, 1869-02-26
THE STATE HousR QUESTION.

The STATE Journal alleges that our op-
position 10 the new State House scheme,
on it's present basis, proceeds from hostil-
ity to the city Of Springfield. This is
explicitly untrue. We stated, in the
article to which The Journal refers, that
we were not seeking to deprive Spring
f:ld OF htr playthings, hut to put stop
TO unmitiEa'ed and unconcealel corrup.
tion. The report of the Senate Commit
tee On Public Buildings furnishes ample
and abundant confirmation OF all that we
have said. 1tappcars from this report that
100000 out of 7450,o00 has already been
wasted By the Commissiouers-wasted
as completely as though tie money had
been thrown into the scs. We do not
bc'itvc that it was thrown Into the sea,
however.
We have no desire to take The Capitol
away from Springfield. we have no cx.
rccsa'l;n Of doing so. We do not be-
licve any body has any such expectation.
We are even willing that new Stato
ucu1e should be built there, provided
1t be done honestly and eco.
nomicaliy. We think it would
be ier the bc.er to postpone the
work upcn It until the Constitutional
Convention meets, go that whatever
money is to be expended upon 1t may be
obtained al once, and the contracts let
Tor tic whole work under bonds for their
1uld]mcnt. just IS private individuals do
similar wo1k. We believe that money
can he saved in that way even If tho
100000 e'ready expended be lost. We
do not quite Fee the necessity Of cxpcnd-
lrE thrte millions OF dollars On State
House IN any case. We have had some
experience In stone md mortar latc1y,
having erected ns good bnilding
In proportion 10 Its size as the new S.nte
Ioutc will be when finished. To cxpend
three millions OF dollars honestly and
economically The new State House will
nscd 10 lit fifteen times the size Of the
Tn,ursE building. 1t must completely
Coytr IN urea tgual to tho Court
1feusc tQusru In This city.
1}u. We DO not object 60
much IN tho ceel of the builtinK as 10 tho
wnssc nrd traul intending It. II /. DO puff
turd on Int cxtslinE pian and Under the
rxl"'tnE management. The rcporl oG Tho
krnh'c. rnr ,ntlseo In equivalent TO II
vc'rof want nf Conlilenou Ia the Com
,n,tsiom r., ntul neck s,hrIly oxcla'lua tllHnl
Tram I,;hrra In |he !ul.,re board to 10 nf,'
lnln'td l'y The Goytrnor.
Thu thafoughncAs anu ilrmncsa exhlb-
i.r.l in tle report ol Senator saapp.
II adopted by the Legislature. will 80 far
to reconcile the people To tho cnnssruc'
lion Of Il new State House. We have not
tho smallest expectation that the wo1l
will he toLc for three millions o
dollars on any plan OF voting
money from year to year for the Com
missioners to spend, however honest thcl
may be. That is not the way 10 bull
anything. But the Constitution pro
hibits the making ofany contract beyoo
the means actually in the treasury
Hence We think it would be wiser T.
possp5ne the construction OF til
State House until the conyentIo'
meets nexr December, when the none
can be lawfully raised to prt the #hol
work ur1cr contract. The Requirement
that The stone shall be furnished by th
Teni:entiary is coed one, and nj
pElye economical, unless Duckmas.er
Co. succeed in wrcnching that instit1
ton, with its valuable improvement
from the cen'rol Of the State.