The Torrens System has had only a fair amount of success in this country. The first act in the United States was that of Illinois, in 1895. It was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the State, but was amended in 1897 so as to remove the constitutional objections. It was further amended in 1907. Massachusetts passed a Torrens law in 1898 which has been considered successful. Amendments to this law were made in 1899, 1900, 1902 and 1905. There was an Ohio act in 1896 which however, did not meet a judicial test and which was repealed in 1898. It was re-enacted in 1912, a constitutional amendment receiving popular approval. New York enacted a Torrens law in 1908, which as some one has said "did not even begin." It was also described as being the worst registration law in the world. An amendment in 1910 did not help it, but rather insured its failure. Important amendments were made to the law in 1916 and 1918. These amendments were designed to correct the defects in the previous law and to make the system more workable and popular. Opinions regarding the present law differ, but it is an undeniable fact that land title registration is not popular in

New York. The number of titles registered is negligible (less than 40 in New York County up to July, 1921).

The following nineteen States have adopted Torrens system laws: California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon, Minnesota, Colorado, Washington, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota and Tennessee. From present indications, the law is evidently of no practical use in a number of these States. It seems, in fact, that as to the United States, only in Massachusetts and in Cook County, Illinois, has it attained any degree of success. Those who favor the Torrens system assert that only in the last-mentioned places, and under the Federal laws of the Philippine Islands and Hawaii is there a true enactment of the system.