GOVERNMENT The capital city.—Old Kaskaskia was the capital of Illinois Territory 1809-18 and the capital of the state of Illinois 1815 20. Vandalic was the second capital of the state, 1820-39.
Springfield has been the capital since that date. The beautiful and commodious State House, or Capitol, was erected between 1867 and 1888. In 1905 the appropriation was made for the Supreme Court Building. In 1917 the State Legislature provided for the construction of a Centennial Memorial Building to be used by various departments of the state govern ment. The corner stone was laid October 5, 1918, on the centennial of the meeting of the first legis lature and the inaugura tion of the first governor.
On the same date the statues of Lincoln and Douglas, erected on the capitol grounds , were dedicated. The Gov ernor's Mansion, the home of the chief execu tive, is also the property of the state. The State Fair Grounds are located at Springfield. Camp Lincoln, set aside for the training of the National Guard, is near city. Lincoln's now the property of the state, and Lincoln's monu ment, also under the care of the state, are interesting memorials' in the capital city to our most illustrious citizen. The importance of Springfield as a city is largely enhanced by its being the seat of the state government. In addition, the advantages of location due to rich coal fields and fertile agri cultural lands, together with excellent transportation facilities and the establishment of numerous industrial and commercial plants, have made Springfield the fourth city of the state in population.
State government and geographical divisions.—The state government, like the national government, has three depart ments, the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. Elec tion of state officers and of United States senators is made by a vote of the state as a whole. The election of persons to the legislative and judicial departments of the state government and to the Lower House of the Congress of the United States makes necessary the geographical division of the state in several different ways for governmental purposes.
The General Assembly or State Legislature consists of 51 Senators, one for each senatorial district, and 153 Repre sentatives, three for each senatorial district. It is necessary, therefore, to divide the state into 51 geographic divisions known and numbered as senatorial districts. These are indicated on the accompanying map. Cook County, because of its large population, contains 19 of the 51 senatorial dis tricts numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, and 31. The other districts of the state are numbered on the map. The boundaries of senatorial districts outside of Cook County follow county lines. Each of the three counties, Peoria, La Salle, and St. Clair, forms a district.
Other districts are composed of counties varying in number from two to seven. The grouping of counties by districts is shown on the map. The State Legislature meets once in two years at Springfield in the Senate Chamber and the Hall of the House of Representatives of the State Capitol. Joint sessions are held in the Hall of the House of Representatives. The action of the State Legislature applies uniformly to the entire state, but its members, selected from all parts of the state, arc expected to keep the Legislature informed concerning the needs of the localities which they represent. The state senators are elected for four years and the repre sentatives for two years.
The state is divided into seven districts for the election of justices of the Supreme Court. The boundaries of these districts follow county lines. The counties composing each district are shown on the accompanying map. The justices hold office for nine years. The presiding officer, or chief justice, is selected by the members of the Supreme Court from their own number. He serves as chief justice for one year, and, by rotation, each member serves as chief justice at some time during his term of office.