The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1867-02-16
ExtraFaxaHs1S.

Tho Report Of the State Auditor, laid be-
| fore tbs Legislature at the commencement
Of the present session, shows that the ordi>
nary revenues Of the State are nadequats
| by $3.50, zoo year, to meet the ordinary ex,
| pssdit res Of our STATE government. and that
unless there is a material increase Of taxa
| ton, Or a decided reduction of appropria-
| tons, there will be deficiency of ever hall
a million at the meeting Of ths nsxt lsgisla>
tcrs. The present legislature has, thus far,
made no attempt TO guard against this def,
| cheney, except by transferring m suite Pates
surplus Of the interest fund to the rsvenu.
fund but, instead of diminishing approPris
| tons, has launched out in schemes which
will raise the deficiency from, 100000 to
TWO or three millions.
One Of these schemes is the erection of a
Few psnitentary in the southern part Of the
state. This is purely scheme to fsttsa
favoritss and contractors. By simple
change in our criminal laws, raising The
amount to constitute grand larceny from s.
penltentiary can be rsduesd nearly one-half,
and thus room enough provided ia that nsti-
tuition to meet all it. probable wants for the
next ten or twenty years.
Another scheme, which partakss of ali the
features of game Of grab, is the projset to
build a new state house at Springfield. The
county Of Sangamon happens to want new
court house. So that patriotic county offer.
to buy the present state house, which cost
ever q million of dollars, fer $4,000 and
to 6 i've ths state a ten acre lot adjacent to
Springfield, spon which TO build new state
house, to cost thrss or foar millions. As a
financial speculation, Of course nothing
could be more beautiful" for Springfield and
Sangamon sounty. They would get court
house worth ever half million at any fair
estimate for less than half its worth AMI be-
sides would hare all the advantage of the
expenditure Of three or four millions among
their people in the erection of the new state
house.
The susesss Of this nice speculation, how
ever, is seriously imperillsd by the impu>
dsncs of Decatur, Which darss to make a
bid agains. Sprin fold for the new state
house: Decatur not only offers plenty of
ground to the state on which to erect the
building. bu, to contribute about q nills.
OF dollars towards It's erection.
Springfield affects TO ksot at the ids. of
change of the state capital; but, ia reality,
what special advantages, leaving the state
house out Of the question, las Springfield
over Decatur a, a Locstior of the state capi-
tal Both ,re equally accessible sv railroad.
sr, if thsrs ID any advantage on that scers.
it is IN favor Of Decatur. Decatur is not
quita as larEs city as Springfield. but with
the advantage Of beiag tia state capital in
her favor would soon catch up in wealth and
poPElatioa with her Iupereliou, nsi.hbor.
Wa certainly can see 40 reason why tbl.
matter Of locating ths state e. pitsl may not
be let out to the highest bidder, as well az
the industrial University. Csztr.lity Of 10,
cation Is 10 more imperative IN one case than
tie other. Accessibility BY railroad i. of
much mora Importance, certainly, ta.u the
accident Of bang geographically central.
Lat not osiy Decatur, but Bloomington,
Peoria, Quincy, and even Chicago, have =
chance TO bid, aad Illiaoi, may yst nav. Ter
new stste hou.e built for nothing, and our
people be saved lars. anoant Of crushing
taxation. Meantime, until the number Of
our legislator, is largely increased, tn. pres
sent sste houss vii afford amp. aecolarao,
daIon for half a dozen OF y.srs. The Illi>
LIS state house to-day is a. large a. that Of
Pennsylvania.