e
grew up around the church, so western localism finds its
nucleus in the school system. What more natural than that
the county election district should be made to coincide with
the school township, with a school-house for the voting
place? or that justices of the peace, constables and road
supervisors and overseers of the poor, should have their
jurisdiction determined by the same township lines?"[76]

Thus in many of the North-central States the township came to be the
local unit of government for certain minor purposes, though in other
states it is little more than an election district, and in none of them
is there preserved the old town meeting which gave the New England
township its fundamental democracy.

Owing to the large plantations and the economic and social conditions
prevailing throughout the South, it has had practically no units of
government smaller than the county, other than incorporated villages.

Until very recently our conception of society has been mostly in terms
of political units, largely on account of the lack of any local unit
which had social significance to rural people. In recent years, however,
students of rural government have become aware of the artificiality and
the anti-social character of the township unit. There may be two rival
villages within a township, each competing for trade and the support of
its associations, and striving for the political domination of the
township, while some of the farmers in a far corner of the township may
trade in a village in the next township. Or a village may be on a
township line, which must be observed in all matters of government
although there is no real division of interests between its people.

Outside of New England villages were located at points of geographical
advantage, or along through roads or railroads, primarily as business
centers. There was no particular relation between the village and the
farming area surrounding it. But as the village grew it often desired
modern improvements such as water systems, pavements, street lights,
etc., for which the farmers were unwilling to be taxed and which were
thus prevented as long as the village was controlled by the township.
This has led to most of the larger villages becoming incorporated, so
that they may administer their own local government and tax themselves
for such improvements as they desire. This separation of the village
from the township