1. geography proper describes the general character of a country, as its rivers, bays, gulfs, plains, mountains and natural divisions. leaving this to other works we confine ourselves to those divisions made by the government for convenience in administering its affairs.
formerly there was a separation into north and south, by “mason and dixon’s line,” between which there existed a marked difference of governmental, social, and industrial policy. the states south of that line might hold slaves, while in those north of it that institution was illegal. that difference was abolished by the thirteenth amendment to the constitution, as a result of the civil war. the next largest—and these exist now—are those made by the
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circuit courts.
2. these often comprise several states and are changed, by act of congress, when the convenience of the associate judges of the supreme court, who preside over them requires it. the next largest political divisions are
the states.
3. these exercise sovereign powers in all matters where control has not been expressly delegated by the constitution to the national congress. the other political boundaries are ever liable to change, to meet the requirements of changing circumstances. these are definitely fixed, any change being very rare and unlikely after they are duly organized and admitted into the union as states. each of the original thirteen colonies became states, with the boundaries they had as colonies at the time of the revolutionary war. the others received such boundaries as suited the convenience and wishes of the people when they were admitted. their object is to prevent the centralization of too much power in the general government, and to render legislation on local affairs and interests more convenient, and more satisfactory to the people of each state. the state having the least number of inhabitants numbers between 40,000 and 50,000; the one having the largest number contains between 4,000,000 and 5,000,000. the number of the states determines the number of senators in congress, two being allotted to each; so that a state may be considered as a senatorial district.
district courts
4. produce another class of political divisions. these attend to legal differences involving the laws of the general government, but of a secondary class. they are more numerous than the circuit courts. in some states there is but one, and some have several, according to size and population.
collection districts.
5. another class of districts has been formed, for the purpose of collecting the duties on imported goods. these are[605] called “collection districts.” they extend along, and embrace the whole sea coast and the shores of navigable lakes and rivers. in a few instances they are located inland, at points where goods may be brought into the united states by land. each collection district has a port of entry, and very often several ports of delivery; also a collector of customs, and generally a custom house.
6. another class of collection districts was formed during the late civil war. they grew out of the war, and were established for the collection of the tax termed the “internal revenue,” which had to be levied to pay the war expenses. these districts differ entirely, both in their objects and in the territory embraced within them, from those established for the purpose of collecting duties on imports, and correspond as far as practicable with the congressional districts in each state.
land districts.
7. land districts may also be noticed among these divisions. in every state and territory where there are public lands for sale, after they are surveyed and mapped, they are divided into districts—two, three or four, in each state and territory—as convenience and economy may dictate. in each district a land office is established for the sale of the lands in said district.
light house districts.
8. again, the whole of our sea coasts, both on the atlantic and pacific oceans, together with the shores of the navigable lakes and rivers, are divided into twelve light house districts (or their number must not exceed that,) for the purpose of building, repairing, illuminating and superintending the light houses on all the coasts and shores wherever located. these are the principal divisions we have to notice. it is important to have a knowledge of them, for with such knowledge we can better understand how government affairs are conducted.
