, 1872-12-30
SPRINGFIELD.
Report os the Secretary Of State-:ScyV
Interpretations E5c. nccisicd by


Law.
Special rssr.ieh to TIE Ca;c&:o !r;l,ac.
SPD1SGE1.1-3, ILL.,, Dec. 1s--T::c Secretary Of
Slate las la:ts his Biennial report lcforo the
Governor. 1t contains Z pretty thorough state
ment Of O. Department that heretofore has
been little known and less understood by tho
people. It beSi4a ;yi.ll the statement that tho
law requiring T:rcrt from the Secretary OF
State, WAS approved April !, 1872. Up to that
date. tho records vera so kept as to make it
almost Impossible to collect the information ro-
ouired by the law. The work Of print
ing and binding laws aud journals Of the
Tweuty-seycuth General Assembly has been
somewhat delayed. The lawa volume Of eight
hundred pages, WAS distributed soon after the
adjournmen! Of the Legislature. Two volumes
of reports, OF eight hundred pnges, have been
distributed. Two moro, nearly complete, will
econ be distributed. Ono volume of the jour
nails has been sent out. Tho remaining two will
coon be-. i tatle is submitted showing q COM
paratiye statement Of the cost OF printin. from
1S59-60 to 1912, and the amounts raid in
that time. In 1866 the amount paid
was S5G,G6013; for 1912, although
greatly larger amount WAS ordered printed,
showing tie cost Of printing exhibits the fact
that the price per 1000 cms'' for the last Legs-
leturo was less than paiu for twenty years by
nearly one-half. With reference to the recent
mandatory in its terms, and the Commissions,
Auditor, Secretary Of State. aud Treasurer, hay
ing no discretion in the NATTER they were COM
PEELED under its provisions to award the contract
for all the classes on the only bid received,
which vas made by ". Fl. Bailhache, and Z. L.
Merrill. The price to be paid is the amount al
lowed by law. Tho contract for binding ia lcsa
by more than one-half than it 1las be.n
for twelve ycara. The cost OF binding
for the Twenty-zeyenth General Assembly Is
less by nearly six Thousand dollars than Was the
the TTenty-sixth and nearly two thousand less
than the Twenty-ffth General Assembly.
The contract for furnishing printing paper is
tho most favorable to the State over known.
eight cents. A largcly increased amount OF
printing paper has been used in consequence Of
every bill presented being ordered printed in
large quantities, whether it is passed or not.
There has never been any system followed in
| filing engrossed laws, as per consequence they
are difficult to find. Il is suggested that tho
Secretary Of State be authorized to have these
bills arranged so as to make reference to them
easy. Duplicate copies Of the census Of 1870 are
| received and properly disposed Of. He recon-
| mends Burenu of Statistics to be arranged sep
| arate from the library.
The large increase in defraying the cost Of
blanks for the General Assembly, exhausted tho
| appropriation for these purposes, and loan Of
ten thousand dollars Was effected, carrying On
the Department The loan was received on the
joint note Of the State oficers, and falls due
! March 1st 1873 The appropriations for the i'm
| mense work to be done in the Office. have been
found to be altogether inadequate. The Libra
| ~ is we'll arranged and contains many valuable
books, standard works, 1850 volumes, and in all
32,750.
In conclusion, in retiring from the Office, de-
sire, in this public manner, to express my obli-
cations to those who have co-operated with me,