CHAPTER XV.
THE CIVIL TOWNSHIP AND ITS GOVERNMENT.
The Congressional Township.When Iowa was first legally open to settlement, the pioneers found the land laid off by the government survey into areas six miles square, known as Congressional townships. The Congressional townships served but one purpose, as far as the Federal government was concerned, namely, a means of locating land. The State, however, has used the Congressional townships wherever possible as the component parts of the organized counties; and so the Board of Supervisors, exercising its power to divide the County into townships "as convenience may require," has found it convenient in a large number of counties to adopt the lines of the Congressional township as the boundaries of the civil township.
Organization of Civil Townships.The civil township is an area of local government, a division of the County for governmental purposes, and is not a body corporate as is the county, city, or town. Being a local government, the convenience of the people is taken into account. Thus, where a river runs through a Congressional township it would be inconvenient to follow the Congressional township lines and compel half the people to cross the river to vote or to transact other township business. Accordingly
