TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 1887-10 O'CLOCK A. M. Senate met, pursuant to adjournment. Hon. A. W. Berggren, President pro tempore, presiding. The journal of yesterday was read, and ordered to stand approved. PRESENTATION OF PETITIONS. Mr. Adams presented a petition from legal voters of Wayne county, Illinois, praying the enactment of the county option law, giving counties the right to prohibit by a majority vote the sale of intoxicating liquors as a beverage within their limits. Which, on motion of Mr. Adams, was referred to the committee on license and miscellany. Mr. Higgins presented a petition from citizens of school district No. 3, of Waterloo, Monroe county, Illinois, praying that the act entitled "An act to establish a system of graded schools in Waterloo and vicinity," approved March 29, 1869, be repealed. Which, on motion of Mr. Higgins, was referred to the committee on education and educational institutions. Mr. Higgins presented a petition from residents of school district No. 3, praying that the legislature do not repeal the charter of the Waterloo graded school. Which, on motion of Mr. Higgins, was referred to the committee on education and educational institutions. Mr. Pearson presented a petition from members of Perry Lodge, No. 98, Detective Company of Perry, Illinois, praying an amendment to the law in relation to the detection and apprehension of horse thieves and other felons. Which, on motion of Mr. Pearson, was referred to the committee on agriculture and drainage. Mr. Seiter presented a petition from the farmers of the 18th Congressional District of Illinois, praying that the 35th General Assembly will favorably consider such legislation as will discrimi Mr. Torrance presented the following dissent from the majority report of the committee on penal and reformatory institutions upon the foregoing bill, which reads as follows, viz.: The undersigned, a minority of the committee on penal and reformatory institutions, to whom was referred Senate Bill No. 7, respectfully dissent from the majority report for the following among other reasons: The adoption of the amendment to the constitution prohibiting the further employment of convicts by contractors, thereby necessitating a change in our present prison system presents to this legislature a question of great importance to the people and one demanding careful deliberation and wise judgment. With a treasury almost bankrupt, we do not believe this the time to venture on an experiment involving the expenditure of one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars, and to say that the passage of this bill would be an experiment, is to state the matter very mild. It is our judgment the publishing of text books for the public schools in the manner provided in this bill is entirely impracticable, and such has been the judgment so far as we have heard of every person appearing before the committee. We feel safe in stating further that it is the judgment of the men who have made prison management a study, that it is no solution of the question we are now trying to solve, but is simply giving employment to one hundred men at an expense to start with of one hundred and seventyfive thousand dollars, leaving two thousand two hundred convicts in the penitentiaries of the State for this legislature or the next to provide for. If $1,750 for each convict must be appropriated out of the State treasury, that being the rate provided in this bill, in order to make the change required from the present system to some other, then the tax-payers must expend four million and twenty-five thousand dollars to start with. If this is the best solution of the vexed question that can be devised, we hardly know which will be the greater sufferer, the convict by his imprisonment, or the tax-payer by the confiscation of his property. We do not believe, however, that there is any necessity for such action. It is not the place in this report to discuss what might or ought to be done, but only to declare that in our judg ment, we should not take such action as is proposed by this bill. It has been contended in favor of this bill that in return for the appropriations granted, text books would be furnished the patrons of the public schools free, and the saving in this way would greatly exceed the appropriations made. We seriously doubt this, but if it is true, it does not prove this is the best or most proper way to destroy the present high prices of text books. It was demonstrated to the committee that text books for the schools can be published at a much less rate by persons who are engaged in the business, than by convict labor. In fact we believe the cost of publication by convicts would more than double the cost otherwise. When we take into consideration that skilled men must be employed to superintend the different kinds of labor required, and teach the convicts how to perform the work required of them, it will readily be seen it would furnish a good place for a number of salaried state employes and that the books could not be published as cheap as by those engaged in the business. We believe if it is the intention of this legislature to furnish text books to the public schools free, that if it will make a direct appropriation from the State treasury for that purpose, provide for uniformity throughout the State, and then buy of the person who will sell at the lowest price, competition will settle the monopoly in prices of text books at one-half or one-fourth the expense to the tax-payer of the proposed system. The charge that the price of text books is too high may be conceded, but the cheapest and quickest way to remedy the evil is the one in which the public are interested. To fly from one evil to another would neither be wise statesmanship nor good policy. Reason and experience unite in proving a direct appropriation under a bill properly framed to create competition would be much cheaper than the proposed system if it could be made to work, which we do not believe, and the convicts can be worked in some other manner more profitable to the State. We are unwilling to permit a matter of this importance to come from the committee, and as the Erst expression of the committee upon the future policy of the State under the amendment, without entering our solemn protest to action fraught with so much evil and expense. We therefore recommend that the bill do not pass. GEO. TORRANCE, A. M. STRATTON, A. J. BELL, A. J. REAVILL, Mr. Torrance offered as an amendment to the foregoing motion by Mr. Chapman, that the aforesaid minority report be referred with the majority report, to the committee on appropriations. Which amendment prevailed. The question being, "Shall the foregoing motion as amended be adopted?" it was decided in the affirmative. Thereupon Mr. Gibbs moved to reconsider the vote by which the foregoing reports, viz.: The majority and minority reports of the committee on penal and reformatory institutions, upon Senate Bill No. 7, were referred to the committee on appropriations. And the question being, "Shall the vote by which the aforesaid majority and minority reports of the committee on penal and reformatory institutions upon Senate Bill No. 7, were referred to the committee on appropriations, be reconsidered?" And the yeas and nays being demanded, it was decided in the affirmative by the following vote, viz.: Yeas, 27; nays, 15: Those voting in the affirmative are: Messrs. Bacon of Edgar, Bell, Cantwell, Cochran, Crawford, Curtiss, Darnell, Dean, Eckhart, Evans, Forman, Gibbs, Greenwood, Hadley, Higgins, Hill, Hogan, Johns, McGrath, Organ, Seiter, Shutt, Strattan, Sumner, Thompson, Torrance, Wheeler.-27. Those voting in the negative are: Messrs. Bacon of Will, Berggren, Burke, Chapman, Crabtree, Garrity, Humphrey. Knopf, Orendorf, Pearson, Reinhardt, Southworth, Stephenson, Streeter, Washburn-15. The question then recurring upon the motion of Mr. Chapman as amended to refer Senate Bill No. 7, together with the majority. and minority reports of the committee on penal and reformatory institutions, to the committee on appropriations, and that said committee be instructed to report thereon at an early day, Mr. Stratton moved that the whole question, being the further consideration of Senate Bill No. 7, as aforesaid, lie on the table. Which motion was lost. Mr. Curtiss moved to amend the foregoing amendment of Mr. Chapman, as amended relative to the reference of Senate Bill No. 7, to the committee on appropriations, by striking out that part of said motion which requires said committee on appropriations to report thereon at an early day. Which motion was lost. Mr. Hadley moved as a substitute for the foregoing motion of Mr. Chapman, as amended, that Senate Bill No. 7, together with the majority and minority reports thereon by the committee on penal and reformatory institutions, be referred to the committee on appropriations without recommendation. The question being "Shall Senate Bill No. 7, and the majority and minority reports thereon by the committee on penal and reformatory institutions be referred to the committee on appropriations without recommendation?" and the yeas and nays being demanded, it was decided in the affirmative by the following vote, viz.: Yeas, 33; nays, 6. Those voting in the affirmative are: Messrs. Bacon of Edgar, Bacon of Will, Bell, Burke, Chapman, Crabtree, Curtiss, Darnell, Dean, Eckhart, Forman, Garrity, Greenwood, Hadley, Hill, Hogan, Humphrey, Johnson, Knopf, McGrath, Organ, Pearson, Reinhardt, Seiter, Shutt, Southworth, Stephenson, Streeter, Sumner, Thompson, Torrance, Washburn, Wheeler.-33. Those voting in the negative are: Messrs. Cantwell, Crawford, Gibbs, Johns, Orendorf, Strattan.-6. Thereupon the President of the Senate ruled that the last named motion by Mr. Hadley, was not a substitute for the previous motion by Mr. Chapman, referring Senate Bill No. 7, with the majority and minority reports of the committtee on penal and reformatory institutions, to the committee on appropriations, with instructions that said latter committee report thereon at an early day, but was in the nature of an amendment to said motion by Mr. Chapman. And the question then recurring upon the motion by Mr. Chapman, as amended by the motion of Mr. Hadley "That Senate Bill No. 7, together with the majority and minority reports thereon by the committee on penal and reformatory institutions, be referred to the committee on appropriations without recommendation?" it was decided in the affirmative. SPECIAL ORDER. The hour of 11:30 o'clock having arrived the President pro tem. of the Senate announced it as the time for the special order, being the further consideration of Senate Bill No. 235, for "An act for the relief of Manuel H. Boals, of Alton, Illinois" on second reading. Whereupon, Mr. Crawford moved to suspend the rules for the purpose of introducing a bill. And the yeas and nays being demanded it was decided in the affirmative by the following vote: Yeas, 38; nays 1. Those voting in the affirmative are: Messrs. Adams, Bacon of Edgar, Bacon of Will, Bell, Berggren, Burke, Cantwell, Cochran, Crabtree, Crawford, Dean, Eckhart, Evans, Forman, Garrity, Gibbs, Greenwood, Hadley, Higgins, Hill, Hogan, Humphrey, Johns, Johnson, Knopf, McGrath, Orendorf, Pearson, Reinhardt Seiter, Shutt, Southworth, Stephenson, Strattan, Sumner, Thompson, Washburn and Wheeler-38, Mr. Chapman voted in the negative. Whereupon Mr. Crawford introduced a bill, Senate Bill No. 305, for "An act to amend sections 59 and 60 of the act entitled 'An act to revise the law in relation to counties,' approved March 31, 1874, as amended by the act of May 20, 1879," and On motion of Mr. Crawford, the rules were suspended, and the bill was read at large a first time, and On motion of Mr. Crawford, was referred to the committee on judiciary. By unanimous consent Mr. Hill introduced a bill, Senate Bill No. 306, for "An act to prevent certain boards and commissions and the State institutions from becoming partisan," and On motion of Mr. Hill, the rules were suspended, and the bill was read at large a first time, and On motion of Mr. Hill, was referred to the committee on judicial department. HOUSE MESSAGES. A message from the House, by Mr. Melick, Third Assistant Clerk: Mr. President: I am directed to inform the Senate that the House of Representatives has passed bills of the following titles, in the passage of which I am instructed to ask the concurrence of the Senate, to-wit: |
