The salary of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is $10,500; that of each Associate Justice, $10,000. The Circuit Judges receive each $6000, and the District. Judges, fifty-one in number, from $3500 to $5000 each. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia receives $4500, and each of the Associate Justices the same sum; the same salaries are paid in the Court of Claims.

In each organized Territory there are a Chief Justice and two Associates, appointed by the President and Senate for four years. They receive $2600 each.

The Marshal and Reporter of the Supreme Court are appointed by the Court, and receive salaries; the former $3000, the latter $2500.

The Attorney and Marshal for the District Courts, who are officers of the Circuit Courts also, are appointed by the President and Senate, and receive each a salary of $200 and fees.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE STATE GOVERNMENTS.

In chapter VI an account has been given of the twenty-four States which have been admitted to the Union since the adoption of the Constitution. The thirteen original States were colonies until the Declaration of Independence. By that act the individual colonies were transformed into States, and the thirteen United Colonies assumed their position as a nation, under the name of the United States. The colonies had exercised some of the powers of government, while they acknowledged a common allegiance to Great Britain. "By the Declaration of Independence the sovereignty of the thirteen colonies passed from the crown to the people dwelling in them, not as an aggregate body, but as forming States endowed with the functions necessary for their separate existence; also States in Union." 1

The nation began its existence on the fourth day of July, 1776; and on the same day each of the thirteen colonies was transformed into a State - became an integral part of the nation. Each of the new States became such, when, having adopted a constitution, it was admitted into the Union by Congress. But the old

thirteen did not become States by the formation of a constitution, nor by a Congressional vote of admission. They were made States by the Declaration of Independence. No one of the thirteen was a State prior to that

1 Frothingham's Rise of the Republic, p. 561.

day, though a few of them had established temporary forms of government, by the recommendation of Congress. Each was a State from that day, though some formed no State constitutions until months, and, in some cases, years, had elapsed. Massachusetts remained under her colonial charter till 1780, Connecticut till 1818, and Rhode Island till 1842.

In the latter part of 1775 Congress had recommended to New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Virginia, to modify their local governments, to "continue during the dispute with Great Britain." And in May, 1776, a like recommendation was made to "the several colonies where no governments sufficient to the exigencies of their affairs had been established." In accordance with these recommendations New Hampshire, South Carolina, Virginia, and New Jersey-all being royal colonies provided themselves with governments adapted to their necessities. But, in at least three of these four cases, the governments were expressly declared to be temporary, to continue until the unhappy differences between Great Britain and America should be settled.

Of the body that framed the constitution of Virginia in 1776, Mr. Jefferson says: "They received in their creation no powers but what were given to every legislature before or since. They could not, therefore, pass an act transcendent to the powers of other legislatures." And of the instrument itself he says: "It pretends to no higher authority than the other ordinances of the same session." Such instruments could hardly be called constitutions.

Including the four already mentioned, the thirteen local governments were modified, or established, as follows:

New Hampshire,
South Carolina,
Virginia,

New Jersey,

C. G. 31.

January 5, 1776.

March 26, 1776.

June 29, 1776.

July 2, 1776.

Most of the States have altered their constitutions, some of them a number of times. Connecticut and Rhode Island had no other constitutions than their colonial charters till 1818 and 1842; and the constitutions then adopted still remain. Massachusetts, which formed her first constitution in 1780, adopted a new one in 1820, which is still in force.

The State constitutions resemble each other in their general provisions, while they differ in particulars. THE CONSTITUTION OF ILLINOIS, adopted in 1870, may be taken as fairly illustrating the general principles. of these instruments. It contains fourteen articles, as follows:

The Bill of Rights contains twenty sections, relating to liberty of conscience, trial by jury, etc.

The Powers are three the Legislative, the Executive, and the Judicial.

The Legislative power is vested in a General Assembly, consisting of a Senate and House of Representatives, both to be elected by the people.

The State is to be divided every ten years, into fiftyone senatorial districts, in each of which a Senator is to be elected for four years. Half of the Senators go out every two years. Three Representatives are elected from each senatorial district, to serve two years. The election is on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November of the even years. (This is the day for the election of members of Congress throughout the United States, commencing with 1876. The presidential election will come also on the same day.)

A Senator must be twenty-five years of age, and a Representative twenty-one; and each must have been a citizen of the United States five years, and a resident of the district two years.

The Representatives are elected on the principle of "minority representation." "Each qualified voter may cast as many votes for one candidate as there are Representatives to be elected, or may distribute the same, or equal parts thereof, among the candidates, as he shall see fit." The legislature holds annual sessions.

The yeas and five members The vote on

A majority is a quorum in each House. nays must be called on the request of in the House, and two in the Senate. the final passage of every bill must be by yeas and nays. No bill can become a law without the votes of a majority of the members elected to each House. No act can contain more than one subject, which must be expressed in its title. No law takes effect till the first of July after its passage, unless the legislature, by a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected, direct