Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/196

 188 ILLINOIS from Chicago to La Salle, 96 in. The immense commerce which passes through this channel is indicated by the statement that in 1873 not less than 8,000,000 bushels of grain and 50,000,000 ft. of lumber, besides 20,000,000 shingles and laths, passed over the canal. Illinois in 1873 contained 9,545 m. of telegraph lines. The number of national banks in operation was 137, having a paid-in capital of $20,843,000 and a circulation outstanding of $16,326,059. The circulation per capita was $7 02 ; ratio of circulation to wealth, 0'9 per cent. ; to banking capital, 77'4 per cent. By the constitution of 1870, the legislative power is vested in a gen- eral assembly composed of a senate and house of representatives. The senate consists of 51 members elected for four years, and the house of representatives of 153 chosen for two years. A decennial apportionment, beginning with 1871, is held. Senators must have attained the age of 25 years, and representatives 21 years. Elections for members of the general assembly are held biennially, in even years, on the Tuesday next after the first Monday of November. The sessions are biennial, com- mencing on the Wednesday next after the first Monday of January next following the elec- tion. Members receive $5 a day and 10 cents for each mile necessarily travelled in going to and from the seat of government, and $50 a session for stationery, &c. Special legisla- tion, which was a source of much mischief un- der the old constitution, is prohibited in many enumerated cases, and " in all other cases where a general law can be made applicable." The executive department consists of a governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, auditor of public accounts, treasurer, superintendent of public instruction, and attorney general, all of whom are elected for four years, except the treasurer, whose term of office is two years, and who is ineligible to the same office for two years next after the expiration of his term. A two-thirds vote of each house is necessary to pass a bill over the veto of the governor. The judicial powers are vested in a supreme, circuit, and county courts, justices of the peace, police magistrates, and certain special courts. The supreme court consists of seven judges, who are elected by the people for nine years, and receive a salary of $4,000 a year. The chief justice is chosen by his associates. There are three grand divisions of the state, southern, central, and northern, in each of which one or more sessions of the supreme court are held annually. The judges of the circuit courts are elected by the people for six years, and receive an annual salary of $3,500. The con- stitution further provides for the establishment of inferior appellate courts to be held by judges of the circuit courts. To these courts appeals and writs of error in certain cases may be taken from the circuit courts, and from them to the supreme court. Each county has a coun- ty court, the judge of which is elected for a term of four years. These courts have original jurisdiction in all matters of probate, but pro- bate courts may be established in any county having a population of over 50,000. There are special courts in Cook county, of which Chicago is the county seat. Imprisonment for debt is prohibited except upon the refusal of the debtor to deliver up his estate for the bene- fit of his creditors, or in cases where there is strong presumption of fraud. In trials for libel, the truth may be pleaded as a defence in justification. The legal rate of interest, in ab- sence of agreement, is 6 per cent., but 10 per cent, may be agreed upon and collected. The penalty of usury is forfeiture of all the interest. Illinois is represented in congress by two sena- tors and 19 representatives, and is entitled to 21 votes in the electoral college. The receipts into the state treasury for the two years end- ing Dec. 1, 1872, were $9,899,603, and the ex- penditures $12,351,746. The chief purposes for which the public money was used during this period were : legislative, $693,062 ; execu- tive, $180,158; judicial, $394,252 ; educational, $2,208,264; educational and charitable, $205,- 316; charitable, $918,784; penal and reform- atory, $369,338; agriculture, $39,007; com- merce, $238,661; state indebtedness, $4,983,- 379; new state house, $793,641. In 1872 the general assembly provided that the amount of revenue to be raised on the assessment of that and subsequent years should be $1,500,000 for general purposes, to be designated the revenue fund, and $200,000 for payment of interest on the state debt. The governor and auditor are required annually to compute such rates as will produce these amounts. The rates computed on the equalized valuation for 1872 were 3 - 53 mills for revenue purposes and 0'47 mill for interest on the state debt. Besides these, pro- vision was made for an annual levy of 2 mills for the support of common schools and 1-5 mill for "canal redemption fund;" making the total levy for state purposes 7'5 mills on the assessment of 1872. The total levy for 1873 was 3-6 mills, being 2'7 mills for general revenue purposes and - 9 mill for school fund. The state debt in 1863 was $12,280,000; in 1870, $4,890,937; and in 1874, $1,706,750. The valuation of property for the purposes of taxation, for a series of years, has been : YEARS. Real eitato. Personal property. Railroad property. Total valuation. 1840 $58,752,163 1850.. $86,582,287 $83,835,799 119,868,886 I860.. 266,258.155 88,884,115 $i2,'08K472 867,227.742 1861.. '.SSsoSSW 80,720.918 11,248,722 880,828,479 1862.. 228,087,996 78.509,758 11,826,595 812,924,849 1863.. 282,913,619 67,560,697 11,525.555 851,999,871 1864.. 242,584.8.32 102,057,665 12.285,640 856,877.837 1865.. 262,114,808 116.802,295 13,911,808 892,327,906 1866.. 278,122,106 122,966,672 14,707,097 410,795,876 1867.. 851,807,084 186,021,879 16,854,640 504,688.553 1868.. 37.381,762 122.284,718 14,914,397 474,480,877 1869.. 846.587,784 126.13(5.0*1 1.%0 489.004.775 1870.. 847.876,690 118,545.827 19,242,141 480.664,058 1871.. 866,244.708 118,915.561 25.516,042 505,676.811 1872.. 871,619,940 113,607.959 25,658,784 510,886,698 1878.. 899,484,748 808,119,271 188,807,828 1,341,861,842