PREFACE

This volume is designed to accompany the editor's Problems in American Democracy, and the choice and arrangement of the material have been influenced by the plan of that text.

In the preparation of this volume the effort has been to secure the advantages of a book of readings, and at the same time to avoid some of the drawbacks common to such compilations. In this connection the special features of the book may be referred to briefly:

The editor has attempted to strike a judicious compromise between too long and too short selections. It is intended that each selection shall prove sufficiently extended to convey a fair and adequate idea of the author's point of view; on the other hand, the pressure for space in the volume, and the desirability of suppressing material not bearing directly upon the point involved, have led to careful elimination, and, in some cases, to bracketed insertions. It need not be added that, in such cases, care has been taken not to distort the sense of the original.

Despite the wide range of many of the chapters, the editor has attempted to choose and to arrange the selections so that each chapter will constitute a logical and unified narrative It is hoped, further, that the volume has gained something of the continuity of a text from the fact that an editorial paragraph has been used, not only to introduce each selection, but to connect and to weave together the two selections between which it stands.

To avoid the unsightliness of type of varying sizes, the same size of type has been used for both editorial introductions and the selections. Care has been taken, however, to indicate precisely where each editorial introduction stops and the selected reading begins.

To help the student to understand the selections, and to facilitate reference, marginal notes have been employed throughout the book.

A number of questions on the readings is supplied at the end of each chapter. The volume is provided with an index.

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These features have been adopted with a double aim in view. In the first place, it is believed that they will render the volume more useful and attractive to students employing it in connection with the Problems. In the second place, it is hoped that these features will encourage the use of the volume independently of the editor's text. The editor believes that these selections may profitably be used not only by classes studying the problems of American democracy as such, but by classes in civics, government, economics, and sociology. Further, it is hoped that the book may find some favor with the general reader who seeks representative material upon a field of increasing importance, namely, the great national problems confronting the American people.

The procedure usual in preparing volumes of this kind has been followed. Points indicate omissions, and brackets the insertion of editorial material. Unless otherwise stated in the footnotes, each selection is intended to be an exact reproduction of the original. Wherever feasible, however, capitalization, spelling, and punctuation have been modernized, and where a slight grammatical error threatened to confuse or divert the attention of the student, there has been no hesitancy in correcting the defect. No attempt has been made, on the other hand, to tamper with the style of the selections.

While assuming responsibility for the defects of the book, the editor asks the indulgence of the reader on two grounds: First, because the great scope of the subject has rendered extremely difficult the selection of material which will adequately represent the historical, economic, social, and political phases of our national problems; and second, because in attempting this task the editor is breaking new ground, venturing into a field until now avoided by educators.

The thanks of the editor are due to the authors from whose writings the selections have been taken, and to the publishers who have kindly permitted the use of copyrighted material.

THAMES ROSS WILLIAMSON February 19, 1922 CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks are due to the following publishers and periodicals for permission to reprint extracts from copyrighted material: To Longmans, Green & Co. for Nos. 31, 58, 200, and 225; to the Macmillan Company for Nos. 37, 54, 59, 60, 154, 195, 199, 228, 229, and 230; to the Quarterly Journal of Economics for Nos. 40, 42, and 184; to the Johns Hopkins Press for No. 44; to Ginn & Company for Nos. 50 and 57; to Silver, Burdett & Co. for No. 51; to Henry Holt & Co. for Nos. 52 and 56; to Princeton University Press for Nos. 66, 185, and 186; to the National Industrial Conference Board for Nos. 68 and 105; to the American Journal of Sociology for Nos. 69 and 139; to the Coöperative League of America for Nos. 70 and 71; to Charles H. Kerr & Co. for No. 74; to Thomas Y. Crowell Co. for Nos. 91, 95, and 96; to Charles Scribner's Sons for Nos. 92, 226, and 227; to the American Statistical Association for No. 93; to the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science for Nos. 102, 118, and 120; to the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America for No. 107; to the Carnegie Foundation for No. 122; to the Arbor Press for No. 129; to Columbia University Press for Nos. 133 and 193; to the Pilgrim Press for No. 138; to the American Economic Review for No. 147; to B. W. Huebsch, Inc. for No. 144; to the National Civic Federation for No. 145; to the National Tax Association for Nos. 151, 187, and 188; to the National Citizens' League for No. 182; to the American Law Review for No. 196; to the Academy of Political Science in the City of New York for Nos. 197, 198, and 216; to G. P. Putnam's Sons for No. 205; to the National Municipal Review for Nos. 206, 217, 219, 223, and 224; to the American Political Science Association for No. 211; and to the following authors: to Dr. Frederick Starr for No. 39; and to Dr. T. N. Carver

for No. 97.