The Project Gutenberg EBook of Civil Government of Virginia, by William F. Fox

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Title: Civil Government of Virginia

Author: William F. Fox

Release Date: December, 2003 [EBook #4762] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on March 13, 2002]

Edition: 10

Language: English

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF VIRGINIA ***

Robert Rowe, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.

CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF VIRGINIA

A TEXT-BOOK FOR SCHOOLS BASED UPON THE CONSTITUTION OF 1902 AND CONFORMING TO THE LAWS ENACTED IN ACCORDANCE THEREWITH

BY WM. F. FOX

SUPT. OF SCHOOLS, RICHMOND, VA.

NOTE.-Important changes in every part of the fundamental law of the State were made by the Constitutional Convention of 1901-2.

A great many of these changes did not go into full effect until as late as Feb. 1, 1904; and some are yet to be made effective by the operation of laws already passed or to be enacted hereafter. Under the circumstances the author trusts he may be pardoned if some errors or omissions are found in this work, but it is believed that in all essential points it is in harmony with the provisions of the Constitution and the laws of the State as they stand at the present time.

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION

I GENERAL PRINCIPLES Bill of Bights—Who May Vote and Hold Office
—Elections

II LEGISLATIVE, DEPARTMENT The Senate—House of Delegates—General
Assembly

III EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT Governor—Lieutenant Governor—Attorney
General

IV EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT-Continued

Secretary of the Commonwealth-Treasurer-Auditor of Public
Accounts—Second Auditor—Register of the Land Office—State
Corporation Commission—Superintendent of the Penitentiary—
Superintendent of Public Printing—Commissioner of Agriculture and
Immigration—Commissioners of the Sinking Fund—Board of State
Canvassers

V. JUDICIARY DEPARTMENT

Supreme Court of Appeals—Circuit Courts—Circuit Court of the
City of Richmond

VI. JUDICIARY DEPARTMENT-Continued

Corporation or Hustings Courts—Justices Courts—Hustings Court of the City of Richmond—Chancery Court of the City of Richmond—Law and Equity Court of the City of Richmond

VII OFFICERS OF COURTS Clerks—The Tipstaff and Crier—Sheriff—
Commonswealth's Attorney Attorneys at-Law Who May Practice Law in
—Virginia Juries—Grand Junes—Petit Jury

VIII. COUNTY ORGANIZATION

Counties

County Officers Sheriff—Commonwealth's Attorney—County Clerk—
Treasurer—Commissioner of the Revenue—Superintendent of the
Poor—County Surveyor-Superintendent of Public Schools County
Board of School Commissioners—Electoral Board—Board of
Supervisors—Assessors—Coroner

IX. DISTRICT ORGANIZATION

Magisterial Districts.—Supervisors.—Justices of the Peace.—
Constable.—Overseer of the Poor.—Conservators of the Peace.

X. GOVERNMENT OF CITIES AND TOWNS

Council.—Mayor.—City Sergeant.—Commissioner of the Revenue.
—Commonwealth's Attorney.—Treasurer.—Sheriff of Richmond City.

XI. EDUCATION

State: Board of Education.—Superintendent of Public Instruction.

County: County and City Superintendents.—School Trustee Electoral
Board.—County School Board.

District: School Districts.—School Trustees.—District Board of
School Trustees.

School Funds.

Teachers.

OUTLINES or COLONIAL AND STATE HISTORY Colonial Governors.—State
Governors.

CONSTITUTION OF VIRGINIA

POPULATION OF VIRGINIA AT VARIOUS DATES

INTRODUCTION.

The word GOVERNMENT means guidance or direction or management. It means also the person or persons who rule or control any establishment or institution. Wherever any number of people live together in one house, or one town, or city, or country, there must be government of some kind.

In the family the parents are the government. They guide and manage the affairs of the house. They give orders to their children as to what they must do and what they must not do, and they see that their orders are obeyed. This is government, and it is for the benefit of the family. If the children were to do as they please, there would be no peace or happiness in the home.

And in their games and amusements out of doors children find that they must not do as they please. Every game has certain rules or laws which those who take part in it are required to obey. In the game of baseball, for example, the players are not allowed to act as they like. There are rules of the play, and there is an umpire to see that the rules are observed.

In the school, too, and in all business establishments there must be government. The teachers direct the work in their classes, giving orders to the pupils as to what lessons they must study and how they must study them. In the store and factory there is a manager or master who directs the business. If there were no managers or masters there would be nothing but disorder and confusion.

We can see therefore how necessary government is, and we can understand why it is that there must be government in the country or state in which we live. There must be laws to direct men how they must behave towards one another and to punish those who do wrong. And there must be people to make the laws and people to see that they are carried out.

This is CIVIL GOVERNMENT. The word CIVIL means pertaining to the state, or to the relations between citizens and the state, and the word STATE means the whole community or body of people living under one government.

There are different kinds of government in different countries. In some countries the government is monarchical—that is, under one person, a king or emperor—and in some countries it is republican.

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