State three ways in which a proposed ordinance may become an ordinance.  Two ways in which it may fail.  How can persons living in a city find out what ordinances the council passes?  How far are the ordinances of any city operative?

Compare the government of a village with that of a city.

Are school affairs managed by the city council?  How is it in a village?  In a town.

If a new school-house is needed in a city, and there is not money enough in the treasury to build it, what can be done?

If you live in a city having a special charter, borrow a copy of it from a lawyer or from the city recorder, and find out what powers and privileges are granted to the corporation not specified in the general law; what limitations are imposed; and, if a municipal court is provided for, what its jurisdiction is in civil actions and in criminal prosecutions.

Name the principal officers in your city.  The aldermen from your ward.

What are some of the dangers of city government?  Consult Macy’s Our Government, pp. 51-53, and Nordhoff’s Politics for Young Americans.

Questions for Debate.

Resolved, That for a community of 5000 inhabitants or less a village organization is better than a city organization.

CHAPTER VI.

THE COUNTY.

Need Of.—­A county organization is needed for the following reasons: 

1. To establish the lower organizations.  As we have seen, the organizations within the county are established by county officers.  But, it may properly be asked, why not have them organized by the state directly?  There are at least three good reasons:  In the first place, it would be too burdensome to the state; that is, the state would act through the legislature, and to organize all the individual school districts, towns, villages, and cities, would take up too much of the time of the legislature.  In the second place, the organizing could only be done at certain times, namely during the session of the legislature, and in the meantime communities would have to wait.  In the third place, the records of incorporation would be inaccessible in case they were needed for reference.

2. To serve as a medium between the state and the lower organizations. The state uses the town, village, and city to value property for purposes of taxation and as election districts.  But it gets its taxes and its election returns through the county.  Here again may arise the question, why not send the state taxes directly to the capital and make election returns directly also?  At least two good reasons appear:  It would increase the work and therefore the number of officials at the capital, and if a mistake should be made it could not be so easily discovered and corrected.