The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1871-01-07

The appropriation OF the public monev withou,
SnsHrmy OF law II Of itself OF such consequence,
thon e 20 anngersus AZ precedent, that have
I erai Assembly, and II the exigency justified the
ACT should be indemnihed by law TO be passed
the as act IN the
ances, without sufficient Justification il i
| proper That 1t he condemned and repudated
sembly, for the reason that the people have
| aaopted Constitution which every department of
; me government is bound to enforce, and none of
prohlpts the application Of the public money with
| OUT authority OF Jaw; yet exfgencies may arise
waen sneenuve ofcers are required to take
department In which the law making power resides
ana II that approval Is withheld, the officer must
aesept tne responsibilities of his acts, which, in a
Ease Tree rom criminal intent. would be to restore
| the State. :" WV "S"'ui' Vi
The natural question will present itself to the
GeheraI Assembly. what IL the present condition of
the penitentiary, and what policy shall be adopted
| 70 secure Its future usefulnesss The insti-
| sat,on contains 1889 convicts. The Commits
| moners report property on hand valued at $685.
80 6s; debts due the institution s155 $50 80 and
| aomt an Indebtedness of S332. S3s 1S which must
&C. pa,a; as the honor and the interests of the
otae alike demanded 1t; and II the present system
Oh otate control to be continued there ought to
De an appropriation Of at leQst $3.50 600 in addition
20 iema,n IN the treasury to meet the possible
fS .aIa of two years management. The
lease system. which will be urged, will not if
ADOPTED, relieve the State of the payment of the
SeDls OF me ms tuition and will also involve the
sacrince oil large portion OF the property of the
State now In use or held at the penitentiary 1t
also rejects considerations of humanity and all
reasonable nope of the reform Of the cOnvicts, and
overlooks the fact that experience has shown that
| lessees VIII ind methods. whatever may be the
changes ana ADVERTISEMENTS of business, to secure
| the State.
| There is no doubt that the penitentiary may,
| under tue syatem of State CONTROL be made self
feeding, clothing and guarding the prisoners: the
salaries of the officers created by 1aw should be
settled at the treasury, us are the salaries of all the
DINER officers of the government, and the expenses
OF returning G.-:!sarged conyicts to their homes,
and OF citizens clothinh ..cished discharged con-
| Nlcts, mat are not properly chaTseable TO the
Pe aisn should be Otherwise p,oyEa for
| In my Judgment
!. To make some single officer of the State
| responsible for Its management, and confer upon
bility of Commissioners elected for six years Is
100 remote, and when differences arise between
'hem, they have no common superior;
| y. 10 dlsc0nnect the prison management from
partisan politics. that the responsible officers may
appeal to the confidence and demand the sup
port 81! Of all the people Of the State;
| d. 10 authorize the payment of such salaries to
the warden, deputy warden, and necessary clerks,
will secure to services Of the most capable men.
Inc Commissioners cannot be expected to de.
vote their whole time to the management of the
entrusted to the warden Commissioners are nee
essary to overlook the discipline of the prison;
40 inspect and regulate all the details of its man
agement as prison. as auditors of the accounts of
the officers and employees: but as a financial bust
ness establishment it can be managed well only by
business man of the largest capacity and expert
ence, who is responsible ultimately to an officer
VINO VIII accept nothing short of success.
, IL must not be concluded, from what have said
that the management of the penitentiary deserves
the severe criticisms to which 1t has been from the
very outset subjected. The penitentiary was sud-
denly thrown upon the care of the State by the
aDie business men who were the lessees of the in
sttuton, for no other reason than that they could
not longer carry it on without severe loss to them
selves, even when the salaries OF Commissioners,
| money paid and clothing furnished discharged con-
Vlcts, and the value of all permanent improve
ments, were reimbursed them from the treasury.
II ought to be remembered that the Commission
ere, when they assumed its management, were
without experience, and, like almost every other
person In the State, under estimated the magnitude
OF Its business interests that the reputation Of
Work done IN the penitentiary, with some excep-
iiOns, was SO low that II was difficult to dispose of
tfreely without large sacrifice; that like every
other extensive business interest, that of the pen
tennary has felt the steady and constant depres-
sion OF values of all kinds, that has often COM
pelled the sale of manufactured products at less
than the cost of the raw material of which they
were made; and that the financial management
mas been ercely assailed to the great injury OF its
credit, and subjecting 1t often to serious embar-
BASEMENT. am satisfied that the investigation will
snow, Notwithstanding the errors that have so
freely commented upon, that the discipline now
the highest praise; and that the integrity
OF the Commissioners and warden Is above oil rea.
sonable suspicion.
THE REFORM SCHOOL.
by an act OF the General Assembly, approved
March 9th, 1857, provision was made for an insti-
tuition to be known as the State Reform School,"
under the management of five trustees, to be APP
pointed by the Governor. The trustees appointed
entered upon their duties, and afterwards selected
an appropriate site for their contemplated building
near Pontiac, In the county of Livingston, and
have proceeded to make arrangements for the re-
ceplion OF the classes of persons for whose de-
tehtion and reformation the institution was de-
signed.
The necessity for prison for juvenile offenders
Is severely felt, and great hopes have been en-,
not only be proper place for the confinement of
many young persons who are now detained in the
State penitentiary, but also for many who are. I'M
der existing laws, confined in the jas; and 1t was
also claimed by many that It might he made re-
form school, like institutions Of that name in
OHIO and Others OF the States. have never had
mere reformatory with prison for juvenile crimi-
nails, and am now of opinion that If that has been
at any time contemplated by the trustees of the Re-
form school at Pontiac, 1t will necessarily be aban
doncd at no distant day The report of the trus.
tees will be laid before the General Assembly, and
attention is respectfully asked to their reconlmen-
dations.
THK NEW STATE HOUSE.
The report OF the Commissioners OF the new
State House shows that satisfactory progress is
being made In the work. The detailed statement
of all the transactions Of the Board, presented
with the report, shows that they have discharged
their duty with sdelity -r-- ~, -
Suggesting ne necessities growing ont oii enc
aiS%My o, Providing for the comfortable accom-
MoaSt sS ol the largely increased number of men,
II uefs Or the General Assembly under the new Con-
stitution, the Commissioners recommend that the
sum of $sOoOOO be appropriated for the years 1871
and 1872, and with that sum they believe the new
State House can be made ready for the use of the
L. Twenty.eighth General Assembly. Before the
present session expires the General Assembly will
be Satisfied Of the necessity of early completion
Of the new State House, but 1t will also discover
that the appropriations demanded will swell to an
amount that will severely tax the patience of the
people The only means for raising money per-
mited by the Constitution, Is taxation, and appro-
{ priations for the new State House, whatever may
be the necessities for its early use, ought TO be
kept within limits that will not be too burdensome
to the tax payers of the State.
CANALS.
. The Report Of the Canal Commissioners.
charged with the Improvement of the Illinois
River is submitted to the General Assembly. The