, 1869-02-23
rER STATE HOUSE BUSINESS,

The ides that anything can be done
10 iirker up the State House bill, at'er
tie Garnsey exposure, is one OF thosc
rrcpostercus deluslons that sometimss
seize upon men when they attempt to
compromise with fraud. Th- proposal
Of a portion Of the Commissioners to fin
III .ue state House for four millions Of
dollars, ead to take the contract them
selves at that rate, is one Of the most
1mpudent documents ever put in print.
Two yesrs ago they got themselves
named in the bill, and, by accepting their
Offices, gave the people q solcma pledge
that the wcrk should be done for three
millions. The work itself was premature
ard unnecessary. The State was still
heavily in debt, and no more needed q
INV Capitol building than the devil in
ST. Smlshin's dream needed TO have his
tail painted tky-blue. It WAS scheme
to keep up the disbursement Of public
funds al Springfield, which had been
brought to an abrupt and uutimcly close
hy the termination Of the war.
TIE bill having been passtd, and the
i1ss appropriation spent In covering g
large portion OF Springfield with stone
transported from Hancock County, the
Garnsry exposure Is made, and thcn the
Commissioners, or pcf.ion Of them.
ccoly propote 10 complete the building
Ter ono million dollars tunro linn they
nETetl Tor in l1lc flrsl rlutc. WIN aru
these CnmfnfasIUnere, TINT t,t* themselves
foswnrd ns pnrtics Of thu erconsl part In =
c"ntrae. with shu Bta!c' i,y whom wcfo
&lny cl,nttn, nbd IL whnn nto thry IT.
stunpilct Thoy wern ol4rsoh by tsg*
tAtAsnrn thas Ia ttusJ. They nsy rr@p1ns.-
biz l"n l.rgtalasutn thai ~ daIantt. Tho
w"th they hav" done IL om'nuntly
n'r'ly Of huch cnnstItuuncy.
W. teIl thu .Apmburs oi
tln present Legislature that The peop'o
aIc bitterly opposed TO the whola State
liontc project, and that they eau do
no,lllg eltr ao liktly TO be approved at
lomr Us to repeal The act Ut laat session,
nId then MAXI an appropriation Tor clap
Mards to cov.r up the foundation that
has btcn laid; and postpone thc work
until tho constitutional Convention
ulce'e. II the convention choose TO 60 OF
with the State House 1t will be compc-
tent for them to put a clause In tho new
constitution whereby the whole sunl o
money needed can be borrowed and sci
aps1t for thc purpose, and contrac made
tor the entire work accordingly. Under
the eNlssiDG system thc Legislature ap-
propr.s.tcs this ecssion, say, five hundicd
thousand dollars. and directs the Com.
ns:ssioners to go Tn and spend
The money. II seems lha,
thty know how 10 do 80
although they do not know how 10 lay .
foundation without bringing the portict
oytr another msn's land. The next Leg
ls7a'ure will be asked to appropriate flv'
1uudrrd til; usa1d more for building
nLd rn inIcfinite sum fur r1gh. ot way
cytl somebody's laI1. Ard so It will s.
or, in defiance Of all the rults aid prln.
c!plts which govern men in lhe1r p1iya.,
bu:iress, csch appropriation making i
ncrt difficult to withhold or cu11al 1h'
L.,.. one.
Ii time to arrest this foolish and COZ.
-1pt business-not to lop of little her.
ard little there, but to stop the who'll
thing at once, and leave it until it can b
resumed on 'he ordinary principles G
bus1nlss prudence. We are not seekin
to deprive Springfield Of her plsythlng
but to save her, IS fnr as possible, frol
Total Generalization.