The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-02-21
From Springfie
REGISTRY LAW 4.

Monday by vote of 6S to 90. THIS shows u
Jack of nine votes of having enough to pass
the bill. OF course, of the % members az
sent, there must have been more ian tha'
favor the repeal, but whether thcy can DC
kept in the house long enough to vote is a
question. We notice that two CT our mem
bers, Soue and Hart, voted against the re-
neal. When these gentlemen again come
before the people asking for votes let them
explain on what ground they oppose the repeal
of law that promotes rather than prevents
fraudulent voting, and costs the people of
his county two thousand dollars year that
might as well be cast into the river.
SUPREME COURT.
All honor to the Casey boys! The bill to
wipe out the Supreme Court at Mt. Vernon
and Ottawa and concentrate it at Springfield,
was defeated in the House last Friday main
~ through the eXertions Of Senator Sam and
Representative Tom Casey. The two are
brothers, and the peculiarly of the case is,
hat the ground upon which the Supreme
Court House is built at Mt. Vernon was Civ
en- to the state by z. Casey, father of the two
brothers, on condition that it should belong
10 the state as long as it was used for the Su-
premc Court, but should the court be remov-
ed, the ground and buildings upon it should
revert back to Mr.. Casey's heirs the two
brothers above named AS the property is
worth $4,000, it was clearly the interest of
the boys to have the bill pass; yet they both
worked like troopers against 1t, and accom-.
plishcd its defeat
PRINTING FRAUDS.
There has been committee, headed by
Mr.. Bradwcll, at work for several weeks PAST
investigating the matter of state printing con
tracts. The facts brought tolight are neither
strange or remarkable. They show that the
publishers of the Journal and Register COM
hined to get the state printing at the highest
price allowed by law. When others came
there to bid for the work they were bought
off. Then good many double charges were
made for composition against the law So,
in all, about 100000 more were paid for the
state printing than reasonable and legal rates
would have amounted to. Then another over
charge of some $14 900 Is detected in the mat
Ter of printing blanks under the useless regis
try law, which, to say nothing Of printing
steals, otherwise costs the state some 100000
year On the whole, this printing steal
amounts to exactly what was to be expected
under the contract system as established by
The present law, and the only chance for re-
forming the abuse is TO pass law fixing
honest rates, and then elect public printer
and set an honest practical printer to watch
him, if one can be found!
THE INCuRABLY INSANE.
An interesting report was laid before the
Gnate on Monday in regard to the incurably
insane of the state. The report was prepared
by the Secretary of the State Board Of Chair
ties, and he reports the number Of incurably
insane persons in this state in 1870, as shown
by the census, to be 1925. The information
on this subject given by the census is not,
however, correct, as Is shown by an investi-
cation which was prosecuted by the secretary
of the board between the years 1869 and 1872.
IN the course of this investigation he cores
ponded with nearly every physician in the
state, and the result shows that there are about
2,400 incurably insane persons in Illinois,
and 600 who are durable.
The capacity of the different insane institu-
lions will be, when improvements now in
progress are completed, sufficient to accom-
modatc about 1900. The hospital accommO-
r. bout tlf, M
number, and when contemplated improve
ments are completed, they will be sufficient
20 accommodate /, 100. This will leave 300
insane persons in the state unprOyidcd for,
except by jails and almshouses, which in:ti-
tutions contain at present 645. This shows
that the existing institutions are entirely IN
adequate to the accommodation of the insane
Of the state, and the board recommend that
the number of the institutions be increased.
The report states that it would be injudiciOus
to separate the durable insane from the incur
able, but recommends that no very large
number OF either class be placed under one
superintendent. 1t also recommends that al
insane, both durable and incurablc, be cared
for at state expense.
STATE BOARDS.
Frequent reference having been made dur
ing the session in one house or the other to
our numerous and expensive state boards, the
following list of all of them has been prcpar-
ed for the information of members
TRUSTEES.
H.. 4,
Insane Hospital (Iacksonville). ........... 3
Blind Asylum -. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. j
feeDle-Mlnueu. .-,... -
Soldiers Orphans Home. ................ 3
Reform School OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. j
Northern Insane Hospital (Elgln). ........ 3
southern Insane Hospital ANNA ........ D
Normal University (NormaD .............1 10
Southern Normal University (Carbondale) j
Industrial University. ............ 80. >
Eye and Ear Intirmary Chicago. ........ j
COMMISSIONERS