1. How many “organs” of public opinion can you name? How does each exert an influence? Which one do you consider the most influential?

2. Is public opinion always the sentiment of the majority? If it is not, explain why. Give a concrete illustration.

3. Do you agree with Edmund Burke’s ideas as to the proper function of a representative?

4. When the question of woman suffrage was before the United States Senate, and only one additional vote was needed to pass it, a certain senator declared that while he was personally in favor of granting the suffrage to women the people of his own state had just voted against the proposal and he therefore felt bound to follow their judgment. Was he right or wrong in taking that attitude?

5. Make a list of the administrative officers of your state and community, indicating which ones should be elected and which appointed. Can you think of any proper exceptions to the rule that all administrative offices requiring skill or experience should be filled by appointment?

6. What arguments were put forward in behalf of the spoils system?

7. What sort of civil service tests ought to be applied in selecting persons for the following positions: truck-and-ladder driver in the fire department; gardener in the public park service; bookkeeper in the office of the state treasurer; member of the United States life-saving service; railway-mail clerk; analyst of food and drugs; inspector of wires and lamps; woman police officer; probation officer; draftsman in the state highway department.

8. In a city of 100,000 population what positions would you exempt from civil service rules?

9. Is good government more important than popular government? Can a government be both democratic and efficient? Do you regard appointments by competition as undemocratic? Why or why not?

10. Work out a plan by which promotions in the police department could be made under the merit system (consider the possibility of giving credits for punctuality, acts of courage, number of arrests, etc., and of making deductions for neglect of duty, etc.).

11. What is the strongest argument for direct legislation and what is the weakest? Which argument on the other side impresses you the most and which the least?

12. Is it more dangerous to subject judges to the possibility of recall than other officials?

1. A congressman should obey his conscience rather than his constituents when he cannot obey both.

2. Heads of state and city administrative departments should be chosen under civil service rules.

3. The initiative and referendum should be extended to national lawmaking.