, 1877-02-01
4 Steeplc Which Swclls Over the
Edifice Like tho Genie from
tho Bottle.
The Elegant Grabs Mr.. Richardson
Has Had at the States
Money.
His Stonework Default, and the
Startling Severity OF the
Punishment,
a Eat Job Fattcnod 40 Per Cent Dur
ing Period Of Disgrace"


Special Dt&patch to 1ae Tribune.
ernlEortELp, Jan. 3l.-rhcrc Is bit of his
tory that will be Of interest to taxpayers, Which
is buried Ia thu report OF tho 8tate-lIoise Com
mfssoncrs. 1t Is especially illustrative, this bit
Of history, u how the spirit OF public improve
ucnt scizcs upon public officials nowadays,-
hor precisely, 80 soon rs they arc lntrustcd with
the expenditure OF the peoples money, public
officials OF tho present day arc seized by tllts
spirit Of public improvement as inevitably % Is
an unacclt1natcd Northerncr by the yellow fever
o. Panama II he halts there during tho prcya-
lencc OF tho epidemic. 1t was what seized unon
william II. Tweed Wheu that great public I'm.
pFoyefncnt, the new City-uatl ut New York, fell
under ILLS charge. It Was
THAT IDENTICAL SPIRIT OF PUBLIC 1APRoyE-
NsET
thatlatd hold OF and possessed plastcrcr Carney,
and Dick Connolly, and the rest OF tho Tani-
many tribe, md tho satnc which Boss Shepherd
experienced In and around Washington City.
The chief symptom Of It IL that tho public official
ectzcd with this rampant spirit Of public improve
1ncnt always spends deal more Of the peoples
money thaa they l,ad authorized to be expended;
mud then, on tbs strength Of TINT willful VOLT
t!on of his duty, sets up as great public hcnc-
factor, md asks tho public to intrust him witt,
nurc money to br expended In the further pros
cc,stlon Of tho great public improvement.
That IL
rNECfsRlT WHAT TIIE COMMISSIONERS OF THE
Nhw srATE-uousE HAVE DONE.
And the fragments which now purpose digging
out Of their report and putting together constI
tutc tilat bit of history to which have referred,
nnl which altogether ought 10 bc mighty inter-
estnE reading to that large and Influential class
who ray tue taxes, atll who want to know what
they get for their money. The building Ut this
new Capitol, 1t will be remembered, WAS long
deferred, because tho people Of Illinois laboscd
under
THE L1vEL1EsT KIND or APPREHENSION
that tho new State-lIousc meant new steal or
new stcals, aud Oh large scale. but ere tho
flush times OF thu cru Of imitation llnl passed,
md beforo tho reaction hml set In, tho work
was begun. III 1870 the lE1uit was set to the ex-
pc,dtturc, md to tho iobs and stculs also, If
jobs a1id steals there were tn 1e III the erection
ofthe new state-l1ousc. BY the new Constitution,
the total sun, TO bc expended was limited to
SJ500o0o, unless tho people. by popular vote,
SHOULD authorize further outlay. In 1870 the
people hui a,all, begun to rreliun the cost. TIC
ktree8 0f l!IsA tiEncs Was not yet before them,
however, md thu limitation WIS in,ierd most
liberal. Even ut the Inflated prices wlel, ruled
during the War, g. 50U, ,D00 was qui,u sufficient
for the erection ot splendid clitcc, TINT should
bc IN tho full sc,lse of the terms durable and
substantial, ns well as work Of art architecture
ally considered, both externally and iutcrnulty
Now the *3,coo, ,tN0 have been expended.
FOR THEIR MUNKf,
the people have building OF marble and OF
fhtlt,-thc most grOtcsQuc combination OF tllu
paiatta! and EtlncEuek 0dtly,-hautIsomu In
5'!a.!y tsat,,res y the original plan, but dctacel
!,ar4onY Of proportion; and thu wllolc il uu-
iln'sh"t, md nut less than 81 ,0OJ moro will
~ required to complete the building, though
tue esttIAatcs, figured out, as:cstifI'atea always
are. Tor less than Ii required, put the figures ut
!css. Ills cstlmute Of Assistant Superintendent
BELL Ia S53l, Is: tint OF Architect Cuyltn,r
Is sCN, .;N,-hoth gentlemen figuring II down
" ttle vdd cents with that admirable precision
Will which nreAttccts aud surerintenuentB l,l..
ure 1t down to tho lust tIc,lIiy-un papur-lur
tlrir Sstsluates. Aild for thc sums 70 laborious.
EVERY SANE MAN KNOWS
ITO public building has been put lip In this coun-
tFy; at1l 1lo sane snnl, expects the now Stato-
!tullse, or niy utfer house, cat bc completed
!or what architects an1 Buperintrndcnta who
ngurc It down 10 the odd cents rstlIltats what
thu work Tan lie done fur. The Commissioners,
Inspired by tlat lFrcEressIhlu sl!rt Ut public lin
psovemsnt which I'll llrsu times tt,sscssps thusc
ilttusteu With the expenditure OF tho peoples
iunncy, naturally tgnorr tllu odd cents arl t!le
oda dollars, uHd III their rrpurt state 1t thus:
II 70 tlse Judgment OF thu Commissioners that for
about St50, ooo to $t71, uuD Thu ratvftor eau b.
ptss.trrsd. aud .l.s 'ntsror iin!al,r1 III plain
with the other tniesiof wurk, nus In u s.yls 10
@ ots9t ~ '1 ,Ss u se ptaps TINT f..
style In harmony with tIa nfrrugo N thu nn.sbcl
pa1l* and ou The whule, perhaps, quits sltl.iuc.
y nass .u,pas*' IS ~, any pubic Inilate ~,
thss continent, mailing tr inssrfur Of ll.o rosHu!a
Snan %h1i 4 should 1c. 'hs eso~nng feasuse Ut lie
"1llR JunoMrN1 or rnB coxN,ss1oNEas"
gvoA phrase. III the Judgment uf these
same Commissioners, only twu years ago, whcn
they came before thu Legislature asking t!lc NJ.
saa9,ooo, that APPROXIMATION would sulilcs to
tenn4plete thu building. They Ind then tllrlr r.
tnatcs, and those OF their architect, md plans,
a!a Specifications, and al that sort IT rubbish,
LEGISLATURE thnt with tllat appropriation tho
building would bo completed, but t!lu Cons
n,!sssoners tsn had ley to s4y about "stYIe 10
.asst t',e nppEoYat ot she ~holc peoplr, uud
nhed parts ol thu building" Yet It is tic styla
1uat has i'll thu tins ryiGusly concerned tkcil,,
~. ~ do,s ony public officials wllca ssIzed with
%s S''1 hpx ot hn r. tho psopls. e.
ny nd'lA Sa,SN,oo0 state-Iiousc. They pr.Ave,l-
s,,. I'll " putting on style np"n thu hui1lsng., to
Stata ,a II fourandlalt oF i've million dOllur
T.. TIlEr PITT on srrlg urox THE poxn.
IN fleis repoEt they say the change Ii, the ma
hetal ioF tisla fru. rui, to stone, arld the ill.,
IFe1se niadc In the outside diameter AMI height
1sxuaed 9uaed necessary by tbs aettng architect In
lal!y Developing .l!s plans to p1escryc the
giopeE proportions. incTcuse,i the cost 1885,
SSss7." Ssss7. Eor this Increased outlay tbs peouis
Aa'e thn dome Ut "pruper pruuurtIons." Aud
NAAvkL OF 4 u0Mx IT IS!
mean, not af Itself, but viewed tu its relation
~ Ire fs'nsludef Ut the building. When viewed
GG:t.iattoH of the aetiux architect, sud Ut ths
commissioners who atlopted hi notion, tie
Eopsf Proportion was determined by this rule,
sii: nexii: That state-IIouse without steepls
would be no 6tate-Hu4ss Ut sll; aud tkst
70 % an almighty Etato-lIouse, such
~! = should bent ths peace and tiiGntty VI
sa sMs great State, 1t should have III a.
a8ott eteep1e UPON It. And It h4a. This