The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1871-06-17

"The 8psingAeld Victory"
The Joliet Signal 10 not usually given to
clap-trap, or absurd and ridiculous gabble
on any subject, 90 that We confess We have
read with good deal Of surprise the follow
ing comment in that paper ON what it calls
the Springfield Victory"
The bill appropriating 100000 for carry
ing on work on the new State House, being
erected at Springfield, passed the Legislature,
on the 18th instant, by vote of 100 to "a.
1t does not appear just how much money
was appropriated by the Springfield ring to
carry their measure, but it is charged that
newspapers were paid As high as fifteen
thousand dollars for their influence and mem
bers of the Legislature as high as ten thousand
dollars for their votes. The amount expen-
ded In this manner must have been $20O, 1000
at least. But let it not be understood that
this money will be lost to the ring. The
State House commissioners, it is said, are
pledged to refund every cent paid for the sue
cess of the appropriation. The $500, 900 will
be taken from the 100000 and charged to
the account of labor, brick and material:
The people will have to furnish the meney for
buying up members of the legislature and
newspapers. Springfield managers have had
too much experience in tho business to pay
money out of their own pockets, when they
can have access to the state treasury.
Experience has shown, of late years partc-
ularly, that buildings erected by the national
or state governments, always cost more than
the same class OF buildings erected by private
individuals 1t is very possible, therefore,
that the work on the state house at Spring
field, as far as it has gone, has cost more, I'M
der the somewhat complicated and bungling
official machinery by which it has been man.
aged, than if Potter Palmer had erected it on
his private account. But this at least must
be conceded, that after the closest scrutiny, by
two or three different legislative committees,
some friendly and some hostile the commiss-
toner's, not dollar of stealing" on tho part
of the commissioners has been discovered,
and not a dollar misapproprlated, unless we
except the extravagant pay allowed to few
architects. To charge the commissioners,
therefore, with stealing 100000 to buy up
presses and members Of the legislature, Mr..
Farley must see is purely gratuitous assump-
tion-absurd and ridiculous.
The cost of the state house is limitedby the
constitution to $3,5oo,00o. The commission.
ers, who are men Of the highest reputation,
stand pledged to complete it for that sum OF
less: and while all candid architects and bull
ders who have examined the work agree that
it can be completed for that sun, they admit
that there will be littleto spare. With thu
assurance, would 1t be good sense, as ques-
ton of economy, to remove the capital to
Peoria, where the cost Of the state house
would be unlimited by the constitution b, !
The Springfield correspondent of tn.
Chicago Times, who fought for Peoria through
thick and thin during the whole state capital
controversy, sets the Signal an example,
after the contest is over, which we commend
to Mr.. Farley as eminently sensible and worthy
of imitation. That correspondent writes un-
der date of June l2: e..
The state house is at last settled, and it is
thought all who are interested in the welfare
of the state will coincide with the settlement,
whether they entirely approve Of it or not.
The question was one which was likely to
produce a sectional contest in the state, and
in such a contest all experience shows that the
true interests Of the people are the first to suf-
fer, and the most likely to be permanently
injured a