lien or liens to which said fee may be subject, and which have been created since the destruction of such records, whether the same be by mortgage, deed of trust, judgment, statute, mechanics' lien, or otherwise, but shall leave all such liens to be ascertained or established in some other proceeding, or to be enforced as the parties holding them may see fit.

"Section 16. Said decree of said court, when entered, shall be forever binding and conclusive: Provided, that any decree shall be subject to be opened, modified, vacated or set aside on appeal or writ of error sued out within two years after the entry of such decree: And, provided further, that insane persons and minors shall have two years after their disabilities are removed to prosecute a writ of error upon said decree: Provided, further, that any decree en ered upon any petition or cross-petition, which does not make defendant, by name, all persons who shall be in possession of such lands or any part thereof, at the time of the filing of such petition, or which does not make defendant, by name, all persons to whom any such lands shall have been conveyed, and the deed or deeds of such conveyance shall have been recorded in the office of the recorder of deeds of such county since the time of the destruction of the records, as aforesaid, and prior to the time of the filing of any such petition, shall be absolutely void as to such person omitted, but shall be final and conclusive as to all others: And, provided further, that all defendants who shall not be actually served with a summons in the suit in which such decree may be rendered, shall have allowed to them one year after the entry of such decree within which, upon petition to the court rendering the same, to have the said decree vacated and set aside in the same manner as is now allowed to defendants under section 19, of chapter 22, of the Revised Statutes entitled 'Chancery.'"

"Section 24. Whenever, upon the trial of any suit or proceeding which is now or hereafter may be pending in any court in this State, any party to such suit or proceeding, or his agent or his attorney, in his behalf, shall orally in court, or by affidavit to be filed in such cause, testify and state under oath that the originals of any deeds or other instrument in writing, or records of any court relating to any lands, the title or any interest therein, being in controversy in such suit or proceeding, are lost or destroyed, or not within the power of the party to produce the same, and that the records thereof are destroyed by fire or otherwise, it shall be lawful for such party to offer, and the court shall receive, as evidence, any abstract of title, or letter-press copy thereof, made in the ordinary course of business prior to such loss or destruction, and it shall also be lawful for any such party to offer, and the court shall receive, as evidence, any copy, extracts or minutes from such destroyed records, or from the originals thereof, which were, at the date of such destruction or loss, in the possession of persons then engaged in the business of making abstracts of title for others for hire. A sworn copy of any writing admissible under this section made by the person or persons having possession of such writing,

shall be admissible in evidence in like manner, and with like effect, as such writing, provided the party desiring to use such sworn copy as evidence shall have given the opposite party a reasonable opportunity to verify the correctness of such copy.'

APPROVED June 15, 1887."

REVENUE.

GENERAL LEVY FOR STATE PURPOSES.

§ 1. Provides for raising $2,800,000 upon the § 2. Rates computed.

valuation of 1887 and $2,200,000 upon

the valuation of 1888 for "revenue

fund," and $100, 000, 000 annually for
"school fund."

AN ACT to provide the necessary revenue for State purposes.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: That there shall be raised by levying a tax, by valuation, upon the assessed taxable property of this State, the following sums for the purposes hereinafter set forth: For general State purposes, to be designated "revenue fund," the sum of two million eight hundred thousand dollars ($2,800,000) upon the assessed value of property for the year A. D. 1887, and the sum of two million two hundred thousand dollars ($2,200,000) upon the assessed value of property for the year A. D. 1888. And for State school purposes, to be designated "State school fund," the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) upon the assessed taxable property for the year A. D. 1887, and the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) upon the assessed taxable property for the year A. D. 1888, in lieu of the two mill tax.

§ 2. The Governor and Auditor shall annually compute the several rates per cent. required to produce not less than the above amounts; anything in any other act providing a different manner of ascertaining the amount of revenue required to be levied for State purposes to the contrary notwithstanding; and, when so ascertained, the Auditor shall certify to the county clerks the proper rates per cent. therefor, and also such definite rates for other purposes as are now or may hereafter be provided by law, to be levied and collected as State taxes; and all laws and parts of laws in conflict, with this act are hereby repealed.

APPROVED June 15, 1887.

1

ROADS, HIGHWAYS AND BRIDGES.

COUNTIES UNDER TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION-PUBLIC HIGHWAYS.

§ 1. Amends section 1, act of 1883, by declaring that all roads laid out or used for 15 years shall be public highways.

AN ACT to amend an act entitled "An act in regard to roads and bridges in counties under township organization, and to amend an act and parts of acts therein named," approved June 23, 1883, in force July 1, 1883.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: That section one (1) of an act entitled "An act in regard to roads and bridges in counties under township organization, and to repeal an act and parts of acts therein named," be amended so as to read as follows:

"Section 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: That all roads in this State which have been laid out in pursuance of any law of this State, or of the territory of Illinois, or which have been established by dedication, or used by the public as a highway for fifteen (15) years, and which have not been vacated in pursuance of law, are hereby declared to be public highways."

APPROVED June 17, 1887,

COUNTIES UNDER TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION-BRIDGES.

§ 1. Amends section 19 of the act of 1883 by providing for estimates and the manner of constructing bridges when county aid is granted.

AN ACT to amend section 19 of "An act in regard to roads and bridges in counties under township organization, and to repeal an act and parts of acts therein named," approved June 23, 1883, in force July 1, 1883.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: That section 19 of "An act in regard to roads and bridges in counties under township organization, and to repeal an act and parts of an act therein named,” approved June 23, 1883, in force July 1, 1883, be and the same is hereby amended so as to read as follows, to-wit:

"Section 19. When county board may aid town in the construction of a bridge. When it is necessary to construct or repair any bridge over a stream, or any approach or approaches thereto, by means of an embankment or trestle work, on a public road in any town, or on or near to or across a town line, in which work the

town is wholly or in part responsible, and the cost of which will be more than twenty cents on the one hundred dollars on the latest assessment roll, and the levy of the road and bridge tax for two years previous in said town was in each year for the full amount of sixty cents on each one hundred dollars allowed by law for the commissioners to raise, the major part of which is needed for the ordinary repair of roads and bridges, the commissioners may petition the county board for aid, and if the foregoing facts shall appear the county board shall appropriate from the county treasury a sum sufficient to meet one-half the expenses of the said bridge or other work, on condition that the town asking aid shall furnish the other half of the required amount: Provided, that said commissioners shall, when it is determined by them that they will ask said county aid, as provided for in this section, and before any contract for work or material, or any other expense, may have been entered into, present their said petition to the county board if it shall be in session, and if it shall not be in session, to the chairman of said county board, whereupon said county board, or the chairman thereof, as the case may be, shall appoint three members of said board, none of whom shall reside in the town asking aid as aforesaid, to represent the county in said matter, and said supervisors, when so appointed and notified, shall meet said commissioners at time and place to be selected by said commissioners; and the commissioners and supervisors shall organize by electing one of their number chairman, and said commissioners and supervisors shall make all contracts in manner provided by law for work, material and other expenses necessary for the construction or repairing of said bridge or approach or approaches thereto, a majority vote of said commissioners and three supervisors being necessary to make any contract or incur any expense: And provided, further, that all expenditures shall be made by said commissioners and supervisors, and the county board shall not be liable for any part of said expenses, or compelled to pay any part of its appropriation, until all of the work has been fully completed and accepted by said commissioners and supervisors, and said facts properly certified to by said supervisors and presented to said county board at a meeting held after the completion of said work, which certificate shall contain an itemized account of the expenditures: And provided, further, if the supervisors and commissioners, when organized as aforesaid, shall fail to agree or come to a conclusion on the matters before them, they shall, on account of a tie, summons a reputable citizen who is a householder of said county, but not a resident of the town asking aid, said summons to be served by any constable of the county; and all questions in dispute and remaining unsettled shall be submitted to him, whose decision shall be final on all matters so submitted. The fees of the householder shall be the same as that of the supervisors, and the constable's fees shall be the same as constable fees for summoning a jury, and all of said fees of said members of said commission and constable fees shall be paid out of said funds as part of the expenses."

APPROVED June 10, 1887.