the Supervisors have been authorized to organize the civil townships within the County as convenience may require.
Powers of the Iowa Township.In Iowa the civil township does not have the powers of the New England town, nor does the County have the authority of the County in the South. Here the powers of local government have been apportioned between the township and the County; and this arrangement is sometimes called the County-Township System. In the division of power the township has suffered most. The chief functions of the civil township in Iowa are the holding of elections, the repairing of roads, the listing of property for taxation, the equalizing of taxes, the giving of relief to the poor, and the transacting of other local business pertaining to the township.
The Township Officers.The township officers consist of three trustees, a clerk, two justices of the peace, two constables, and an assessor. All are elected by the people and serve for two years. A township office is usually looked upon as a burden and an annoyance by the farmer. On account of the difficulty of getting men to qualify and serve as township officers after election, the General Assembly has imposed a penalty of $5 upon any one who, having been elected to a township office, refuses to qualify and serve; but no one is compelled to serve as a township officer two terms in succession.
Many justices of the peace report annually that no cases have been tried before them; and many township Constables never make any arrests or perform any official acts. The Assessor is usually sure of two or three months'
