FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 1882-10 O'CLOCK A. M.

The House met, pursuant to adjournment.

The Speaker in the chair.

Prayer by the Rev. Mr. Hale.

The journal of yesterday was read and approved; thereupon, Mr. Youngblood moved that the question now pending, and which was under consideration at the time of adjournment yesterday afternoon, be made the special order for next Thursday, the 6th of April, 1882, at 10 o'clock A. M.

And the motion prevailed.

Mr. Collins of Cook, by consent, called up the following Senate preamble and joint resolutions, and moved concurrence therein:

WHEREAS, The agricultural, commercial and manufacturing interests of the Northwest, and no less those of the entire country, are largely dependent for their development upon a full enjoyment of facilities for the transportation of products and commodities; and WHEREAS, The two great interior water routes of transportation in the United States are those of the Mississippi river from north to south, and of the Lakes, with the Erie Canal and Hudson from west to east; and

WHEREAS, A direct all-water connection between these two great routes is indispensable to a complete service to the interests which so imperatively demand improved and cheaper routes of transportation, since without such a connection there can be no real use by the Northwest of a water route to the East, nor by the East to the Northwest; therefore,

Resolved, That the Senate, the House concurring, respectfully memorialize the Congress of the United States to authorize, provide for and direct, at its present session, an early construction of a canal for commercial purposes from Hennepin, on the Illinois river, westward to the Mississippi river, on the most feasible route.

Resolved. That our Senators in Congress be instructed, and our Representatives be requested, to use all possible and proper exertions to secure from the body in which they respectively serve, the passage of a bill, at the present session, ordering the immediate beginning of the work of constructing the canal herein mentioned, and to vote liberal appropriations therefor, to the end that the said canal may be completed and opened to the commerce of the country at the earliest possible date.

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions, duly signed by the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, and attested by the Secretary of this body, be forwarded to each of the Illinois Senators and Representatives in Congress, in order that the same may be duly presented to the respective bodies in which they serve.

The question being, "Shall the foregoing preamble and resolutions be adopted?" it was decided in the affirmative.

Mr. Wright of DuPage, by consent, called up House Bill No. 1 in the order of second reading, a bill for "An act appropriating onehalf of the interest on the College and Seminary Fund for the ordinary expenses of the Illinois State Normal University at Normal." Which was read at large a second time, when

Mr. Perrin offered the following amendment thereto :

Amend by striking out the enacting clause.

Whereupon, Mr. Youngblood moved that Mr. Perrin's amendment be made a special order for next Friday, the 7th of April, 1882, at 10 o'clock A. M..

And the motion prevailed.

Mr. Youngblood, by consent, offered the following preamble and resolution :

WHEREAS, It is desirous that this Legislature complete the work for which it was called together at as early a day as practicable; therefore,

Resolved, That for the purpose of obtaining more time for committees of this House to perform the work imposed upon them, the hour of assembling of this body shall be nine o'clock A. M.

And the resolution was referred to the committee on rules. Mr. Niehaus offered the following preamble and joint resolution, which was referred to the committee on canal and river improvement:

WHEREAS, The question is now pending of submitting to a vote of the people the proposition of transferring the Illinois and Michigan Canal to the General Government; and WHEREAS, The proper maintenance and control of said canal is, and always will be, of vast and special importance to the commercial and industrial development of our State; therefore be it

Resolved, That while we are in favor of a ship canal, we believe the commercial and industrial interests of the State are safest in the hands of its own people, and that the State should never part with its control over them for any purpose.

Resowed, That Congress should make an appropriation to assist in the construction of a ship canal, without requiring the State to abdicate its vested rights.

The State of Illinois has, since 1863, paid over three hundred million dollars to the General Government, and has been enabled to pay this vast amount because of its rapid material development; the General Government therefore has a direct interest in increasing the prosperity of Illinois, because it thereby increases its own revenue.

That Congress can well afford to appropriate a small portion of the amount annually paid by Illinois into the National treasury to assist the State in construction of work the consummation of which is conceded to be of advantage to the entire Mississippi Valley as well as to the State of Illinois; and also of great military advantage to the Nation. Resolved, That it is useless to submit to the people the question of ceding the canal to the General Government until Congress shall, by legislative enactment, have indicated that it will give no aid except on that condition.

At 10:30 o'clock A. M., Mr. Pearson of Madison moved that the House adjourn until 9 o'clock to-morrow morning.

And the motion prevailed.

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 1882-9 O'CLOCK A. M.

The House met, pursuant to adjournment.

The Speaker in the chair.

Prayer by the Rev. Mr. Hale.

The journal of yesterday was read and approved; thereupon, House Bill No. 2, in the order of second reading, was taken up, being a bill for "An act making an appropriation for the payment of the members, officers and employés of the 32d General Assembly." Which was read at large a second time, and ordered engrossed and to a third reading.

House Bill No. 3, in the order of second reading, was taken up, being a bill for "An act to provide for the incidental expenses of the special session of the Thirty-second General Assembly.

Which was read at large a second time, and ordered engrossed and to a third reading.

At 9:06 o'clock A. M., Mr. Young moved the House adjourn until 5 o'clock Tuesday afternoon, the 4th day of April, 1882. And the motion prevailed.

TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 1882-5 O'CLOCK P. M.

The House met, pursuant to adjournment.

Hon. W. H. Allen called the House to order.

The journal of Saturday was read and approved.

At 5:02 o'clock P. M., Mr. Sumner moved that the House adjourn until 10 o'clock to-morrow morning.

And the motion prevailed.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 1882-10 O'CLOCK A. M.

The House met, pursuant to adjournment.

The Speaker in the chair.

Prayer by the Rev. Mr. Hale.

The journal of yesterday was read and approved.

Whereupon, Mr. Vaughey presented a petition in relation to the transfer of the Illinois and Michigan canal to the Government of the United States.

Which was referred to the committee on canal and river improvement.

Mr. Vaughey offered the following preamble and resolution, which were read, and, on his motion, were referred to the committee on canal and river improvement:

WHEREAS, The Governor has, in his proclamation convening the special session of the 32d General Assembly, included in said call the question of submitting to a vote of the people, at the next general election, the ceding to the United States the Illinois and Michigan canal; and,

WHEREAS, Nature has seemed to favor that great valley lying between the gulf and the lakes for an outlet to the ocean, it is an imperative duty on the Government to improve the same to meet the growth and production of the great Northwest for the transportation of its immense productions to the seaboard, by an easy and cheap water route; and, also,

WHEREAS, It is almost indispensable to the safety of the Government, in case of a foreign war, as was foreseen as far back as the administration of President Madison, when he recommended its improvement for that purpose; therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring herein, That we hereby recommend the ceding of the Illinois and Michigan canal to the United States Government, upon the condition that they make it a steamboat or ship canal, by deepening, enlarging and widening to a capacity to float steamboats or ships of heavy burden, connecting the same with the now proposed route of the Hennepin canal; and, be it further Resolved, That the express condition of ceding the said canal to the United States Government will be that the Government shall have five years from date of cession to accept said canal, and that the State of Illinois shall reserve all of its original rights and title in and to said canal, and all its lands and properties given it by grant of the United States, until the United States Government shall have accepted it, and until Congress shall make the full and necessary appropriations to complete the work on said canal as aforesaid; and, in the interim between the cession of said canal and the acceptance and appropriation by the United States Government, the State of Illinois shall exercise all of its authority over the canal in running and controlling it as it now does, and also have full authority to sue and obtain possession of all lands and properties belonging to said canal; but, upon the acceptance and appropriation as aforesaid by the United States, the State of Illinois will relinquish all claims on the canal, in accordance with the vote cast for such cession; otherwise, to retain it as though no vote was had for its cession.

Mr. Veile offered the following resolution, which was read and referred to the committee on rules:

Resolved, That Rule No. 16 be so amended as to read hereafter as follows: After a bill has been reported from a committee with the recommendation that it do pass, the Speaker shall state that the bill is ready to be ordered to a second reading; but no bill shall be read a second time, or considered in committee of the whole, until one day after it shall have been printed and deposited in the post office boxes of the members.

Messrs. Morris, and Harris of Fayette, were granted leave of ab

sence.

At 10:10 o'clock A. M., Mr. Pearson of Madison moved that the House adjourn until 9 o'clock to-morrow morning.

And the motion prevailed.