more than fifty incorporated villages in Cook County, many of which extend into two or more townships, and several go beyond the boundaries of Cook County.

What Chicago wants and what she would have if her own interests alone were consulted, is a constitutional amendment permitting her to annex the more densely populated suburbs and some of the less densely populated, needed for park purposes and the preservation of streams, and then to consolidate all the functions of government, such as those of townships, county, park and so on, with the possible exception of those of the drainage district, in the hands of a single government, that of the city. This would probably take into the consolidated city and county of Chicago, all of Evanston on the north (on the ground that it is essentially metropolitan in character and must come into the drainage district soon, to prevent the pollution of the water supply), all of Cicero, a part or all of Proviso and the tier of townships, Leyden, Riverside and Norwood Park, lying due north of Cicero and Proviso. This whole group of townships is desired because part of it is metropolitan in character and all of it lies along the Des Plaines River, the water of which it is proposed to use in connection with the drainage canal. It is also a part of the scheme to lay out a great metropolitan park system along this water course. It is probable that this territory on both the north and west will be forced into the drainage district in the near future, and Chicago regards this district as in a peculiar sense her own. But the City of Evanston and the country townships, with the possible exception of Cicero, are strenuously opposed to annexation to Chicago.

The Civic Federation, which is leading the movement for reform in Chicago, regards the abolition of county and township government within Chicago, whatever the limits of the city may be, as a prerequisite to serious and thorough-going reform. But as already indicated, this requires changes in the constitution. So long as the country districts in Cook County are so vigorously opposed to annexation and the sentiment against Chicago in the remaining portions of the state remain unchanged, such constitutional amendment is impossible. For at present the country townships fear that however carefully such amendment might, on the face of it, protect their interests, nevertheless to yield anything might open the way in some manner not foreseen for annexation to Chicago, or at least create sentiment that would make it easier to open the way for such action in the future. Although the present statutes affecting the question of annexation are very much involved, it is supposed that under them no annexations can be made without the consent of a majority of all the legal voters in each of the territories affected by the proposed annexation.

Generally speaking, the townships outside of Chicago as far as their respective local affairs are concerned, are satisfied with the present condition and believe that they can prevent legislation changing that condition. They have so far refused to recognize any obligation to obtain or permit relief for Chicago, and may properly be said to be playing dog in the manger. These townships carried this policy so far as to form last July a permanent federation of all the country districts in Cook County (known as the County Town Federation of Cook County) to defend their interests against the supposed aggressions of Chicago. This federation holds regular monthly meetings, and, so far, the delegates to it have shown no inclination to acknowledge any obligations arising from their citizenship in Cook County or in Illinois, to bring about a better condition of affairs in Chicago.

The result of this opposition by the country townships has been to change the tone and attitude of the Civic Federation on the whole question. The Greater Chicago scheme, as launched about two years ago, apparently involved simply the annexing of such territory as the interests of Chicago seemed to require. When the storm of opposition against this began to gather the Civic Federation put forth a modified scheme involving annexations, under a borough scheme of government, by means of which it was claimed that local autonomy in local affairs, so much prized by the country districts, could be preserved to them, while the things of general and larger interest could be attended to by the proposed Greater Chicago. This seemed to meet with favor for a time, but the fear of once opening the gates to annexation under any form again arose in the minds of those living outside Chicago, and, consequently, there has been a decided reaction against this proposition also. As a consequence of this turn of affairs the Civic Federation has apparently given up the idea of trying to put through the Greater Chicago scheme, with the borough attachment, without the consent of the country districts, and is now urging cooperation on the basis of the larger citizenship, duty, and civic interest plea, hoping all the time to make the country districts see their duty from the standpoint of the larger interests of Chicago. The Civic Federation still insists that measures can be so drawn as to protect in a satisfactory manner the interests of the minority, while giving much needed relief to the majority in Chicago.1

Meantime that organization is pushing such minor reforms as can be

1 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROPOSED BY THE CITIZENS' CONSOLIDATION COMMITTEE OF THE CIVIC FEDERATION OF CHICAGO. RESOLVED, by the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois, the Senate concurring herein, that there shall be submitted to the voters of this State at the next election for members of the General Assembly a proposition to so amend the

obtained by the tinkering process without arousing the opposition of the outside districts. At the last session of the legislature, for instance, since it is constitutionally impossible to abolish the townships in Chicago and retain township organization in the rest of the county, the Civic Federation obtained the passage of a bill in the form of a general act providing for the consolidation of all the townships and fractional towships in Chicago into a single township. The title1 seventh section of the tenth Article of the Constitution of this State, that the same shall read as follows:

The General Assembly may provide for the consolidation of city and county functions within the present limits of the City of Chicago, but no act for such purpose shall take effect until submitted to the vote of the electors of said county at a separate election to be held therefor, and ratified by a majority of the legal voters of said city voting thereon, and also by a like majority of the legal voters of that portion of said county outside of said city. In case of such consolidation of city and county functions within the limits of the City of Chicago the debt of said Cook County existing at the time of such consolidation shall be paid by the said City of Chicago, and the territory remaining outside of said city limits shall be exempt from all liability therefor, and all buildings and property of said former County of Cook shall belong to and be the property of said City of Chicago; and the territory included in the then or future limits of said city shall be known for all county purposes as the County of Chicago.

The General Assembly may provide for subordinate local government by districts within the present or future limits of said city; also for local control of schools, police, fire protection, libraries, public lighting, improvement of streets, sidewalks, parks, sewers and water works, in any territory hereafter added to said city.

The authorities of said city shall have no power to license the sale of intoxicating liquors in any district wherein such sales are prohibited at the time of the adoption of this amendment.

Upon the adoption of any act for consolidation of city and county functions in the limits of said city, all the provisions of this constitution relating to Cook County shall be deemed to apply to said County of Chicago. Upon the adoption of such act as to the territory of said County of Cook remaining outside of said city limits, the General Assembly shall provide for the establishment of courts and county government in such territory as in case of new counties, but not more than two counties shall be formed from such territory. Until otherwise provided the affairs of said County of Cook shall be managed as now provided by law; but the functions heretofore exercised by township officers in said city shall be performed by the City Council.

The General Assembly may provide for abolishing the office of justice of the peace within the County of Cook or said County of Chicago when established, and for the substitution of local or district courts in lieu thereof, with such jurisdiction not exceeding that of the circuit court, as may be deemed advisable; and may provide for the election or appointment of constables therein. (Printed January 29, 1901.)

1 The full title is as follows: "An Act to provide for consolidation of the territory of cities in counties under township organization having five or more congressional townships and fractional parts of congressional townships into one township, and to provide for a board of auditors of said township and locate the place where the justices of the peace shall have their offices."

of this act, approved April 24, 1899, shows to what lengths we have to go in our efforts to avoid the prohibition of special legislation under our present constitution. The validity of this particular classification may well be doubted until it is accepted by the supreme court. That the Civic Federation itself doubts the valadity of this Act is shown by the fact that it has just had introduced (February, 1901) a bill to accomplish the same purpose by retaining all the townships, but transferring most of the powers of the townships to the City Council. While the consolidation of the townships in Chicago under this act would apparently include in the consolidation the portions of the three townships (Evanston, Norwood Park and Calumet) lying within the City of Chicago, it is not probable that serious opposition would be made by the remaining portions of these townships. Bills are also drafting to consolidate all the territory of Chicago into a single park district under one park board. Unless an attempt should be made to include in such districts territory outside Chicago (such as the Des Plaines river territory referred to above), this is not likely to arouse any special interest outside of Chicago. But already the cry of local self-government has gone up from the people living in the vicinity of each of the great Chicago parks, and even this bill is likely on that account to have hard sledding before the winter is over. It is not at all impossible that under the same slogan the country townships may make an effort to have the revenue act of 1898 repealed, as that act makes their assessors subject to the county board of assessors.

The only real club that Chicago can at present use against the country districts is a threat of abolishing all township government throughout the whole county and placing the affairs now managed by the respective townships in the hands of the county board. This can be done by a majority vote of all the voters in the county regarded as a unit. Chicago can, therefore, accomplish this at her will, as the percentage of the total vote in the county to be found outside the limits of Chicago is relatively insignificant. Such action would practically, from the standpoint of the country townships, amount to annexation to Chicago, for it would deprive these townships of all of their local self-government and place their affairs in the hands of a board of county commissioners, who, under the present constitution and laws, are elected two-thirds from and by the City of Chicago, whose offices are in Chicago, and who are, in fact, entirely dominated by Chicago politicians- Two obstacles prevent the carrying out of such a policy. First, it would not give Chicago any relief, but make her condition worse by strengthening the hands of the county government, which Chicago is especially desirous of getting rid of. In the next place, it would not transfer the local government powers of the

come.

cities of Evanston and Harvey to the county board and would likely block the way for the annexation of Evanston to Chicago for years to The transferring of the governmental powers of the township of Evanston to the county board would be a matter of comparatively little moment except to a few present and possible future township officials, who live from the small township treasury. The City of Evanston is decidedly an element to be reckoned with in the whole matter.

One of the most regrettable features in the present situation is the lack of any apparent recognition on the part of the country districts of what seems to me the serious duty of making such reasonable sacrifice, short of self-annihilation, as promises to improve the government of Chicago. I venture to doubt also if the American sense of justice and fair play will forever permit the interests, real or supposed, of a hundred thousand people, more or less, in the country portions of Cook County to prevent nearly two millions in Chicago from obtaining a form of government in some slight measure adapted to their needs. Should the population of Chicago increase as rapidly in the near future as it has done in the past, and should future apportionments give to Chicago anything like her proportionate share of representation in the legislature; above all, should the conditions become so bad in Chicago as to make the large property interests there prefer, with any degree of unanimity, a reformed government to that now existing, the people of Chicago will be enabled to effect such a change in the sentiment throughout the state as to obtain what they want without even consulting the special interests of the outside districts of the present Cook County. Before this time comes it is to be hoped that a broader patriotism will lead the country districts to withdraw their opposition and unite in favoring a Greater Chicago which will embrace that territory properly belonging to the metropolis and leave undisturbed Evanston and other outlying centres of population with independent civic life.

Northwestern University.

JOHN H. GRAY.

THE JUVENILE COURT OF CHICAGO AND ITS WORK. Nothing is more indicative of the change which the modern scientific study of pauperism and crime is causing than the increased attention paid to children. It is now clearly seen that it is worse than folly to allow a child to grow up in ignorance of the raison d'etre of social customs, and to attempt then to remedy matters by repressive and punitive measures. There is a clearer apprehension of the wonderful susceptibility of the child to impressions of all sorts and a