The number of cities and villages in the county has been somewhat reduced by annexations to the city of Chicago. portant case was in 1889 when the city of Lake View, the village of The most imHyde Park, and the towns of Jefferson and Lake were annexed, more than trebling the area of the city. In addition about 10 villages have been annexed from time to time, besides other territory.

But this has been counterbalanced by the creation of other local agencies. Before 1870 three park districts were established, covering the city of Chicago and neighboring territory; and these separate park districts have continued since the territory has been added to the city. Numerous other smaller park districts have been established more recently, under the general park laws, 14 within the city of Chicago, and 11 in the county outside of the city.

Another agency of a different type is the Sanitary District of Chicago organized in 1890 for the construction of the sanitary and ship canal, and including the city of Chicago and other territory in Cook County. The area of this district has been extended from time to time; and is now approximately 390 square miles, or nearly twice the area of the City of Chicago and over two-fifths of the total area of Cook County.

In addition to the Chicago board of education and library board, additional school districts, high school districts, library boards and local drainage districts have been formed outside of the city. Both city and county are also divided into legislative and congressional districts; and for convenience in elections, into 2,466 election precincts. The city has also 35 wards for the election of aldermen.

Cook county. The territory now forming Cook County was included in or attached to earlier counties in the Northwest Territory and in Indiana and Illinois.1

In the official records of these counties, the earliest mention of matters relating to the present area of Cook County is in the Fulton County records for 1823. Orders of the county board are noted relating to taxes and to commissioning a justice of the peace at Chicago.

Section 8 of the act of 1825 creating Peoria County provides that all the territory north of that county and of the Illinois and Kankakee rivers shall be attached to Peoria County. Another act of the same date (January 13, 1825) defines the boundaries of several counties, and includes in Putnam County the area just noted; but there were no provisions for organizing the county government,

The records of Peoria county show the formation of a Chicago election precinct in 1826, and contain data relating to elections, taxes, marriage licenses and (in 1829) a tavern license at Chicago.2

1 Knox County, Northwest Territory, 1790-1801; St. Clair County, Indiana Territory, 1801-1809; St. Clair County, Illinois Territory. 1809-1812; Madison County, Illinois Territory, 1812-1814; Edwards County, Illinois Territory, 18141816; Crawford County, Illinois Territory, 1816-1819; Clark County, State of Illinois, 1819-1821; Pike County, State of Illinois, 1821-1823; Fulton County, State of Illinois, 1823-1825; Peoria County, State of Illinois. 1825-1831. southern part of what is now Cook County was attached to Edgar County from 1823-1825. Counties of Illinois (1906). The

F. O. Bennett: Politics and Politicians of Chicago, Cook County and Illinois.

Cook County was erected by act of January 15, 1831; and the first county officers were elected in March of that year. Within the limits as established since 1839 it has an area of 993 square miles. Only five other counties in Illinois have an area as large; while the average area of Illinois counties is about 540 square miles. The population of Cook County in 1910 was 2,405,233, about 40 per cent of the population of the state; and of this about 90 per cent was in the City of Chicago. The proportion of the county population in the city has declined to some extent in recent years, from 92.3 per cent in 1890 to 90.9 per cent in 1910. The assessed valuation of the city in 1918 was 92.5 per cent of the total assessed valuation of the county.

County officers. Under the first state constitution county affairs in Cook County, as in the other counties in the state, were managed by a board of three county commissioners, elected at large. The only other elective county officers were the sheriff and coroner. The county clerk and the treasurer (who acted as assessor) were appointed by the county commissioners; and the county recorder and circuit attorney were appointed by the Governor and Senate. Justices of the peace were elected by districts; and road supervisors and school trustees were appointed by the county commissioners. In 1837 the term of county commissioners was fixed at three years, and county treasurers and probate justices were made elective; and in 1845 county recorders and surveyors were made elective.

The constitution of 1848 continued the election of sheriff, and provided also for the election of county judges, state or county attorneys, court clerks and justices of the peace, and authorized an optional system of township government.

After the adoption of the second state constitution, Cook County, in 1849, like other northern counties, voted to establish the township system, with a board of supervisors elected by towns. as the county board. As the towns were laid out, the city of Chicago was partly in the three towns of North Chicago, South Chicago and West Chicago, and the Cook County board of supervisors at first consisted of 39 members, 15 elected by the towns in Chicago and 24 by the other towns in the county. Some years later the Chicago members of the board were made elective by wards. By 1870 the county board consisted of 54 members, 20 from the city of Chicago and the remainder from the other towns in the county. By this time Chicago had about seven-eighths of the population and assessed valuation of the county; and the underrepresentation of the city in the county board led to maneuvers for political advantage, notably in the legislation of the 60's transferring the police from the city to the county.

In the constitutional convention of 1869-70 a provision was adopted (Section 7 of Article X) for a board of county commis

sioners for Cook County, to consist of ten members elected from the city of Chicago and five from the towns outside the city."

When considering the sections relating to the fees and salaries. of county officers, a number of amendments were proposed to give the county board of Cook and other large counties full authority to control the compensation of county officers, so that this might be reduced. But none of these amendments was agreed to; and the provisions authorizing fees and salaries to be fixed by law and the number of deputies of county officers to be determined by the circuit court were adopted.*

In the revised County Law, passed in 1874, more definite provisions were made for the Cook County board of commissioners; and additional legislation in relation to this board has been enacted from time to time. In 1887, provision was made for the election by popular vote of one member of the board as president, who was given important powers of appointment and veto; and the same act also contained other provisions on financial matters. In 1893 the term of the commissioners was extended to 2 years; and in 1913 this was further extended to 4 years. In 1895 provisions for a county civil service commission were enacted.

The general powers and functions of the Cook County board of commissioners are the same as those of county boards in other counties in Illinois. They have charge of the county court house and other county buildings and property; they levy county taxes. and have some authority over county finances; they control county. institutions and county aid for the relief of the sick and indigent; and they have some powers in relation to state and county roads, bridges and drains. But their financial and other powers are closely restricted by constitutional and statutory provisions which make the other elective county officers practically independent both of the county board and of each other; and there is no central responsibility or control for county business as a whole.

Fees and salaries of most elective county officers and judges are regulated by state law, and some salaries are partly paid by the state. The county board may fix the compensation and expenses of other county officers and employees; but the number of deputies. and assistants for most of the elective county officers is determined. by the circuit court; and the employees of these offices are appointed by the elective officers without reference to the civil service rules.

The President of the County Board, with the consent of the board, appoints a superintendent of public service and some other. county officers, as the warden of the county hospital, superintendent of county institutions and county agent. He also appoints, without action by the board, the civil service commissioners; and other appointments to positions in the county service under the

3 This provision was presented from the floor by Mr. Cameron of Cook County, at the end of the debate in committee of the whole on the article on counties. He set forth the unwieldy nature of the Cook County board of supervisors, and its election on political and party grounds; and that the country towns with an eighth of the population elected a majority of the board. The provision was then agreed to without debate or record vote. Proceedings and Debates. II, 1367.

Proceedings and Debates, II, 1509-1519.

direct control of the county board are made under civil service regulations.

Under the forest preserve act of 1913 a forest preserve district has been formed, comprising the whole of Cook County. Under the provisions of the act, the Cook County board of commissioners is ex-officio the board of forest preserve commissioners for this district.

The Cook County board of commissioners is also authorized to exercise the powers vested in townships for the eight townships wholly included within the city of Chicago; but their functions in this respect are insignificant.

The constitution of 1870 added to the number of elective county officers in all counties, and contained other provisions which have increased further the number of elective officers in Cook County. A state's attorney, county clerk and treasurer were required to be elected in each county, and the coroner was restored as a constitutional officer, in addition to the elective county officers named in the constitution of 1848. Provisions authorizing probate courts and county recorders in the larger counties and county superintendents of schools, with elective officers, have been applied in Cook and other counties. The special provisions relating to Cook County Courts require the election of additional judges and court clerks in this county.

In addition, other elective county officers have been established by statute, including the county surveyor and county superintendent of of highways in all counties, and a board of sessors and a board of review in Cook County, as well as additional judges in the Circuit and Superior courts.

as

The County Clerk is also clerk of the county court and clerk of the county board; and in Cook County is ex-officio county comptroller and ex-officio town clerk and township assessor of each of the eight townships included wholly within the city of Chicago. The County Treasurer is ex-officio county collector, and in Cook County is also ex-officio collector and supervisor for each of the eight townships lying wholly within the city of Chicago.

Courts in Cook county. When Cook county was organized it was included in the fifth judicial circuit formed in 1829 and comprising all of the state north of the Illinois river. In 1837 it was transferred to the newly created seventh circuit. In 1841 separate circuit judges were abolished; and circuit courts were held by justices of the supreme court, additional justices being appointed. Both circuit and supreme court judges were at this time elected by the General Assembly.

The constitution of 1848 provided for nine or more judicial circuits in each of which one circuit judge should be elected by the people. Under these provisions Cook County formed part of a judicial circuit, the area of which was changed from time to time as

new circuits were created. In 1870 there were 30 circuits, Cook and Lake counties forming one circuit.

In the earlier days the only local courts below the circuit court were those held by the justices of the peace. The first Chicago city charter of 1837 provided for a mayor's court. The charter of 1851 provided that the mayor might hold a police court, and authorized the council to designate two or more justices of the peace. In 1853 a Recorder's Court was established for the City of Chicago, with criminal jurisdiction concurrent with the circuit court (except in cases of treason and murder), and with some minor civil jurisdiction. The judge and clerk of this court were elected by popular vote.

A county court of record was established in Cook County in 1845; and also in Jo Daviess County. In the schedule of the constitution of 1848, it was provided that these courts should continue until otherwise provided by law. In 1849, the name of these courts was changed to county courts of common pleas, to distinguish them from the general system of county courts established by the constitution of 1848. In 1859 the name of the Cook County court of common pleas was again changed to the superior court..

The proposed constitution of 1862 provided for a supreme court, circuit courts, county courts and justices of the peace, and authorized four circuit judges for Cook County. There was no provision for other courts, and the adoption of this constitution would have required the consolidation of the courts in Cook County.

In the constitutional convention of 1869-70 considerable attention was given to the courts of Cook County; and special provisions for this county were placed in the constitution. Early in the convention a resolution was introduced by Mr. Anthony relating to Cook County courts, similar to the provisions later reported by the committee on the judicial department and afterwards adopted. Soon after the report of the committee was submitted, a petition from Chicago lawyers was presented asking for the consolidation of the Cook County courts in one court. This was followed by a remonstrance from other Chicago lawyers, asking for the retention of the existing courts; and by other petitions and memorials on the subject.

When the article on the judicial department was taken up in committee of the whole, the question of the Cook County courts was debated at some length. Mr. Coolbaugh offered an amendment to the committee report, to provide for one court with the same number of judges as was proposed for the separate circuit and superior courts. This was supported by Mr. Cameron; but was opposed by Mr. Hitchcock (President of the Convention), Mr. Anthony, Mr. J. C. Haines (formerly mayor of Chicago) and, less emphatically, by Mr. Medill. All of the Cook County members favored an increased number of judges; and that the two courts should have equal and concurrent jurisdiction. The main argument for continuing the separate courts was that they were in existence, and that there was no complaint of the superior court which it was proposed to combine with the circuit court. It was also said that seven judges were too many for one court.