does not need to employ a lawyer to have the accused person tried; it is the business of the state's attorney to do this if complaint is properly made.

The state's attorney is also the legal adviser of the county officers and a member of the county board of education, which adopts text books. He must be licensed to practice law in the state.

County Surveyor. His duty is to make surveys, to lay off roads, and locate boundary lines. He is paid according to the amount of work done.

County Coroner. The principal duty of this officer is to "hold an inquest upon the dead bodies of such persons as are supposed to have died by unlawful means." He then summons a jury of three persons and examines witnesses. The verdict of the jury is a statement of what is believed to be the cause of the death.

This officer in early times in England was the highest one in the county, receiving his appointment from the king (coroner is from the Latin corona, crown). Next below him was the sheriff (shire reeve). As a survival of this relationship the coroner is the only officer in the county who may serve legal papers on the sheriff and if the sheriff is put in jail the coroner becomes the jail keeper. In case of a vacancy in the office of sheriff the coroner takes his place until the county commissioners fill the vacancy.

County Superintendent of Schools. This important officer has general supervision of the schools of the county. To be qualified to hold this office the superintendent must be the holder of a teacher's certificate of the first grade or higher, which has been valid in the state for at least one year before he assumes the office. He visits schools, conducts meetings of teachers and school officers, provides for teachers' institutes, has charge of the examination of teachers (receiving questions from the state superinendent and forwarding answers to him), and has power to revoke a teacher's certificate if there is sufficient reason. He may grant to a teacher a special certificate which is valid only until the

next teachers' examination. He conducts reading circles among the teachers. He has important duties in checking over all accounts of the school treasurers to see that they are correct. The clerk also sends in reports to him, and he is the adviser of school boards and teachers. Many matters are referred to him for decision. He makes a plat of the county showing the boundary, location, and name of each district. He sends a complete report to the state superintendent of the finances, school population, and teaching in each district.

He apportions to the school districts the money due them from the interest on the permanent school fund. From this money an amount equal to ten cents for each child of school age in the district is set aside for the purchase of books for the library of the district. The county superintendent is chairman of the board, which selects these books from lists approved by the state superintendent. He is also chairman of the board which in 1912 and every five years thereafter adopts text books for the county.

His salary is from $200 to $1,500 a year and is less than most salaried officers of the county. Every other county officer who travels about the county in the necessary discharge of his duties receives mileage. Everyone admits that the educational interests of the county are the most important ones; why, then, should not this officer be paid mileage exactly the same as other county officers? In one of the large and rich counties of the state, after the county superintendent had paid his necessary traveling expenses he found his salary was less than that of the janitor of the court house. This superintendent was a normal school graduate and his education had cost him a great deal of money, a very high standard of morality and ability were required of him, and for the splendid services of utmost importance to the children of the county there was paid no more than for the man who scrubbed out his office. It is very important that the court house be kept heated and cleaned, but it is vastly more important that the educational work of thousands of children be well looked after.

The county superintendent of schools cannot serve more than four years in succession. This is admitted by all to be a disgrace to the state. The constitution of the state should be amended so that a superintendent might be retained as long as he gave good service.

County Judge. This officer, like the state's attorney, must be "learned in the law." His duties may be conveniently grouped under three headings, for he may hold three kinds of court: (1) probate, (2) juvenile, and (3) civil and criminal.

Probate Court. The principal duties of the county judge are to look after the property of deceased persons and see that their wills, if they have made wills, are carried out, or to see that the property is divided properly among the heirs. He appoints guardians for orphans who are minors and for insane persons. See administrator, executor, etc., in Glossary.

Juvenile Court. "Whenever any child sixteen (16) years of age or under, is arrested with or without warrant, such child shall, instead of being taken before a justice of the peace or police magistrate, be taken directly before the county court." Unless the offense charged be felony,* this court has power to send a delinquent* child of eighteen or under to the state training school, or may have the child and his parents or guardian report his conduct from time to time to see whether the child is reforming.

Criminal and Civil Court. In counties having a population of 20,000 or more, the county court may try civil cases where the amount in dispute is not over $1,000, and criminal cases of misdemeanors (see Glossary).

In case of a vacancy in this office the governor appoints

someone.

QUESTIONS.

FUNCTION OF COUNTY OFFICERS. Show that county officers are in reality state officers within the county. The name of which county office indicates this?

RELATION OF COUNTY TO STATE. Show that the relation of the county to the state is not the same as the relation of the state to the nation. Under what conditions would the relation be similar?

*See Glossary.

COUNTY ENFORCES STATE LAW. Show that the county is, in the main, a division of the state for the enforcement of state laws. TO ORGANIZE A NEW COUNTY. What are unorganized counties? How many voters must there be for the organization of a county? What area? Explain how a county may be organized.

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. The number? Officers? What property is under their care? Explain about building and repairing bridges. How is county money paid out? Give their duties concerning banks, taxes, vacancies, assessing property, canvassing elections.

CLERK OF THE COURTS. Of what courts is he clerk? What are his duties? What papers does he issue? What records does he keep?

SHERIFF. What are his duties? What is a warrant of arrest? COUNTY AUDITOR. What are his duties in connection with

the county commissioners? With the county money? Tax lists?

Elections?

REGISTER OF DEEDS. What is a warranty deed (see Glossary)? Why and how recorded? Explain under what circumstances both husband and wife must sign a deed. What is curtesy? Dower? What besides deeds are recorded with this officer?

COUNTY TREASURER. What taxes does he collect? Study the explanation of the calculation of the taxes in the example given. Get a tax receipt and see if you can explain how the amount of the tax was calculated.

STATE'S ATTORNEY. Who prosecutes criminal cases? Against whom is a crime said to be committed? What are the principal duties of this officer? What qualification must he have?

COUNTY SURVEYOR. His duties?

COUNTY CORONER. His duties? What is a "Coroner's jury''? What was the relation of coroner and sheriff in former times in England? In South Dakota today?

COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS. What are the educational qualifications of county superintendent of schools? What are his duties? What can you say concerning his salary? His term of office?

COUNTY JUDGE. What special qualification must he possess? What are the functions of the probate court? The juvenile court? The criminal and civil court? How is a vacancy in this office filled? How in other county offices (see p. —)?

CHAPTER XII

THE TOWNSHIP

An Old Institution. The township is one of the oldest of our governmental divisions. It has been in existence since the days when our savage ancestors lived around the Baltic sea. In New England it is still the principal subdivision of the state, for in some states there is no county superintendent of schools, county register of deeds, etc., their duties being performed by township officers. With us, however, the township officers have few powers; the county is our principal subdivision of the state for governmental purposes.

Congressional and Civil Townships. Shortly after the Revolutionary war, Congress decided to have the territory north and west of the Ohio river surveyed* and sold to settlers. Tracts six miles square were surveyed and divided into sections. These tracts were called townships. No people occupied them except Indians and occasional white traders or trappers. Now, the local organization of the people into a government in New England was also called a township. To distinguish them, the area six miles square, comprising sections one to thirty-six, is called a congressional township, and the organization of the people into a local government is

*See Chapter XI, "The United States Government Land Survey," in the author's Mathematical Geography, published by the American Book Company, Chicago.