, 1877-09-21
TIE SOUTHERN PENITENT1AHY.

Tbs approval Of Chostor % tho sito Of tho
now Penitontiary scoms to confirm tho
suspicion TINT hna obtaiued very goncr.
ally to the effect that Mr. JAcon uuNN still
has moro influence over tho Government at
Springfield than public opinion exerts. Mr..
BuSS's power has boen Of long duration, md
he uses It without stint Tho pooplo have
already patd doarly for 1t in tie construction
of tho state-11ouse, for which thoy will be
called upon next year 70 vote half million
dollars in excess Of the constitutional e1pentli-
tuFo Of s., zoo, 600; and, now that tho stato
officers havo yielded 10 Mr.. BuNn again, wo
presume something Of tho sauao experience
will be lived through. In the caso Of tho now
Penitentiasy. Every consideration Of public
intorcst was opposed to Its location at Ches.
tor a. much aa 10 itY location at Grand
Tower. Grand Tower was rejected by
tho Approving Board, aud tho reasons
they gave for the actfon were good and sufi1-
cicnt tho samo reasons applied to Chester.
but Mr. JAcon BUNK owned property at Chea-
ter which lo desired to sell, and possibly had
other interests which will bo fayorably nj.
footed, and tho State officerz approve OF tho
location thero without giving any reasons,
There ia no cauao for wonder at their failure
To descant on their action, since they could
only have aaid Of Chester tho worry things
which led them to reject Grand ToweF,-
unless, indeed, they had frankly admitted
that their choico was influenced by JAoou
BusN's land interests and certain 1ailroad In.
forests said 10 10 involved In tho scheme,
Tho Approving Board, which has deter
mined upon tllis location, consists OF 4. Ii.
Cu1Iou, Govoruor; r. D. NEEDLES, Auditor:
md JAMES X. EDsALI, Attorney General,
But tho chief responsibility for tho selection
resta upon doy. Cu11ou. IIe appointed
tho Commissioners who made 1t in
the first instance, and his associ-
ates on the board wero evidently In.
1uenccd by his singular determination that
tho location should be at Chester, and no.
whero olso. Tho responsibility Tho Coy
ernor has assumed is serious one. Tho an
preparation for the building Of the Paniteu-
tiary is 5o0o,o It was evidently the ill.,
tention OF tho Legislature that its entire
cost should come within that Hgu.e, as the
cost Of the site and expenses In selecting 1t
were limited To 100000 by tho act; Tho
main purpose of tho appropriation, too, was
to afford tho quickest possible relief to tho
overcrowded condition Of tho Joliet prison.
II the construction Of the new Penitentiasy
be dragged cut after the manner Of the State
House; it its cost exceed largely the limit
Of The appropriation ; 1t the Chester stone
prove 10 be OF inferior quality; II the State
10 aeeced In the cost Of transporting the
stone from the quarry to the building site;
II the cost Of other material bo Increased by
inaccesaibility Of the locationi II railroad
ring BE- formed with monopoly on the
transportation Of prisoners, supplies, aud the
product OF prison labor; It the remoteness
Of Chester from good market depssciate
tie value Of convict Labor; II the site prove
unhealthy; II 1t bo SO remote - TO occasion
special risk aud cost IN transferring ths p1is.