440 



INDIANA. 



in the chapel, yet the number pardoned and 

 discharged was only 66. 



The annual report of the Secretary of State 

 shows that during 1878 there have been issued 

 and attested 2 proclamations, 48 warrants, 62 

 requisitions, 103 pardons, 38 remissions, 6 com- 

 mutations, 2 respites, 588 commissions to State, 

 judicial, and coimty officers, 1,352 commissions 

 to justices of peace, and 814 commissions to 

 notaries public. 



Provision was made by an act of the Legis- 

 lature approved March 14, 1877, for the erec- 

 tion of a new State House. A Board of Com- 

 missioners was accordingly constituted to pro- 

 ceed with the work. A plan was adopted, and 

 the cost of construction estimated at $1,721,- 

 911. The tax levy for the year 1877 was one 

 cent, and for 1878 two cents, on the hundred 

 dollars. At the close of the year ending Oc- 

 tober 31, 1878, the proceeds of the tax had 

 reached $42,023.56, most of which has been 

 expended upon orders of the board. The pro- 

 ceeds of the current levy will perhaps not 

 greatly exceed $150,000. It is provided in the 

 State Constitution that "no law shall author- 

 ize any debt to be contracted on behalf of the 

 State except in the following cases : to meet 

 casual deficits in the revenue ; to pay the in- 

 terest on the State debt; to repel invasion, 

 suppress insurrection, or if hostilities be threat- 

 ened, provide for the public defense." The 

 State now pays an amount of interest exceed- 

 ing one fourth of a million dollars on an in- 

 debtedness to the common-school fund caused 

 by the use of the money of the latter for gen- 

 eral expenses. This loan will probably be per- 

 petual, as there is no provision for its payment. 

 A tax levy of five cents on the hundred dollars 

 will pay the interest on the debt and discharge 

 other obligations; and the revenues of the 

 general fund at a rate of seven cents will be 

 sufficient to meet the ordinary expenses of an 

 economical administration, and increase the 

 means for the rapid construction of the State 

 House. The style of architecture of the build- 

 ing is Corinthian. The total length from south 

 to north is 482 feet ; from east to west, 292 

 feet; south and north fronts, 184 feet in 

 width; center wings on the east and west 

 fronts, 112 feet in width; the sub-basement, 

 6 feet 6 inches in height; basement, 13 feet 

 high, to be used for heating and ventilating, 

 and the storage of heavy articles and fuel. The 

 next story above'the sub-basement is designat- 

 ed the first story. The approaches to each of 

 the four fronts of the building are direct, with 

 a rise of only seven feet to this floor. The 

 convenience and utility of this arrangement, 

 not only for the public, but for those who have 

 to occupy and fill the official positions of the 

 lifferent departments, is deemed great. This 

 i-floor plan shows one of the leading fea- 

 tures of the design a grand corridor of such 

 proportions as the business departments of the 

 State Capitol demand, affording light, ven- 

 tilation, and ready communication with each 



office on this floor, and, by means of eight 

 grand staircases, with each department on the 

 second and third floors. Each staircase is ar- 

 ranged to start on the first floor near the en- 

 trance to each business office of the several de- 

 partments, affording easy communication with 

 the Supreme Court-room, Senate, House, libra- 

 ry, etc., located on the second floor, and gal- 

 leries, committee-rooms, etc., on the third 

 floor. The entire business departments of the 

 State are on the first floor. On the second 

 floor are the following accommodations : Rep- 

 resentatives' hall, 70 by 70 feet, 44 feet in 

 height ; Senate-chamber, 63 by 64 feet, 44 feet 

 in height ; court-room, 50 feet 6 inches by 57 

 feet 6 inches, 36 feet in height ; law library, 

 30 feet 6 inches by 56 feet 8 inches. 19 feet 

 in height. On this floor, in addition to the 

 above, there is the Speaker's reception-room, 

 Speaker's private room, chief clerk's room, as- 

 sistant clerk's room, engrossing clerk's room, 

 enrolling clerk's room, post-office and folding- 

 rooms, two committee-rooms, two cloak-rooms 

 for members of the House, wash-room for 

 members of the House, two water-closets for 

 members of the House, wash-room and closet 

 for the Speaker, wash-room and water-closet 

 for chief and assistant clerk, wash-room and 

 water-closet for enrolling and engrossing clerks, 

 Lieutenant-Governor's reception-room, Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor's private room, four rooms 

 for secretaries, two committee-rooms, post- 

 office and folding-room, two cloak-rooms, wash- 

 room, two water-closets for Senators, water- 

 closet and wash-room for Lieutenant-Govern- 

 or's department. The quarters of the Supreme 

 Court are on the second floor, and embrace 

 seven private rooms, main court-room, consul- 

 tation-room, attorneys' room, law library, law 

 librarian's room, two reporters' rooms, sher- 

 iff's room, janitor's room, wash-room, three 

 water-closets, and private stairway. State Li- 

 brarian Private room, janitor's room, library, 

 museum and reading-room, wash-room, cloak- 

 room, two stairways to gallery, two water- 

 closets, two galleries of library, three store- 

 rooms for library. The third story contains 

 18 committee-rooms, two joint committee- 

 rooms, public gallery to House seating capa- 

 city 296, standing room 150 ladies' toilet- 

 room, two public water-closets, public gallery 

 to Senate chamber seating capacity 408, 

 standing room 120. As the building is in- 

 tended to be a first-class fire-proof structure, 

 all woodwork is reduced in the construction to 

 its smallest capacity; the doors and frames, 

 sash, wood floors and seating of halls and gal- 

 leries, with the necessary shelving of offices 

 and library, being all the woodwork required. 

 The whole is surmounted by a dome planned 

 in accordance with the designs of the oldest 

 and best architectural examples extant. For 

 convenient arrangement of the interior, the 

 architect has called into requisition all the 

 modern improvements in heating and ventilat- 

 ing, elevators for passengers and fuel, dust>- 



