Papers Of Abraham Lincoln

In force Jan.[January] 15, 1836.

AN ACT to change a part of the State Road leading from Springfield to Beardstown.
1

Commissioners appointed.

When and where to meet.

To be sworn.

To report.

Compensation.

Sec.[Section] 1. Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That William Crow, John Ray and Allen F. Lindsey, are hereby appointed commissioners, to re-locate that part of the state road leading from Springfield to Beardstown, which lies between Archibald Job’s and the bridge across Ray’s Branch, in the county of Morgan.2 Said commissioners, or a majority of them, shall meet at the house of Archibald Job, on the first Monday in March, or so soon thereafter as may be, and after being sworn before some justice of the peace, faithfully to perform the duties required of them by this act, shall proceed to re-locate said road, between the points aforesaid, upon the same ground on which said road was located by Horn and Holmes, if in their opinion such location will not operate to the prejudice of the community: but if they shall be of opinion that a location on different ground can be made so as to make a better road, and not operate to the prejudice of the community, or of individuals, they shall locate the same on different ground. Said commissioners, or a majority of them, shall make report of their proceedings under this act, to the county commissioners’ court of Morgan county; and said court shall receive the same, and cause the road as located, to be opened, and kept in repair; and from and after the time of making the report aforesaid, so much of the present road as lies between the points

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named in this act, shall be vacated, and the road located shall be the state road. And said commissioners shall be allowed one dollar and fifty cents each, per day, for their services, out of the treasury of Morgan county.3

Approved, Jan. 15, 1836.

1On January 4, 1836, William Weatherford in the Senate introduced a petition of citizens of Morgan County. The Senate referred the petition to a select committee. Responding to the petition, Weatherford of the select committee introduced SB 100 in the Senate on January 7. The Senate passed the bill unamended on January 9. The House of Representatives passed the bill on January 13. On January 15, the Council of Revision approved the bill and the act became law.
Illinois House Journal. 1835. 9th G. A., 2nd sess., 270, 279, 314, 331, 349; Illinois Senate Journal. 1835. 9th G. A., 2nd sess., 169, 183, 198, 238, 250, 269.

2The land described here became part of Cass County upon its creation in 1837.

3State roads were those public roads established or designated by the General Assembly and usually crossed county lines. Only the General Assembly could establish, alter, or abandon state roads, until 1840 and 1841, when the General Assembly gave counties the authority to alter or to abandon state roads upon petition by a majority of voters in the area of the change.
An Act concerning Public Roads, sec. 9; An Act Authorizing Commissioners’ Courts to Alter, Change, and Relocate State Roads; An Act concerning Public Roads.