State Government State Government is that Division of the American Federal System that F Touches the Daily Life of the People secured. His wife desires an automobile, which he purchases; but he finds that before he can run it a state license is needed, and a state tax must be paid. His marriage may turn out unfortunately. If so, he and his wife may be divorced according to state law. If the young man becomes a farmer, state agricultural experiment stations Close to the People THE title of "The ROM the cradle to the grave every American is influenced in some way by state government. When a child is born, state law immediately requires a birth certificate. The doctor who looks after him when he contracts a child's disease is licensed by the state. A state compulsory education law sends him to school at the age of six. Before he is allowed to attend classes, the state requires that he be be vaccinated. His school is organized under state authority and supervision. His teachers are licensed. If the boy leaves school at an early age, he is required to have working papers. If he becomes a chauffeur, a state license to drive must be secured. If he enters a factory, his hours of work and conditions of labor may be regulated by state law. If injured, a state work United States of America" is an exact description of our government; a federal union of states... State government must be kept close to the people. It must work for, their social and economic interests, since it is that division of the American federal system which is charged with looking after intimate human needs. men's compensation act protects him. Instead of leaving school, however, he may continue his education through the high school, and after that through a state university, paid for by state taxes. He may win a state scholarship giving him free tuition. He may be graduated as a dentist, a doctor, or a lawyer; but before he can begin to practice, he must pass a state examination and secure a license. If he wishes to marry, a marriage license must first be are ready to assist him. If he becomes a railroad executive, he is subject to the orders of a state public utility or public service commission. He may run a milk company, and then state health laws must be observed. He may conspire with other men in his own line of business to raise prices or to form a monopoly. Then the state, under its antitrust laws, may fine him or send him to prison. When he is eventually overtaken by old age, disease or accident, and is pronounced dead by a licensed doctor, the state requires a permit for his burial. Even his undertaker must have a license. After death the state still retains some form of control over the property he has left behind him. Under state law his property is divided. Finally, a part of what he leaves may be taken by the state in the form of an inheritance tax. The state, as these various illustrations have indicated, is in close contact with the social, economic, and educational life of its people, but it also exerts its sway in another manner. The National Government rests upon the states. They are necessary to its successful operation. State law, for example, determines who may vote in national elections. States are divided into the districts from which congressmen are elected. Candidates for national office are nominated under state regulation. Even amendments to the National Constitution are made possible through the vote of state legislatures. An Exact Description The title of "The United States of America" is an exact description of our government: a federal union of states. How important it is, then, to everyone that state government be properly organized, that its different parts work together smoothly, that it be run honestly, efficiently and economically. If this important part of our becomes government honeycombed with graft and corruption, if our state officials are men of small calibre, then we are injured in every vital step that we take during our lives. State government must be kept close to the people. It must work for their social and economic interests, since it is that division of the American federal system which is charged with looking after practical human needs. Although in details state governments vary widely, their general organization is similar in many ways. State governments correspond closely to Federal Government in organization. דין STATE GOVERNMENT The State Constitution The foundation of every state government is its constitution. Before the Federal Constitution was adopted in 1787, each of the original thirteen states had already written and adopted its own constitution. Since that time, thirty-five additional states have been admitted to the Union, each with its own constitution. Congress determines whether or not a constitution, which a state must present before admittance to the Union, is satisfactory. It may ask a state before admittance to make certain changes in its constitution, or may even refuse a state entrance into the Union on account of the character of this instrument. State Legislatures The state legislature determines the policy of state government. It is made up of two bodies, a smaller or upper house, generally called the senate, and a larger or lower house, which in some states is called the house. of representatives, in others, the assembly, and in a few, the house of delegates. For purposes of electing state senators, a state is divided into senatorial districts, whereas representatives to the lower house are elected from smaller divisions, generally called assembly districts. A state legislature usually meets once in two years, but in a few states once a year. No body of men in America wields legal powers so vital to all of us as the members of a state legislature. A state legislature possesses every power not forbidden by state or national con A state legislature composed of two bodies, an upper and lower house, meets in the State Capitol building and there conducts the business of the state. Photographs of a few of the State Capitols are here shown. State Capitols of (1) Kentucky at Frankfort, and (2) Pennsylvania at Harrisburg. State Capitols of (1) New York at Albany, and (2) Colorado at Denver. State Capitols of (1) Wyoming at Cheyenne, and (2) Ohio at Columbus. State Capitols of (1) Vermont at Montpelier, and (2) Connecticut at Hartford. State Capitols of (1) Texas at Austin, and (2) Washington at Olympia. stitutions. On account of the wide range of subjects with which it deals, a vast amount of business comes before every state legislature. In consequence, these bodies pass thousands of bills on a great number of subjects every year. For this reason every voter on election day should be very careful to consider the men and women who offer themselves as candidates for a state legislature. In order to get through with their work, committees closely patterned after those in the National Congress are chosen. Bills in a state legislature, as in Congress, are first considered by a committee and go through three readings. The power of the speaker of the lower house and of the floor leaders in both houses of a state legislature is even greater than in Congress. The Governor The chief executive of a state is the governor. He occupies a position very much like that of the President of the United States. There is this difference, however: in the National Government the President is the sole officer elected and held responsible for executive work, while in the states the governor is not the only executive officer elected. Usually the secretary of state, the treasurer, the comptroller, the attorney general, and sometimes other officials have their own duties to perform and are not responsible to the governor. In most states they are elected by the people and are responsible to them. The governor, unlike the President, has no cabinet. The chief executive officials are not his organized advisers, though he often must consult them. He stands alone and is in a weaker position in the state than our President is in the nation. This is so because when the first state governments were organized the people who wrote the constitutions had firmly fixed in their minds the abuse of executive power which had been exercised by the old colonial governors. Therefore, in order to forestall a too powerful executive, the position of governor was weakened. In many instances he was simply made a figurehead and the state legislature was made the supreme outstanding feature in the state governmental machinery. Nevertheless, with the growth of our state governments and the great increase in their activities, an increased need for executive leadership has arisen. This, coupled with the enormous and alarming growth in state budgets, has brought the governor to the front. To-day the people of the states are looking more and more to their executive chief for guidance and leadership. Governor's Legislative Power The governor, in addition to seeing that the laws are carried out, has much legislative power. He sends messages and makes recommendations to the legislature. He may use the veto on bills sent to him for approval. He can call extra sessions of the legislature to consider special subjects which he believes should be enacted into laws. For example, former Governor Hughes, of New York State, some years ago called a special session of the legislature Next to the President, a state governor is the most important executive in American public life. A successful governor is very often considered for the position of President or Vice-President. (1) William McKinley (2) Grover Cleveland (3) Woodrow Wilson (4) Theodore Roosevelt were state governors before they became President. (5) James M. Cox, Democratic candidate for President, 1920, was Governor of Ohio. (6) Vice President Calvin Coolidge was Governor of Massachusetts. (7) Chas E. Hughes, the Republican Candidate for President in 1916, was Governor of New York. (8) Former Vice President Thomas Marshall was Governor of Indiana. |