall be chosen and what they shall do, what the general government may do* and what the state government may not do. It is the supreme law of the land. Neither the state governments, nor that of the United States, may make laws that are forbidden by it. All the state constitutions are modeled after it. In Illinois even the county and city governments are formed after the same pattern.

CHAPTER II. The National Government

The first check that is put upon the possible abuse of the power to govern is provided by dividing the government into three departments, legislative, executive, and judicial, each one independent, each having its particular powers and rights, and yet all necessary to the work of government. If any department does wrong another department may prevent that wrong from going into effect and injuring the people. The three departments working for the general good are likely to serve the best interests of the people.

THE LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT.

Congress is the department that makes the laws. In order that its members may not easily conspire to make bad laws, Congress is divided into two houses, the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each meets separately and each may prepare a law, but the other must also agree to it before it can become a law. To provide a greater check the President of the United States is given the power to say "no" (to veto) any proposed law. When he does this the proposed law fails unless it goes back to Congress and is agreed to by two-thirds of the members of each House.

When a law has been made the work of Congress ends. It cannot make anyone obey the law, nor can it decide who has disobeyed the law and punish him for it.

There are over three hundred members of the House of Representatives whose term of office is two years and who are elected from congressional districts in every state. A district usually embraces several counties. Our district is No , and comprises the counties of

The name and residence of our Representative is

There are two Senators from each state. They serve six years and are chosen by the State Legislature, not directly by the people. The names and residences of our Senators are

THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT.

The Presidency of the United States is the executive department. The name and address of our President is

His duty is to execute the national laws, that is, to require all people to obey these laws and to punish those who do not. He is the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy. If it is necessary he can call these out to assist him in enforcing* obedience to the law.

It is a great deal of work to keep the government going, so the President needs a great many officials to help him. He has the power to appoint men to do this. But that he may not appoint bad men, the Senate is given the power to say "no" to his appointments, and prevent him from appointing anyone whom they do not believe to be the proper man. The President's chief assistants are called

THE CABINET.

The President's cabinet is composed of men each of whom is at the head of a great department under the o

President. They are so close to him that each is called a member of the President's official family. Each has thousands of men under him to transact the business of his department. Each has a great building in Washington for offices. They all meet with the President at the White House in cabinet meeting. Here they talk over their particular business with the President, receive orders and suggestions from him, and give him advice when he asks for it. Each does his work in his own way, yet, since the President is to blame if anything goes wrong-, he can at any time order a cabinet officer to do differently.

THE STATE DEPARTMENT.

The state department is considered the one of greatest dignity in the cabinet. It is the department of foreign affairs. The head of this is called the Secretary of State. The name and residence of the present Secretary is

His duty is to take charge of all business that the United States government has with any other nation. He has a man at the Capital of every nation who is called our Minister or Ambassador. And every nation has a Minister or Ambassador at Washington. If our government wants to transact any business with the government of England, our Ambassador at London is the man who attends to it. Our Ambassador is treated much as the President would be if he were there, for he represents the President.

The Secretary of State has also a man in every important city in other countries who is called the Consul. It is his duty to do all he can for any of our people who are in his city. If you should inherit property from a grandfather in any foreign country the American consul in the nearest city is the official to look after it and see that you get it. If an American is arrested, the consul sees to it that he has a fair trial. He inspects all invoices of goods sent from his city to this country to see that the revenue laws are complied with.

THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT.

The member of the cabinet who is at the head of this department is called the Secretary of the Treasury. His duty is to collect all the revenues, safely keep the money collected, and pay it out as directed by Congress and the President. He has charge also of coining gold and silver and issuing paper money.

Among the chief officials who work under his general directions are the Treasurer of the United States, whose duty it is to safely keep the money and pay it out as directed by law; the Register of the Treasury, who has charge of the bookkeeping and accounts of the government; the Auditor, who examines all the accounts and sees that they are correct; the Comptroller of the Currency, who supervises all the national bank- ; the Commissioner of Customs, who superintends the collection of the taxes on goods sent into this country.

There are many more of equal rank with these, and under each there are many who look after the details.

In every city where goods are received from foreign countries there is a collector of customs. All over the country there are revenue collectors who collect the tax on tobacco and liquors.

The name of the present Secretary of the Treasury is

THE WAR DEPARTMENT.

At the head of this department is the Secretary of War. His duty is to take charge of all business that pertains to the army. The Secretary need not be a military man. He usually is not, but all the chief officials under him are men trained for the army.

The name of the present Secretary of War is

Among the chief officials are: The Adjutant General, who conducts all the correspondence, issues the Secretary's orders to the commanders of the army and receives all reports from these; the Inspector General, who inspects the condition of the army and the accounts of money spent on maintaining it ; the Quartermaster General, who has charge of all clothing and general army supplies; the Commissary General, who has charge of the food supplies. These officers are at the head of bureaus. There are also several other officers.

The Military Academy at West Point, New York, where boys are trained to become army officers, is also under the control of this department.

In time, of war the United States army is usually organized as follows:

The President of the United States is Commander in Chief, but he does not take active command. He usually appoints the General in Chief, and he commands all the armies. All other generals are subject to his orders. He is subject only to the President. An army is a wing of the military forces operating in a certain section of the country to accomplish a certain work. There may be two or more of them, each consisting of more or less than a hundred thousand men.

A general commands an army. An army consists of two or more corps, each consisting of twenty or thirty thousand men.

A lieutenant general commands a corps. A corps consists of two or three divisions, each consisting of ren to fifteen thousand men.

A major general commands a division. A division consists of two or more brigades of infantry, a brigade or regiment of cavalry and from four to eight battalions of field artillery, in all about seven or nine thousand men.

A brigadier general commands a brigade. A brigade is composed of two to four regiments of infantry, or two or more regiments of cavalry, each consisting of 1,372 men.

A colonel commands a regiment. The lieutenantcolonel is second in command. A regiment consists of three battalions of infantry, each consisting of four hundred and fifty men.

A major commands a battalion. A battalion consists of four companies, each composed of one hundred and fourteen men.

A captain commands a company. A company consists of a captain, two lieutenants, six sergeants, twelve corporals, two musicians, one artificer, one wagoner and ninety private soldiers.

THE NAVY DEPARTMENT.

The Secretary of the Navy is at the head of this department. He has charge of all matters pertaining to the war vessels of the United States. He is assisted by heads of eight bureaus, and all heads of bureaus are officers of the navy. Simply naming these bureaus is sufficient to give an idea of the work of each, viz. : Yards and Docks, Equipment and Recruiting, Navigation, Ordinance, Construction and Repairs, Steam Engineering, Provision and Clothing, Medicine and Surgery.

The Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, where boys are trained to become officers of the navy, is under the management of this department.

The name of the present Secretary of the Navy is

IS OUR STATE AND NATION.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR.

The Secretary of the Interior has charge of all executive business that is not taken care of in other departments. It is the home department.

The subordinate officers at the head of bureaus are : Commissioner of Public Lands, Indian Affairs, Pensions, Patents, Education, Inter-State Commerce, Superintendents of Public Documents, and Census.

The name of the present Secretary of the Interior is

THE POST-OFFICE DEPARTMENT.

The head of this department is the Postmaster. General. He has charge of all post-offices and the distribution of the mail.

The name of the present Postmaster General is

THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.

The head of this department is the Attorney General. He is the President's lawyer. He represents the United States government in every lawsuit in which it is interested. If any one violates a law of the United States he is arrested and taken into court for trial by this department. The arrest is made by a United lit !

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States Marshal. These are scattered all over the country. The Attorney General is aided by a Solicitor General, two Assistant Attorneys General, and an. Assistant Attorney General for the Interior department, one for the Post-0 frice department, a solicitor for the Treasury, one for Internal Revenue and an Examiner of Claims. These must all be lawyers except the United States Marshals, who do the work of Sheriffs. These need not be lawyers.

The name of the present Attorney General is ..... .

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

The head of this department is called the Secretary of Agriculture. It is his duty to give all the information that he is able to gather about the farming interest of the United States. He finds out all he can about insects that destroy crops, diseases that destroy cattle, swine and horses, fertilizers to improve lands ; he does all he can to secure good markets for our farmers. This information is published in books that can be had free from our Senators or Representatives in Congress.

The Weather Bureau is under his control. Men are stationed all over the country who observe the weather conditions. The result is sent to all who want it every day. It is published in all the great daily papers. This is of great value to the farmer and to the shipping interests.

The name of the present Secretary of Agriculture is

This brief statement is enough to show you howgreat is the work of the President and to give you some idea of how he is able to do it by means of assistants.

JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT.

Thus far we have seen that one set of officials make the laws. The President with all his assistants enforces the laws which have been made. At first it wou!d seem that this is all that is necessary in government. But suppose that under the direction of the Executive department a man is arrested and accused of violating one of the laws. Would it be fair for the one who made the charge to punish the accused? You see this might not work well. The accuser may be mistaken. The accused may be innocent and can prove it if he be given a chance before a judge who knows what the lawis and will do right.

Our plan of government provides that there shall be another set of officials who shall hear the accusation and the evidence and decide whether or not the accused is guilty. If he is not, he must be given his liberty. If he is guilty these officials shall say what punishment he shall undergo.

The Judiciary explains what the laws mean, and decides whether a law 7 which it is claimed has been violated, is in accordance with the Constitution. It may be that Congress had no right to make such a law, but for some reason it did. The Executive had to enforce it whether it was rightfully made or not. It is left for the Judiciary to decide whether it was rightfully made. If this body finds that the law is unconstitutional then it is void, as if it had never been passed. In this case the one accused of violating it would be given his liberty.

A person may be arrested and accused of violating a law. When the case comes before the Judiciary, it may decide that the law does not mean what the accuser thought it did. and that therefore the accused is innocent.

THE UNITED STATES COURTS.

The Judicial power is vested in the Courts of the United States. But you must be careful not to confuse these courts with the courts at the county seats and the state capital. The United States courts try cases only that come under the constitution of the United States, the laws made by Congress, treaties made with other nations, in cases where the United States is a partv, crimes committed on the territory Oi the United States, and on the high seas where no state has a right to control people.

We will begin with the lowest court and pass to the next higher until we come to the highest court of all.

DISTRICT COURT.

The lowest United States court is the District court. There are seventy-two of them. Illinois is divided into two districts. One court meets at Chicago and the other at Springfield. The District court is presided over by a District Judge.

If a case is brought before this court and the decision is not satisfactory, either party to the case may appeal it — that is, take it up to the next higher court. THE CIRCUIT COURT.

The Circuit court is presided over by one of the nine Supreme Justices, or one or more of the twenty-three Circuit Judges or one of the District Judges in the circuit. Illinois is in the Seventh circuit, which is composed of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.

If the case which we have supposed that was brought up from the District to the Circuit court is not decided satisfactorily, either party may appeal it to the next higher court.

THE CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS.

These courts are held where they are most needed to relieve the Supreme Court of many cases. For many cases can be taken no higher. This court is presided over by a Judge of equal power with a Circuit Judge.

Our supposed case is one that is not finally decided here. One of the parties appeals it to the next, which is the highest of all.

THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES.

This meets in Washington and is presided o er by lime Supreme Justices, at the head of whom is the Chief Justice of the United States. They all hear the case at the capital, and it takes a majority of the court to render a decision.

All the United States Judges are appointed by the President, with the consent of the Senate. Their term is for life. They can be removed only by being convicted of wrongdoing. If a judge has served ten years and is sixty years old he may retire and still draw his salary as long as he lives. His salary cannot be decreased during his term of office.

The President is careful to choose the best men for these places. He nearly always chooses one out of his own political party. But sometimes he chooses from the other party.

The Judges, then, are under obligation to no one; they are dependent upon no one ; they need not be afraid of anyone. They are so situated that there is no reason why they should not decide cases according to the law, evidence and their own conscience.

The judiciary is a noble institution in our government. Here, more than anywhere else, is the strong defense of our rights and liberties. The President and Congress have many temptations to do wrong and may easily err, but the Supreme Court is so far removed from temptation and the Judges are so able that here, if anywhere on earth, is safety for ourselves and our country.

I hope you now have a clear idea of the machinery of government. We will next examine the Srate government, which comes closer to our every day life.

CHAPTER III. State Government

Illinois, like the United States, has a constitution adopted by the people of the State that sets forth the plan of government, names the principal officials and states in a general way what may and may not be done by the State and such subordinate governments as it may form. It is the supreme law of the State. No law may be made that is forbidden by it. The national government, as you have learned, has to deal only with national affairs, but the state government has charge of the affairs between man and man. It has to do with the daily life of all. It tries to give every man, woman and child his rights. If we had no government each would have to fight for his own rights. The strong would get everything they could, and the weak would have to suffer.

The state government makes laws about the education of the people ; about who shall vote ; about marriage ; the rights of husband and wife : parent and child ; master and servant; principal and agent; partnership: debt; insurance; corporations. It makes and executes all laws against crime committed in the state. This is not all, but enough has been said to show you that

OUTLINE MAP OF ILLINOIS.

the state government has nearly all to do with our conduct toward one another. It does all that government may do except what is given over to the United States.

You readily see the excellence of this plan. The people of Florida live in a different climate from those of Maine. They have an entirely different way of making a living. The laws of Maine would not suit Florida. But this plan allows Maine and Florida each to make its own laws.

The constitution of Illinois provides for three departments of government: Legislative, Executive and Judicial.

LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT.

This department is vested in the General Assembly. This, like Congress, is divided into two houses, the Senate and House of Representatives. The latter is called the House for short. The members of both houses are elected by the people.

The General Assembly makes the laws for the state. When a member wishes to make a new law he writes it out and brings it before the house of which he is a member. It is now called a "bill." If a majority of the house in which the bill originates votes against it, then it is defeated and goes no farther. If that house votes for it, or passes it, it is then sent to the other house. If a majority votes for it here, it passes. But it is not yet a law. It is next sent to the Governor. If he approves it, it becomes a law. If he vetoes it. it is sent back to the house where it originated. If two-thirds of both houses now vote for it, it becomes a law ; if not, it fails.

The General Assembly also has the power to choose two senators of the United States. A senator is chosen if a majority of both houses vote for him. If he has a majority of one house and not of the other, then both houses meet in joint session and cast the vote. If a candidate has a majority of the joint meeting, he is elected.

The General Assembly meets in the capilol every two years in January after the election in November. The elections are held in the even numbered years and the Assembly meets in January of the odd numbered years, as 1901, 1903.

THE SENATE.

The state is divided into fifty-one senatorial districts, each containing about the same number of people. These districts are numbered from one to fifty-one. One senator is elected from each district by the people of the district every four years. But to manage it so that half of the senators will be elected every two years, it has been arranged so that in years when the President is elected, senators are elected in the districts named by the odd numbers, as one, three, live. etc. Two years after the presidential election, senators are elected in the even numbered districts. Thus at each meeting of the General Assembly at least one-half oi the senators have had experience as senators.