In all the New England States (Massachu setts excepted) the town is the unit for rep resentation in at least the lower branches of the State legislature. Government in New England is, therefore, by towns rather than by counties, as in other States. The town has so many functions and absorbs so much local business that little is left for the county to do. Indeed the county in New England exists prin cipally for judicial purposes; in Rhode Island it exists solely for judicial purposes. As it is to-day so it has always been: throughout the whole period of her history the focus of New England life has been the town. "Towns,' says Joel Parke, "have been the arterial system of New England through which has circulated the life-blood which has invigorated, sustained and strengthened her making her expand in her religious, social, educational, benevolent and political institutions." The people cling tena ciously to their town system. Boston did not change from town to city government until 1820 when, with a voting population of 7,000, she found that the town meeting could no longer act as a deliberative body. Yet the conditions of population in recent years Sometimes make it extremely difficult to administer local gov ernment on the town plan. People are mov ing from the country to the city, depleting some towns and making others too large to meet in mass. Towns in New England vary in population from less than 100 souls to 20,000. As a matter of experience local government in New England is changing with the new con ditions. So long as the population of a place remains below 10,000 (the population of Aristotle's ideal city) town government is usually economical, efficient and pure, but when the population greatly exceeds that number the interest of the citizens in local matters begins to flag, the town meeting becomes unmanage able and the town government is in danger of falling into unworthy hands. The remedy is municipal incorporation. The thickly inhabited part of the town secures a charter and becomes a borough or village or city and the people sur render a part of the public business to chosen agents. This change, however, usually does not extinguish town government within the boundaries of the new municipality, although it does take from it many of its former powers.
While town government in its pure form is found only in New England, modifications of it appear in those Western States whose popu lation contains a strong admixture of New England emigrants, notably in Michigan, Il linois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Nebraska.
Each of these States has provided by law for a system of local government which resembles more or less closely the New England system. In Michigan, for example, the voters of a township, after they have elected their local officers, meet in the afternoon in mass for the transaction of certain local business. At this meeting they may regulate the keeping and sale of gunpowder, the licensing of dogs, the vac cination of the inhabitants; they may order the purchase of books for the town library; they may under certain restrictions. and within cer tain limits, order the raising of money by taxa tion. In Illinois. in those towns which have adopted the township system, there is a similar meeting of the voters after the township offi cials have been elected. Here we have the form at least of the town meeting, but it does not appear that the spirit of the New England town vivifies these western meetings. Township government in the West has always been and continues to be essentially representative. A New England town meeting may last for a day, sometimes for two days, and personal at tendance for so long a time means inconven ience and money loss. Representative govern ment, on the other hand, requires no such sacrifice. Because town government requires so much of the citizen's time and burdens him with such great responsibility, it has been ex tremely difficult to transplant it. The example of the town meeting has undoubtedly had great influence upon the course of local government in all parts of the Union, but it cannot be said that town government, either in spirit or in form, is vigorous in any State outside of New England.
Howard, 'Local Constitu tional History of the United States' ; Adams, `Germanic Origin of New England Towns); Johnson, 'The Genesis of a New England State' ; Parker, 'Origin, Organization and In fluence of the Town of New England' ; Bemis, 'Local Government in Michigan and the Northwest' •, Shaw, 'Local Government in Illinois' • Fiske, 'American Political Ideas': Bryce, 'American Commonwealth' (Vol. I); Hosmer, 'Life of Samuel Adams' (ch. xxiii).