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1 History of Municipal Law in Illinois: Read before the Illinois State Bar Association, at Springfield, January 6th, 1881 1881

handle is hein.beal/hymllwis0001 and id is 1 raw text is: THE HISTORY OF MUNICIPAL LAW IN ILLINOIS. Read before the Illinois State Bar Association, at Springfield, January 6th, i88;, by HoN. WILLIAM L. GROSS, Secretary of the Association. MR. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN: The legislation of a community is the exponent of its needs and the measure of its attainments, and the laws of any given period become the best memorials of its history. As every new law is made to remove some inconvenience the State was subject to before the making of it, and for which no other method of redress was effectual, the law itself is a standing, and the most authentic evidence we can require of the state of things previous to it. The historian may be deceived, or attempt to deceive; but the facts that lie imbedded in statutes must be true. Hence the importance of an accurate knowledge of our ancient laws. They not only tell what our predecessors needed-they show what they were. They faithfully exhibit the state of society, the successive steps of change and progress, and the gradual but sure advance in civilization. But to every lawyer they have an especial and enduring value. For many purposes of investigation, and with respect to a large and difficult class of ques- tions, former or repealed laws are quite as valuable and interesting as those actually in force. Every investigation which seeks to ascertain the true con- struction and meaning of existing laws, leads at once and of necessity to an examination of the history of that law. So true is this that it has been forcibly said, No man can know the law who does not also know the history of the law. The task assigned us on this occasion has been to trace, with that clearness and certainty given to us, the history of municipal law in this State. For sixty-two years Illinois has enjoyed the proud distinction of membership in the great sisterhood of American States. Within the memory of those present she has passed, by rapid stages, from the position of a frontier community-a land of uncultivated prairies and sparse settlements, of meagre wealth and crude

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