The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-01-23
HOW ILLINOIS REPUBLICANS
BUILD STATE HOUSES.
A Possible Steal of a Million
of Dollars.
Special to the Chicago Tribune.


SPRINGFIELD, ILL.,, Jan. a. The house
committee to investigate the building OF
the new state house has made report set,
ting forth that they had ascertalned that
the state house commissioners had paid
about 81, 100000 to the penitentlary COM
missioners, and asking the passage OF
resolution authorizing them to investigate
the relations between the two commission
ers. The significance of this proposed in
vestigation is apparent, from the state
ments made to the investigating commit
tee by State House Commissioner Beve-
ridge and Architect Piquenard. By
the act of Feb. 25, 1867, for the erection
of new state house, it was specially pro-
vided, for the sake of economy, that all
material, including iron, stone, and labor,
which the penitentiary commissioners and
warden could furnish, should be procured
from the penitentiary and no other place
For this purpose it was provided that the
| state house commissioners should furnish
the penitentiary commissioners plans and
specifications in detail, that the latter
might furnish the labor and material re-
quired. Plans and specifications were ac-
cordingly procured from Bauer, Carter Il
Deakman, architects, of Chicago, together
with estimates for the work. This was in
| 1869. The estimates were made upon the
ordinary market rates for labor, and te
this was added 25 per cent in the value OF
the stone cut and ready to be laid in the
building-this tor
l. PROFITS. HANDLING, AND WASTE,
the design being that these should be paid
to go into the penitentiary fund, and, these
estimated. payment was made to the peni-
tentiary, the payments being, to use the
Language of one of the state house com.
missioners before the investigating com
mittee, from one of the states pockets into
the other, and the price fixed was not sub
ljected to such sharp scrutiny as woulC
have otherwise been the case Under this
arrangement the work was prosecuted un
til 1872. Messrs. Reed, Butz, and Rowett
then penitentiary commissioners, III 1872
acting under the penltentiary act, passeC
prior to the state house act, leased tn
prison labor to W, D. Richardson for fv
years. No contract for the stone-worl
was made with Richardson,-none coul
be made under the state house act,
being required that the work be done a
the penitentiary, from that time t
this Richardson has worked the convict
S upon the stone-work, and, from then unit
= now, he has been paid through the pen
Tertiary commissioners at the rate {
the estimates of Bauer, Carter & Deakmar
The rates tor work done are made out b
the state house commissioners in favor {
T" the penitentiary warden, and by him a
signed to Richardson, and the money draw
and paid him. Architect Piquenard,
charge of the building, stated to the inve
. tigating committee that the work cou
ho have been done by contract for $4,000
- less than has been paid. Bauer, Carter
Deakman's estimates are to be accepted
J accurate.
THE STATE HAS LOST $25O,000
on the work already done, that being Il
25 per cent. allowed in the estimates +
profits. Architect Piquenard. who is be
informed on the subject, however, puts t
amount at about $750,0OO. But, furthe
the allowance for labor in Bauer. Carter
Deakman's estimates, the fair market rat
of wages ruling in 1869. Richardson
contract for the prison labor is 81 cents I
diem for each man, which should be {
Quoted, the convict's board being furnish
by the state. The estimate is for work
IS. the Job, of mechanics, and it is not Gle
o how the rates of comparison between tt
and prison labor by the day can be est
. lished. In addition, the state turnlsi
the teams and does the hauling for Iii
ardson at Joliet.
WORK TWICE PAID FOR.