Government of the State of Michigan

The object of this work is to supply a want long felt and now fully recognized by the people. Books have been written on the science of government, which have gained admittance into our schools; and many of our youth have, in this way, gained much valuable information. They have learned some of the first lessons of civil government, and have been made acquainted with an outline of the government of the United States, but as yet they have not been supplied with that information concerning our own State government, and our own responsibilities and duties so important to enable us to act well our part as citizens.

If the succeeding pages of this work shall serve to impart a knowledge of our civil jurisprudence, and of the framework and machinery of our State Government, if they shall furnish an insight into our political institutions, then surely it will inspire in the hearts of those who study, them a devotion to those institutions; and the more we know of them, the more shall we admire the wisdom and appreciate the statesmanship of the great and good men whose business it was to lay broad and deep the foundations upon which we, as a State, have built and are building.

In preparing the following work, the author has consulted with a number of prominent educators in the State, as to the best plan for presenting the matter contained therein. While all agree that it is desirable, in writing a text book, to employ such language as shall be comprehended by the youngest student, yet, on the whole, it is believed to be better in a work of this kind, to use ordinary language, and even technical terms when such are used in the law books to which we have occasion to refer. These words and terms must, sooner or later, be comprehended; and, in the judgment of the author, it would be unwise to attempt to exclude them. But, for the benefit of the younger students, it has been thought advisable to print all words, the definition or meaning of which it is conceived may not readily occur to them, in italics. The definition of all such words will be given in an appendix arranged in alphabetic order, and to which the student can easily refer. This refrence, it is believed, will tend to fix the definition in the memory.

Some objection has been made to the introduction of questions; and that upon the ground that they are often so suggestive of the answer as to enable the pupil to respond correctly, though he may not have fully mastered the text. All this is true when the questions are leading; but when this is avoided and the questions are so framed as to merely call attention to the subject under consideration, they serve a most valuable purpose. Those things which the author deems important, are thus suggested to the teacher, who, in too many instances, it is feared, would otherwise pass over important matter without proper consideration.

CIVIL GOVERNMENT.

[For the definition of words printed in italics, see appendix.]

CHAPTER I.

OF THE ORGANIZATION OF GOVERNMENT, AND THE EXERCISE OF SOVEREIGNTY.

As the happiness of human beings depends largely upon the observance of certain rules or regulations in their relations with each other, and since some are unwilling to recognize and abide by these rules, it has been found necessary to exercise power to enforce obedience to, and acquiescence in them.

To enable the people to defend their rights and to do right and justice, they unite together in a body politic; and when the people are so united and have agreed upon certain rules by which they are to be governed, we speak of such union, in its most enlarged sense, as a State. Bouvier defines a State as follows: "In its most enlarged sense, it signifies a self-sufficient body of persons united together in one community for the defence of their rights and to do right and justice to foreigners."

In a more limited sense, a State means the territory occupied by the united body of people, as, the State of Michigan.

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