ncorporated villages have governments peculiar to
themselves. Places containing a large and close population need a
different government from that of ordinary towns or townships. Many of
the laws regulating the affairs of towns thinly inhabited, are not
suited to a place where many thousand persons are closely settled.
Besides, the electors in such a place would be too numerous to meet in a
single assembly for the election of officers or the transaction of other
public business.

Sec.2. Whenever, therefore, the inhabitants of any place become so numerous
as to require a city government, they petition the legislature for a law
incorporating them into a city. The law or act of incorporation is
usually called a _charter_. The word _charter_ is from the Latin
_charta_, which means paper. The instruments of writing by which kings
or other sovereign powers granted rights and privileges to individuals
or corporations, were written on paper or parchment, and called
_charters_. In this country, it is commonly used to designate an act of
the legislature conferring privileges and powers upon cities, villages,
and other corporations.

Sec.3. The chief executive officer of a city is a _mayor_. A city is
divided into wards of convenient size, in each of which are chosen one
or more _aldermen_, (usually two,) and such other officers as are named
in the charter. The mayor and aldermen constitute the _common council_,
which is a kind of legislature, having the power to pass such laws,
(commonly called _ordinances_,) and to make such orders and regulations,
as the government of the city requires. The mayor presides in meetings
of the common council, and performs also certain judicial and other
duties. There are also elected in the several wards, assessors,
constables, collectors, and other necessary officers, whose duties in
their respective wards are similar to those of like named officers in
country towns, or townships.

Sec.4. The inhabitants of cities, however, are not wholly governed by laws
made by the common council. Most of the laws enacted by the legislature
are of general application, and have the same effect in cities as
elsewhere. Thus the laws of the state require, that taxes shall be
assessed and levied upon the property of the citizens of the state to
defray the public expenses; and the people of the cities are required to
pay their just proportion of the same; but the city authorities lay and
collect additional taxes f