, 1873-03-31
SPRlNCFlELD.
Some Legislative Sketches.
The Personnel of the Senate.
From Our 0.on Correspondent.

BrRTFaf1ELp, Ill.,. March %, 1879.
ALo8islaturo may bo disadvantage to town,
but thero arc advantages connected with ita soe-
eiona TINT would DO valued by almost any COM
munity, particularly Springfield, whoro thoro ls
but little life Or Excitement, t,-nothing but tho
average number Of births, doaths, md ,narriagoB,
with ecarcely over robbery (unloHs porpo-
trasod by strangers who como to make laws), and
only onco In long while murdor to alarm DO
olety and DO frightful subject Of conversation.
The monotony is bfohon at 1oast onco, and
eomett1nes twtco, eyory two yenrs, whom from
every county In tho State come tho representa-
tivos Of tho people to perform tho exalted
duttoB imposed upon thom by admitting con-
Btituoncos, for e5 a day. Most Of this
money Is circulated In tho town, giving trado an
impetus; boarding -houAes and hotels are A1lod;
shoemakers, and tailors, md dealers In cocktails
re1otoo md arc glad; and oyen tho bootb1ackB
and newaboya ahhro In tho general prosperity.
Thon 1t la good show, to which everybody Ia
admitted FREQ. From tho galleries, 200 strange
physto8nomios Gun DO watched in their varying
moods, aachhngoablo as q Kaleidoscope. Speeches
Tor which lawyers would charge from sB to $500,
In criminal court, aro poured out aa grntui-
toua diffusion Of knowledge. information, agri-
CULTURAL horticultural, scientific historical, geo.
graphical, geological legal, arithmottcnl, goo
motrcal,-valuablo and worthlosa, good, bud, and
fndfdrorcnt--ia squaudored by thoao generous
men With reckless profusion. Old iokoBrevamped
arc seWed up ns now. There Ia oloquonce poetic
and patriotic; odd gestures, that would bring q
emio to tho lipa Of mummy; sonso, nonsense,
fun, frolio, btuif, and BtateamsnBhlp, "a eyory-
thing by starts, and nothing long !; and all to be
seen at tho extremely low charge OF nothing.
EVory ono IL dead-head to the State show. It
fharA rv1x t1n
is frequently not feif as amusing. Faot,
Tho Legislative theatre has been in session
three months. There hare boon almost 100 por-
forrnances In succession, and 24 individual
actors. Some Of them hayo taken first parts
como second pnrts somo hayo been, In theat-
rica1 parlauco, "supes." Thoro nro few " star"
actors among them. It would be labor OF love
to notice zach and every one; hut they arc too
many, and tho reader must bo gatiafiod With
glimpse Of those who oaporod most conspio-
uously. Hero they arc:
TIE PRESIDENT OF THE BENATE
occupies tho sent Of honor, and ia tho "obEervod
Of all observors who enter the doors Of tho
senato. He is boarded like brush, and hss On
honoat pair Of eyoB In well-fagorod cpun-
tcnanco. Ho prcsidos with dignity, and means
to be impartial in his decisions. For ono who
has had no previous training in the trying posi-
ton Of presiding otficer he has done bettor
than could hago bcen expected. Occasionally ho
IL potulant, whom provoked by senatoru !; but fs
gonlal, easy man, with good impulses.
soME SENATORS.
Baldwin, Of LaSnl1o, is o venerable gentleman,
with m abiding iutoroBt In agricultural and cdu-
cational subjects. He Is no orator, and very
Bensibly refrains from trying to bo ono.
BROOKS, or WILL,
is an old youngstor, with round face, as fresh
as baby's; man who novor made. i speech
but sits and thinks all the ti1ne of the Illinois
River, and the Penitentiary. These arc his hob
bies, particularly tho river. He devoted him
eelf this session to worrying tho river appropri-
trates bis strength on particular measure, ho
can help It immensely. There was not happier
mortal on earth than Mr. Brooks when tho bill
passed..
nnowr, OF MORGAN,
IL q dfmtnutive blonde, q good lawyer who can
talk we'll II he liltca, but seldom docs. He is the
representative Of tho Jacksonville Institutions.
Members from that district are sent here to So
they stand show Of going 10 Congress; but, Il
thay don't, thoy do political death.
DunNB, OF ADAMs,
Is q kcon-l looking customer, = helf-mhde man, Of
wenlth and common sense, Chairman of the Rev.
enuo Committee. md the devoted servant Of tho
pretty city Of Quincy.
oANF1ELD
halls from Kane Immediately from Aurora,
which ho osteems tho pride Of Illinois, Perhaps
" huIoih too tets!eteAtJ.s " tac ula-
advantage Of other placoa and IL apt to estimate
Legislation BY ita cffeot on TINT sweet town. Ho
wears mustache and goateo, has m intelligent
physlognomy, and talks with fire when ronaod
As lawyer, he ranks With the best in tho sen-
ato. Ho suffers from minority representation,
to which he is bitterly opposed and ia said to
espatiate In hia sleep against it.
oAsEY, OF JEFFERSON,
Is in the Senate by hereditary right, his fathos
having boen thero hoforo him. Tho Casey family
arc well-known and dhlgh]y-eEtoemed in Southern
Illinois. Thoy havo boen in public lifo for hnlf
century,~-the aucestor, with the instinct for
politics natural to N 1rishmau, having set tho
boys m example they have oheerfully followed. !
4 General Assembly without Casey in some
shape or other soons to bo impossible In Illi-
nois. The coming eenoration Of Caseys will
furnish SUCCESSORS to the present. Mr. Thomas
s. Casey was iu tho last House, and his brother,
Newton r., from Mound City, is in this Houee,
and Was in that of 1850. the Senator is re-