If the majority decides the question, should the minority yield gracefully to the decision?  Why?

After the majority plan has been adopted, have the minority any rights in the matter?

Is the majority always right in its decisions?  Give illustrations to prove your answer.

If your community takes a vote on the question of road improvement, or of school consolidation, is it right that the majority should decide?

If the majority rules in such a case, is it right that the citizens of the minority party should be taxed for the improvement as well as those of the majority?  Why?

If your class president is elected by a majority of the class, or a county supervisor by a majority of the voters of the county, to what extent is it the duty of this officer to consider the interests of the minority which voted against him?

POLITICAL PARTIES

Our government is a government by political parties.  That is, political parties control the government.  Voters acting independently of one another cannot exercise much influence.  There must be teamwork in political matters as in everything else.  A political party consists of those voters who think alike and act together on questions of government policy, or in electing their representatives in government.  It is a voluntary organization, entirely outside of the government and not recognized in our constitutions, but exercising very great influence upon government.

In his Farewell Address to the people, Washington said: 

The spirit [of party] unfortunately is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind.  It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but in those of the popular form it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy.  The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge natural to party dissensions...is a frightful despotism...  The common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.

MISCHIEFS OF THE PARTY SPIRIT

As long as people differ on questions of public policy there are bound to be political parties, as Washington knew, and they have always played an important part in our government.  But necessary and useful as parties have been, the events of our history have shown that Washington’s warning was exceedingly wise, the “party spirit” having often proved the “worst enemy” of our democratic government.

VALUE OF MINORITY OPPOSITION