Town and County in America.—­In New England the most important division of the state is the town; in the South it is the county.[Footnote:  An excellent discussion of this may be found in “Samuel Adams, the Man of the Town Meeting,” John’s Hopkins University Studies in History, Volume II, Number 4.] In other states the relative importance of the two organizations depends upon the influence to which the state was most strongly subjected.

The reason for the difference is found in the character and circumstances of the early colonists.

In New England, the church was the center of the community.  The severity of the climate and the character of the soil made it impracticable to cultivate large farms.  The colonists had come mainly from the towns of England.  These considerations and the presence of fierce and unfriendly Indians caused the settlers to group themselves into compact settlements.  Their self assertion prompted them, and their intelligence enabled them, to take active part in public affairs.  Hence the importance of the town in New England.

In the South, the colonies were planted largely in the interests of the proprietaries.  The leading spirits had been county gentlemen in England and they naturally favored the county system.  The mass of the people were unaccustomed and indifferent to direct participation in the government.  Again, the warm climate and fertile lands were favorable to large plantations and a dispersed population; so that the character of the people and the circumstances under which they lived were alike favorable to the establishment of the county system pure and simple.  To quote the pithy statement of Professor Macy, “The southern county was a modified English shire, with the towns left out.  Local government in New England was made up of English towns with the shire left out.”

Subsequently counties were formed in New England for judicial purposes, but the towns retained the greater number of their functions; and in the south, the counties were afterwards subdivided into election and police districts, but the administrative power remained with the county.

The Middle States divided the local power between the town and the county.

Migration is chiefly along the parallels of latitude.  And people from habit and instinct organize new governments largely on the plans to which they are accustomed.  Hence we are not surprised to find that in the states formed south of the line of the Ohio, the county is the principal division; while in the northwestern states the town is the important factor.  Though in the Northwest the county is more important than in New England, the influence of the towns in county affairs is generally maintained by the selection of members of the county board from the several towns.

Illinois is a good example of the truth of the generalizations at the beginning of the preceding paragraph.  The state is very long and reaches far to the south.  The southern part of the state was settled first, and almost pure county government prevailed.  By and by the northern part began to settle, and it grew in population faster than the southern part.  The town was introduced, and now prevails in all but a few counties.