The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1867-06-17
SPRINGFIELD. Ill. June Il.

The subject of the penitentiary came up
this morning in both houses, in the supple
mentary session. In the senate republican
members were principally engaged in repell-
ing the assaults of the Tribune and other re-
publican papers upon the eorruptions of the
legislature. Some members waXed quite
wrathy over the idea of the republican press
so outrageously slandering republican leg
islature in fact, slandering it to such de-
gree as to bring it into contempt and deri-
sion with the people of both parties. Web.
ster. of Rock Island, fairly trembled with
passion, and went off into a regular stump
speech on the subject. The country mem
bers seem to have more pluck in attacking the
leading organ than those from the city. no
tice that Ward and Eastman say nothing on
the subject either way. They can scarcely
be expected to beard the lion in his den. /
do not think, however, that they were at all
displeased at the trouncing their colleagues
gave White, Medill, Bross l. Co. noticed
that the deacon appeared very nervous, and,
indeed, distressed, under the dressing "My
Tribune" received. He looked as one
would imagine he did while 'looking down
from the terrible nights of the Sierra Neva-
da, Speaker Colfax being of the party"
The result of the penitentiary iasco will
doubtless be, that committee of investiga-
ton from both houses will be appointed, to
report at an adjourned meeting of the legis-
lature to be held the latter part of next
- week.
The questions are, whether the state will
take the whole matter of running the peni-
Tertiary into its own hands, or relieve the
lessees by an appropriation. In other states
such as Indiana, Ohio and Massachusetts,
the penitentiaries are run by the respective
states at a profit Why not in Illinois, I'M
less everybody is 50 corrupt with US that
peculation and robbery are rampant in ev-
cry department of government? There are
about l, 100 convicts In the penitentiary.-
The average on the sick list is about FIVE or
six per diem. There are about four in the
hospital now The number of cripples and
others incapacitated from labor is about
thirty to thirty five. The number of women
is thirty. Take out the servants and those
employed generally about the corridors and
yards of the institution, and there should be
at least 700 to 800 persons capable of labor.
At the high prices of labor, the work of these
men must surely be remunerative with prop
er management. But the truth is, the first
consideration with almost every government
and state officer at the present day seems to
be, ':How much can / make legitimately p
out coming under the statutes p PerquiS-
ties, nowadays, mean populations, and pee
ulations soon run into wholesale robberies,
in the degree proportional to the avarice or
extravaganza of the officer or his immediate
assistants.
1t is evident to me that, if the legislature
comes to the relief of the present contrac-
tors, they will have to do so periodically, as
has heretofore been the case; and this peri
odical relief is simply series of largesses
or brides, not only to the lobby, but the cor
rupt men in the legislature, and is one great
cause of the corrupt practices prevailing fol
years here, and which have finally culminat
ed in bringing our state legislature into al
most utter contempt and derision.
The Tribune's watershed articles have
virtually defeated the canal bill, as they en-
couraged the opponents of that measure IN
the senate to vote to reject the governor
appointments. The canal men then turned
around and voted against the confirmation
of the southern penitentiary commissioners
while the Champaign men, having got wha
they wanted, did not care fig which way
the cat Jumped on the other measures of the
grand ring of last session. In fact, eacl
party which got what it wanted refused te
fulfill the original contract. So those mem
Ders Vi Tie ring mHoae pfoJcCIo HUI HUI oCCi
fully consummated now find themselves com
PEELED to forego for awhile, if not forever
the felicity they had fondly hoped to secure
But, after all, they might have known tha
"such is life."
The governor is rampant at his treatment
by the legislature, while Fuller and others O
his personal opponents are secretly delighted
Fuller and Murray Mcconnell virtually slep
together at this session,-the former using
the latter as his "cats paw to pull his ole
chestnuts out of the fire. Yates friends
also, are privately exulting and the glory
reflected on Richard the First's administra
ton by the conceded failure of Richard the
Seconds is such as to make Uncle Jesse K
Debois, Billy Butler and o. M. Hatch actu
ally stagger under its weight, and blink thei
eyes in the steadily increasing blaze, like
owls in the sunlight. "Hic transit glorit
Ricardi Secundi," Q'n not sure if that
the right ticket is the universal decision o
the community. NIX.