. II. The proposed system would be a boon to teachers especially at this time, for a. The cost of living of teachers in Oregon has increased thirty-five per cent during the past three years, while their wages have not increased five per cent. b. It makes thrift compulsory. c. The State Convention of Teachers, in December, 1916, approved the plan exactly as proposed. III. State systems have been adopted in thirty-three States, of which twenty-one are state-wide in their application. B. THE PROPOSED PLAN FOR OREGON IS THE BEST PLAN, for I. The system is financially sound, for a. Each teacher is guaranteed only the annuity purchasable by his own contributions. b. The system has proved financially sound in Massachu setts. c. The leading experts in this country on teachers' penthe Carnegie Foundation - have approved the sions d. "A pension system on a reserve plan, sustained by joint contributions of employer and employee, is the only one in which the cost can be ascertained in advance and the only form which can be permanently secure." Secretary, Carnegie Foundation. e. The proposed system includes none of the features which have caused the break-down of other pension systems. II. It embodies the features now universally regarded as essential for a successful system; namely, adequate contributions by the teachers, keeping of individual accounts, annuities purchased by the individual contributions, and pensions paid by the State. III. The proposed plan is legally sound, for a. It has been drawn up by Richard W. Montague, Attorney, and J. A. Churchill, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and James B. Kerr, Attorney. b. The essential features are in operation in many States. c. It proposes to tax for the support of the system no district which does not participate in the benefits. IV. It is a contributary system. APPENDIX VII SPECIMEN BRIEF AND FORENSIC SHOWING THE RELATION OF THE BRIEF TO THE COMPLETE ARGUMENT THE relation of the brief to the complete written argument may best be seen by observing them side by side. The following brief and argument, substantially in their present form, were prepared by a college student as a part of his work in a course in argumentative writing. This specimen is not presented as a masterpiece, but as an illustration of the kind of work any student may hope to do after a study of the principles here set forth. The references are omitted from this brief, in the interests of simplicity, as the present object is to illustrate how the complete argument is developed from the brief. The parts of an argument should not be labeled with technical terms: the terms are here used only for purposes of instruction. The complete argument is printed only on the right-hand pages, facing the brief on the left-hand pages from which the argument in its present form was developed. Another student's brief and argument, set up in the same way for comparison, will be found in the eighth chapter of Essentials of Exposition and Argument. (Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1911.) The subject concerns the guaranteeing of bank deposits. Other briefs in this volume deal with secret societies in public high schools, the game of football, and vivisection. STUDENT'S BRIEF If it were possible, would a property qualification for the exercise of the municipal franchise be desirable? INTRODUCTION I. Corruption and inefficiency in the government of American cities give rise to the question whether there should be a property qualification for the exercise of the municipal franchise. II. "Property qualification” means the restriction of the privilege of voting to those who own a certain amount of property or pay a certain amount of rent, the amounts to vary with local conditions. - III. The main facts in the history of the question are as follows: A. Before the Revolution, each of the thirteen colonies had a property qualification. B. Rhode Island, the only State to retain the provision, reduced the restrictions, after Dorr's Rebellion in 1841, to about their present status. C. During the last half century the corruption in city government has been aggravated by two chief causes: (1) There has been a great increase of immigration. STUDENT'S ARGUMENT If it were possible, would a property qualification for the exercise of the municipal franchise be desirable? INTRODUCTION "The one conspicuous failure in American government," says James Bryce, “has been in the case of municipal administration." This dictum, however distasteful it may seem, has Origin of been accepted by students of government everywhere. Question. We may dispute as to the causes of our failure in city government, and we may question the efficacy of proposed remedies, but we must all agree that our cities are corruptly and inefficiently governed. To remedy this condition it has been urged that a property qualification for the exercise of the municipal franchise is desirable. The proposed property qualification has the following general provisions: Only persons, not otherwise excluded, who own a certain amount of property or pay a certain annual Definition rental, shall have the right to vote in municipal elec- of Terms. tions; and the amount of property or annual rental required shall be fixed according to local conditions, by local boards of unbiased statisticians. Thus the qualification would vary according to local condition, but in each case it would be intended to disfranchise the poorer element in the community. The proposed plan for restricting the franchise is by no means a new and untried device. Before the American Revolution there existed in each of the thirteen colonies a property quali- History of fication. The Revolution, however, bringing with it Question. the theory of the equality of man, led to the abolition of the limitation in all the states except Rhode Island. In Rhode Island the popular feeling against the few propertyholders who controlled the suffrage became so bitter that in 1841 a large part of the populace, led by Captain Dorr, rebelled, and as a result the qualification was reduced so as to admit to the suffrage all who owned $134 worth of real estate or paid an annual rental of $9. Since 1841, slight amendments have been made to the Rhode Island qualification, but it is essentially as reformed at that date. For several years after Dorr's rebellion, the property qualification was a dead issue. But a change was taking place in American cities. There began, about 1850, a tremendous increase in immigration from Europe, and the immigrants largely settled in the cities. Furthermore, because of the increase in our manufacturing, (2) There has been a great influx from country to city. D. In 1883, a committee of the New York Legislature reported in favor of a property qualification. E. In 1887, a similar committee in Pennsylvania reported against a property qualification. F. A recent proposal to abolish the Rhode Island qualification, by amending the Constitution, was rejected. IV. Those who favor a property qualification for the exercise of municipal franchise hold the following contentions: A. A property qualification would reduce corruption, in that (1) It would disfranchise the corrupt element. (2) It would deprive the bosses of their support. B. Those who would be disfranchised should not have the privilege of voting, in that (1) They are for the most part improvident, lazy, and illiterate. (2) They have no stake in the government. C. The disfranchised element would still be trained in voting, in that (1) They would vote in state and national elections. V. Those who oppose such a qualification hold the following contentions: A. A property qualification would not greatly reduce corruption, in that |