or small road district is not practical; the small unit cannot afford to buy the expensive machinery necessary in building modern roads, and if it could, there would not be sufficient road work to keep the machinery in continual use. county can afford to buy modern machinery and it has suffi

The

cient road mileage to keep the machinery in operation. The administration of schools and roads are illustrations of the general tendency to make the county the important unit of local government.

County Officials. As more work has been given to county government the number and importance of county officials have increased. The County Board, whose members are

called commissioners, supervisors, or judges, has such general legislative and administrative power as the state has conferred upon it. Its duties vary, but in most states it determines the rate of taxation, appropriates money for county purposes, appoints minor county officials, keeps the accounts, and allows claims against the county. The chief items of county expenditure are court expenses, the cost of roads and bridges and relief of the poor. Salaries of the county officials, usually fixed by state law, are another large item of county expense. Boards usually number from three to five members; in some states they are elected by townships or districts, in others by the county at large. The small board is probably more efficient and less expensive.

The official title of other important county officers indicates their duties.

1. The county judge presides over the court which tries important cases arising in the county. In some states two or more counties are united into a judicial district. In this case the judge is called a circuit judge and presides over the courts in each of the counties of the district.

2. The sheriff is the chief peace officer of the county. He attends the courts and carries out their orders, has charge of prisoners, and in case of disturbance of the peace may require the services of citizens of the county as deputies.

3. The county or state's attorney is the legal representative of the county and adviser of the county officials; he prosecutes those who violate the laws of the state.

4. In case of the death of any person from mysterious and unknown causes the coroner holds an inquest, that is, makes inquiry to determine the cause of the death.

5. The probate judge has the supervision of all legal matters pertaining to the administering of estates and carrying

out of the intent of deceased persons as expressed in thei

wills.

6. The assessor makes a list of the property owned by each of the citizens of the county for the purpose of securing a valuation upon which to base taxation.

7. The treasurer keeps records of the money of the county and pays it out upon vouchers, or orders, issued by the proper authorities.

8. The superintendent of schools has general supervision of education, visits rural and village schools, distributes the necessary blanks to school officials, and makes reports to the state superintendent of schools.

9. The amount of bookkeeping required by county government depends largely upon the population, wealth and size of the county. In some cases this work can be done by one or two officials, but in most cases it requires the services of a large number. The usual county officials whose duty is connected with keeping records and accounts are the collector, auditor, county clerk, and recorder of deeds.

Villages and Cities. The words village and city are applied to groups of people, many of whom live within a comparatively small area and whose problems, therefore, differ from those who live in the country. The terms do not always have the same meaning; for example, in Alabama a village by legal definition has not more than one hundred inhabitants, while in New York it may have as many as ten thousand. Cities are organized under state laws. In some cases the states authorize them to frame charters.

The officials in villages and cities vary in proportion to the population of the community. They may be roughly classed in three groups. The mayor, who is the chief administrative officer, the officials known as aldermen, councilmen, or

assemblymen, who make ordinances, and various departments which are organized to do special work. The police department, organized for protection and law enforcement, the health department, organized to promote the public health, and the street cleaning department are examples. In many cities officials performing duties similar to those of county officers are found. The city may have its own assessor, treasurer, attorney and collector.

State or Commonwealth. The state as a unit of government existed before the nation. It developed during the colonial period. The close of the Revolutionary War made the thirteen colonies free and independent states. Each possessed full governmental powers; England no longer con

trolled and no satisfactory agreement had been made by which the states shared their power with a central or national government. Upon ratifying the Constitution each state surrendered part of its power to the national government. The Constitution guarantees a republican form of government to each state; it provides that all powers not expressly given to the United States remain with the states. In this division of powers the state retained most of those which affected the people directly. Thus the power of making laws concerning marriage and divorce, ownership and transfer of land, incorporation of industries, the management of education, the organization of local units of government, and a great many other matters of importance were retained by the state.

The growing tendency to do more and more of our work in co-operation is constantly increasing the variety and importance of state laws and the work of our state officials. For example, like people in an ancient city we once took no official notice of food offered for sale; in recent years we have laws prescribing its quality and state specialists to make examination or inspection. Thus the state is furnishing more expert service for its people.

The Nation. The United States is the greatest and most powerful unit of government under which we live. In the allotment of powers made by the Constitution protection from attack by other nations, regulation of our trade with foreign countries and between states, the coining of money, the management of post offices, are but a part of the important work done by our national government. Much of the work formerly done by the state is now carried on by the United States. For example, railroads which we long attempted to control by state laws are being regulated by the national government.

In general, interstate problems are dealt with by the na