4. Ought the government to establish a parcels post system? To what extent do we already have a parcels post service? 5. Do you think our postal facilities with South America and the Orient should be improved by means of ship subsidies? 6. What would be the advantage of making the tenure of postmasters permanent? 7. Why should the granting of copyrights and patents be placed under the jurisdiction of the national government rather than under that of the state governments? 8. Why should the term of a copyright or patent be limited? 9. Socialists argue that since the granting of a patent to an inventor secures to him a monopoly of the manufacture and sale of his invention, the government ought not to grant patents for such purposes. What is your opinion of this argument? Would it be better for the government to compensate the inventor and remove the restrictions upon the manufacture and sale of his invention? 10. Why are the appropriations for the maintenance of the army limited to two years? 11. Should the expenditures on account of the army and navy, in your opinion, be reduced? 12. What do you understand by the movement among the nations for disarmament? Do you think disarmament desirable or practicable? 13. Tell something of the objects and results of The Hague Peace Conferences. Give examples of some disputes between the United States and other countries that have been settled by arbitration. 14. What is the purpose of a bankruptcy law, and why should the power to enact bankruptcy legislation be conferred upon Congress rather than left to the states? 15. What is the distinction between "implied" and "inherent" powers under the Constitution? Give some examples of each. 16. Which in your judgment is the safer policy, that of strict construction of the Constitution or liberal construction? [Illustration: STATE, WAR, AND NAVY BUILDING, WASHINGTON, D.C.] [Illustration: MIDSHIPMEN OF THE NAVAL ACADEMY, ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND, ON THEIR WAY TO A DRILL SHIP] CHAPTER XV THE PRESIDENCY: ORGANIZATION AND MODE OF ELECTION =The Presidential Office.=--One of the weaknesses in the organization of the government under the Articles of Confederation was, as we have seen, the lack of an executive to carry into effect the resolutions of Congress and the treaties of the United States. There was no doubt, therefore, in the minds of the framers of the Constitution in regard to the desirability of providing for an executive department coördinate with the legislative department. It was accordingly declared that the executive power should be vested in an officer called the President of the United States.