Papers Of Abraham Lincoln

In force 21st July, 1837

AN ACT to encourage Education in Township five South, Range six East, of third principal Meridian.
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Sec.[Section] 1. Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That the inhabitants of township five south, range six east, of the third principal meridian, upon being incorporated as required by law for school purposes, be and they are hereby authorized to use the sum of two hundred dollars, of the interest arising from said township fund, to the erection of a frame or brick school house in the town of McLeansboro’ in said township.

Duty of trustees of township

Sec. 2. That it shall be the further duty of the trustees of said township to cause to (be) kept in said school house, a school at least three months in each calendar year, for at least five succeeding years.

If school is not kept 3 months in the year

Sec. 3. If a school should not be kept in said school house, as provided for in the second section of this act, then the incorporation of said township shall be bound to pay

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back to the township fund the amount of money used by them under the provisions of the first section of this act.

Sec. 4. It shall be the duty of the judges and clerks of the election to be held in the township for or against the township’s being incorporated under the provisions of the fourth section of the act to amend the several acts in relation to common schools, to open polls for and against the reception of the provisions of this act, and the same majority shall be required in favor of the reception of the provisions of this act, as is required for the township to be incorporated; and if said majority shall not be obtained this act shall be void.2

This act shall be in force from and after its passage.

Approved 21st July, 1837.

1Milton Carpenter introduced the bill in the House of Representatives on July 15, 1837. On July 18, the House amended the bill by adding an additional section. The House passed the bill as amended on July 20. The Senate concurred on July 21. On July 21, the Council of Revision approved the bill and the act became law.
Journal of the House of Representatives of the Tenth General Assembly of the State of Illinois, at a Special Session of the General Assembly, Begun and Held in the Town of Vandalia, July 10, 1837 (Vandalia, IL: William Walters, 1837), 77, 109-10, 139, 153, 156, 182; Journal of the Senate of the Tenth General Assembly of the State of Illinois, at a Special Session, Begun and Held in Vandalia, July 10, 1837 (Vandalia, IL: William Walters, 1837), 118, 123, 136.

2On July 18, 1837, the House of Representatives amended the bill by adding this section.
Journal of the House of Representatives of the Tenth General Assembly of the State of Illinois, at a Special Session of the General Assembly, Begun and Held in the Town of Vandalia, July 10, 1837 (Vandalia, IL: William Walters, 1837), 109-10.