Nodaway County, Missouri - Chapter 18: The System of Local Government, 1910

Before entering into the detailed history connected with each township within Nodaway county, the attention of the reader is called to the "County and Township System," a subject that may not be fully understood or appre¬ ciated, especially by persons who have not resided where the same system ob¬ tains as in Missouri. Its origin and workings will be briefly referred to be¬ fore going into the various local township histories.

The "county system" of government had its origin in Virginia, but was originally handed down from the shires of Old England. In Virginia the early settlers soon became wealthy landlords, aristocratic in feeling, living for the most part on vast estates, and owning the laboring part of the com¬ munity - the slaves imported from Africa, at first, and which by natural laws soon greatly multiplied. Thus the materials for a town were not at hand, the voters being thinly distributed over a large domain Hence the county organ¬ izations there were where a few influential men managed the whole .business of the community, retaining their places, almost at will, as long as they saw fit to hold them. They very naturally imitated the landlords of England, where social dignity and aristocracy prevailed before the planting of the Jamestown and New England colonies in this country. In 1834 eight coun¬ ties were in existence in Virginia and the system was extended throughout the Southern states, except in South Carolina, where it was known as "dis¬ trict," and in Louisiana, where, through the French ownership, it had come at an earlv date to be known as "parish."

Hence,' with the settlement of the vast domain west of the Mississippi river, which had for its pioneers many men from Virginia and other Southern states, which had tested the "county" government plan, and found it truly practical and based on democratic notions, for the most part, the new Western territories and states, in their constitutions, provided for the erection or organization of counties similar to those in the localities named.

As to "township" government, as already indicated, the system had its real origin in New England, nearly three hundred years ago - 1635 - hence, is one of the oldest forms of American government for local affairs. The first legal enactments concerning this great system under a democratic form of government, provided that, "Whereas, particular townships have many things which concern themselves, and the ordering of their own affairs, and disposing of business in their own town, therefore, the freemen of every township, or a majority part of them, shall only have power to dispose of their own lands and woods, with all the appurtenances of said town, to grant lots, and to make such orders as may concern the well-ordering of their own towns, not repugnant to the laws and orders established by the general court."

They were empowered to impose fines not exceeding twenty shillings, and choose their own particular officers, such as constables, surveyors for the highways and the like. This relieved the general court of much routine business, which they did not care to handle and suited the settlers in the New England colonies much better than to be dictated by a one-man power. The real true idea of liberty was already beginning to crop out in the New World. This sentiment went West with the emigrant who crossed the Alleghany mountains and became the pioneers in all the Western states.

Thus it was but natural that when Missouri was settled by so many of these same people, that the county and township form of government ob¬ tained quickly. In the first territorial government of Missouri, it provided for the organization of counties along the western bank of the Mississippi . where it* was first settled. At first, the counties thus formed to the west of the Mississippi river were given jurisdiction, for a short time, over the lands and settlements adjoining each on the west, until these localities became suf¬ ficiently settled to support organizations of their own.

The term "township" should not be confounded, for bear in mind that in the regular United States government survey the congressional township is supposed to be exactly six miles square, while what is known as a sub¬ division of any given county may contain one or any number of these con¬ gressional townships, and are termed "civil townships," which farther east in this country are frequently styled "towns," but seldom so called west of the Mississippi river.