The general assembly is em powered to provide needed revenue by levying a tax, by valuation, so that every person and corporation pays a tax in proportion to the value of his, her or its property. Certain property, however,— religious, charitable, etc.— may be exempted by general law. The so called "general property tax," which is the chief support of State and local government, is as sessed upon real and personal property at a supposed valuation of one-third of its "fair cash value." In Cook County and the counties not under township organization, the assess ment of taxes is largely a county affair; in other places it is entrusted to the town assess ors. Assessments are subject to revision by a county board of review and the State board of equalization. The latter consists of 26 mem bers, elected by congressional districts. There is also an ex officio State Tax Levy Board and a Court of Claims. Other sources of revenue for the State are the inheritance tax and a spe cial tax on the Illinois Central Railroad — 7 per cent of the gross earnings. This tax in the first 51 years amounted to $24,400,446.27; for some time it has yielded over a million dollars a year. For municipal governments there are licenses and similar charges. In 1917 Illinois faced an increase of 33 1/3 per cent in the cost of State government for the next two years. The amount asked, 160,000,000, was just twice the amount appropriated six years ago, and $14,000,000 in excess of the appropriations made in 1915. It was cut down somewhat.
qualified electors are all male citizens 21 years of age, who have resided in the. State a year, in the county 90 days, and in the district 30 days next before the election. Women have the right to vote for all officers in the State, State and local, not created by the constitution, and in national elections for the president. The president is voted for by elect ors who are chosen as the State legislature may direct. On the other hand, senators and representatives in Congress are chosen by elect ors qualified to vote for mentbers of the most numerous branch of the State legislature — a constitutionally created State office. Voting is by ballot and persons convicted of infamous crimes are excluded from the right of suffrage.
All able-bodied male citizens be tween the age of 18 and 45 except those exempt by State or national law are subject to military duty and are designated as the Illinois State Militia. This body is divided into the organized and unorganized militia. The first is divided into the Illinois National Guard and the Illinois Naval Reserve. The Illinois National Guard forms the land forces in time of peace accord ing to the statute of 1909, it may consist of not more than 1 major-general, 3 brigadier-generals, 24 battalions of infantry, 1 regiment of cavalry, a corps of engineers, 3 batteries of field artil lery, a signal corps, and a field hospital and ambulance corps, with the needed line, staff and non-commissioned officers and the officers of the retired list. The act provides that the infantry be organized into eight regiments, com posed of 12 companies with a maximum of 1,154 men, commanded by a colonel. Two or more regiments of infantry commanded by a brigadier-general form a brigade. The statute provided that the staff be organized into the fol lowing 10 departments: The adjutant-general's department, the inspector-general's department, the quartermaster's department, the subsistence department, the ordnance department, the medi cal department, the pay department, the judge advocate's department, the corps of engineers and the signal corps. This organization was con siderably altered by the executive order of the governor which went into effect 1 Jan. 1914.
The whole division organization was abolished, the office of major-general was discontinued, the number of brigadier-generals was reduced to two, and the subsistence department was con solidated with the quartermaster's corps. The Illinois Naval Reserve forms .the naval. force in time of peace. As provided in the statutes, it consists of a ship's complement of 12 divisions, with the necessary line, staff, warrant and petty officers, and .the officers of the retired list. It is organized as a ship's crew, commanded by a captain. He is assisted by an executive officer known as the commander, a navigating officer of the rank of lieutenant commander, an ord nance officer and an equipment officer of the rank of lieutenant. The crew is divided into 12 divisions, of which two are steam engineers and one a band. In 1912, 521 officers and 5,586 men were enlidted in the National Guard; in 1916, the figures were 500 and 6,099. In 1912, 50 officers and 587 men were enlisted in the Naval Reserve; in 1916, the figures were 39 and 628. The governor has authority to call out the military forces to suppress mobs, riots or dis turbances, and on such occasions commanding officers may make arrests without process.
Illinois is divided into 25 con gressional districts, but she has 27 representa tives in Congress, two being elected at large. The reason for this is that the Illinois legislature did not redistrict the State after the last con gressional reapportionment. The electoral vote of the State at successive presidential elections, since its admission in 1818, has been cast as follow, viz.: In 1820, for Monroe; in 1824, one vote for Adams and two for Jackson; in 1823 and 1832, for Jackson; in 1836 and 1840, for Van Buren; in 1844, for Polk; in 1848 for Cass; in 1852, for Pierce; in 1856 for Buchanan; in 1860 and 1864, for Lincoln; in 1868 and 1872, for Grant; in 1876, for Hayes; in 1880, for Gar field: in 1884, for Blaine; in 1888, for Harrison; in 1892, for Cleveland; in 1896 and 1930, for Mc Kinley; in 1904, for Roosevelt; in 1908, for Taft; in 1912, for Wilson; in 1916, for Hughes. During this period the vote of Illinois in the electoral college increased from 3 to 29. Since the Civil War, the Republicans have met with well-nigh uniform success over their old rivajs, the Democrats. Other parties, however, have sprung into existence, temporarily at least. In 1872, such men as Governor John M. Palmer, Senator Lyman Trumbull and Gustavus Koerner joined the Liberal Republicans. The National Grange or Patrons of Industry in 1869 for the object of uniting for the better securing of their rights as ship pers and producers and for the social, moral and educational uplift of their children, entered politics in 1874. Aided by the Democratic Party and dissatisfied elements as the Independ ent Reform Party and the Democratic Liberal Party they defeated the Republican candidate for superintendent of public instruction and elected many fusion candidates in the smaller divisions of the State. No party secured a majority of the legislature. The Greenback Party in 1876 and other cheap money parties later on developed some strength. The most powerful third party movement, however, oc curred in 1912, when Roosevelt as the standard hearer of the Progressives polled 386,478 votes as compared with 405,048 for Wilson, and 253, 593 for Taft. In the election of 1916, the vote of the parties was as follows: Republican, 1,152,549; Democratic, 950,229; Socialist, 61,304; Prohibition, 26,047; Socialist Labor, 2,488.