Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 12.djvu/725

705 ILLINOIS 05 the waters of the Fox, Sangamon, and Vermilion rivers, and of some smaller streams. Its general direction is south west ID the Mississippi, into which it falls. The State has expanded much money improving the navigation by locks and dams, and this improvement when completed, with the enlargement of the canal to the capacity of steamboat navigation, will be one of the most extensive works of interior water communication in the world, being over 400 miles long, and connecting the waters of the Atlantic, through ths St Lawrence river and the lakes, and through the Mississippi river, with the Gulf of Mexico. Rock river rises in Wisconsin, flows rapidly to the south-west through Illinois, and joins the Mississippi near Rock Island. On this river manufacturing establishments are rapidly increasing, the water power being regarded as equal to any in the country. The other rivers are the Kaskaskia, Etnbarras, Little Wabash, Big Muddy, and Chicago river, th. r i last-named an inlet from Lake Michigan, furnishing a commodious harbour, 8 miles long, in which an average of 400 vessels find shelter during the winter season. The extent of the commerce on the lake is shown by the custom house returns. During 1880 the steam vessels arriving at Chicago had a total burthen of 2,141,879 tons, the sailing vessels 2,456,337 tons; the clearances showed about the sams figures. Manufactures. The statistics of manufactures for 1870 give as results 13,597 establishments, employing 82,979 operatives. Since that date the increase in manufactures throughout the State has been general, embracing all branches of manufacturing industry. The following are the statistics for Cook county (including Chicago) in 1880 : number of establishments, 3752; capital, $80,693,102; average numberof hands, 1 13,507: wages paid, $37, 615, 381 ; val ie of material used, $180,807,706 ; value of products, $253,405,695. These figures for Cook county alone in 1S80 exceed in several particulars those for the whole State in 1870; and the increase in the State during the ten years may be regarded as proportionate to that in Cook county. The abundance of coal, the proximity to the Lake Superior iron and copper mines, the unlimited means of transportation, the supply of lumber, the cheapness of food, the superior water power in various parts of the State, have all tended to make Illinois a large and convenient seat of manufactures. The iron and steel establishments of the State rank with the largest in the country. On Rock Island, in the Mississippi river, the U. S. Govern ment has an arsenal for the manufacture of ordnance. The establishment is the most extensive in the United States, and the buildings and workshops cover nearly the entire island. A finiiiis mtioii. The territory embraced in the present Stite of Illinois was ceded in 1765 by France to Great Britain ; then it became a possession of the colony of Virginia ; in 1787 it was made a county in the North- West Territory; from 1800 to 1809 it was a county in the territory of Indiana; in 1S09 it was erected into a terri tory ; and in December 1818 was admitted into the Union as a State. On its admission to the Union a constitution providing a form of government was adopted ; in 1848 this w is superseded by another, and this again was set aside in 1870 by tho third and present constitution, which pro vi L-s the ordinary State government of three departments, executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive, con sisting of a governor and other officers, are elected every four years ; the legislature, or general assembly, consists of a senate of 51 members, elected by as many districts ; the term of senators is four years, one half, or as near as may be, retiring every two years. The house of repre sentatives consists of 153 members, 3 elected in each senatorial district every two years. In electing representa tives, the voter may give his three votes for one, two, or three candidates. This cumulative voting is peculiar to the constitution of Illinois ; it has become popular. The judi ciary consists of one supreme court of seven judges, seve ral district appellate courts of limited jurisdiction, circuit courts in such number as may be needed, and one county court, including probate jurisdiction, in each county. Each county and each township has its own local govern ment. Every male citizen resident one year in the State may vote. This constitution when adopted was regarded as a great improvement and advance in State government, and many of its provisions have since been adopted by other States. The sessions of the legislature are held at Spring field, which since 1836 has been the capital of the State. Revenue, Debts, Taxation. In 1836-38 the State was seduced into a scheme of internal improvements. The population was then less than half a million, but the debt created was $14,000,000, to construct railways and a canal. In three years the scheme was abandoned, and the State in July 1841 suspended payment of in terest. In 1845 the legislature levied a tax to pay the current in terest; in 1848 an irrepealable tax was levied to pay the principal ; all the overdue and unpaid interest was funded in interest-bearing bonds. Credit was restored, and in December 1880 the State was free of all debt. Taxation is imposed by a rate levied on all real and personal property, according to a previous valuation, made by local assessors, revised by county boards, and again revised and equalized by a State board. The total assessment or valuation of the property in the State for taxation averages not more than one- fourth of the value at which the property can be sold. The consti tution limits the rate of taxation (except to pay debts) by counties to 75 cents on each $100 of the official valuation. The same valu ation governs all taxation, the maximum rate being fixed by law r. In like manner all municipal corporations are (since 1870) prohibited from incurring any debt, for any purpose, exceeding, with previ ous debts, 5 per cent, on the official valuation of the property with in their territorial jurisdiction. An annual tax is required in each municipality to pay the interest and a portion of the principal of all existing debts. Under these stringent requirements, municipal debts in Illinois are gradually decreasing. The State, without be coming responsible for municipal debts, acts as trustee, and through its officers collects and disburses the taxes to pay principal and in terest of these local debts. The latter were contracted mainly in aid of railroads, and bore an average rate of 9 per cent, interest. The gi oss taxation for all purposes, including schools, for 1878 and 1879 was as follows: 1878. 1879. State taxes 3,614,855 2,712,626 Countv taxes.. 5 557,446 4,730,095 City taxes 7,576,882 6,182,420 Town taxes and others. 10,941,658 9,327,959 Totals $27,690,841 $22,953,100 The valuation of all the property in the State for taxable pur poses, for the year 1880, was $786,616,394. The rate of tax levied for State purposes, and to pay cost of assessment and collection, is 36 cents on each $100 of the property valuation given, which, as above stated, is about one-fourth of the real value. In 1880 lands (except railroad lands) were valued at $390,594,627, and city and town lots at $182,808,928 ; total lands and lots, $573,403,555. The State is in receipt of a permanent revenue from the Illinois Central Kailroad Company. In consideration of the cession of hind, in 1850, by the State, the company contracted to pay into the State treasury half-yearly 7 per cent, &quot;of the gross annual earn ings of the line. This was to be in lieu of all other taxes on the property of the company. This contract is now a source of large, revenue&quot; to the State. Up to November 1, 1855, the payment to the Stat; was 29,752 ; the payment in 1880 was $368,349. Th total payments to the State, at the close of 1S80, amounted to $8,307,217. Education and Charities. The public school system is liberally supported in Illinois. The permanent school fund yields about $60,000, to which the Stite adds $1,000,000 annually, and this is distributed among the counties. Many counties and districts have invested school funds. The aggregate of these local funds is $5,500,000, the interest of which is applied to support school =. In addition each school district levies sut-h taxes as may be nee Jed for its schools, and may borrow money to build schoolhouses. In XII. -- 89