406 



ILLINOIS. 



in which the vapor given off in a partial fusion 

 of the ice was instantly congealed, and so did 

 not alter the pressure. Boiling water was in- 

 troduced into the tube below the thermometer 

 through the mercury -trough. It was first frozen 

 by means of the application of a freezing mix- 

 ture. The mass of solid ice in the tube was 

 melted by a Bunsen flame, the upper part of 

 the ice-column fusing with difficulty. On 

 grasping the tube with the hand, violent ebul- 

 lition took place, causing the water to splash 

 up the sides of the tube and on the bulb of the 

 thermometer, where it froze in thin layers. 

 Upon the application of the flame of the Bun- 

 sen's burner the ice on the walls of the tube 

 partly gave way; the rest and that on the bulb 

 remained solid, while the thermometer rose to 

 temperatures between 120 and 180, and when 

 the ice yielded to the heat it immediately vola- 

 tilized without melting. The first melting of 

 the solid column of ice and that of portions of 

 the layer which afterward formed on the sides 

 of the tube, are ascribed to imprisoned steam 

 and the pressure caused by it. In one experi- 

 ment, in which the heat applied was so strong 

 as to cause the fusion of the ice on the sides of 

 the bulb, when the lamp was removed for a 

 few seconds the water congealed again on the 

 bulb, though the glass was so hot that it could 

 not be touched without burning the hand. 

 The surprising character of these results caused 

 some to doubt the testimony of the thermome- 

 ter; but calorimetric tests proved that the 

 temperature of the ice actually rose as indi- 

 cated. Mercuric chloride was found to remain 

 solid under diminished pressure, at tempera- 

 tures far above its melting-point, and even 

 above its boiling-point. With this substance 

 the reverse of the experiment with ice was 

 tried, and the fact of there being no interme- 

 diate liquid state between the solid and the 

 gaseous at these minimum pressures was con- 

 firmed. The chloride was liquefied and brought 

 to a boil at the ordinary pressure. Then the 

 pressure was reduced by a Sprengel pump. 

 The boiling-point was lowered under the dimin- 

 ished pressure, being carried below the usual 

 melting-point to the point at which it ordina- 

 rily resolidifies, at which temperature the boil- 

 ing liquid began to solidify. The solid mercu- 

 ric chloride obtained under these conditions 

 differed greatly in appearance from that solidi- 

 fied in the ordinary way, consisting of a mass 

 of pearly leaves closely packed together around 

 the thermometer-bulb. 



ILLINOIS. The sessions of the Legislature 

 of Illinois are held biennially, and commence 

 on the Wednesday after the first Monday of 

 January. The day of opening the last session 

 was the 5th of January. In the House, W. W. 

 Thomas was chosen Speaker; and in the Sen- 

 ate Lieutenant-Governor Hamilton presided. 



The session continued until the 1 st of June. 

 During its period there were in all 1,167 bills 

 introduced 456 in the Senate and 711 in the 

 House. Of. these, 124 passed and reached the 



Governor. The Senate passed 121 bills, of 

 which 59 got through the House, and 65 House 

 bills. The House passed 131 of its own bills, 

 and 59 Senate bills. 



One of the earliest movements in the Legis- 

 lature related to the subject of temperance. A 

 bill was presented in the House which forbade 

 the grant of any license to keep a dram-shop in 

 any town or ward or election district, except 

 on the petition of a majority of the inhabitants, 

 male and female, over twenty-one years of 

 age. 



The prohibitory nature of this bill was such 

 that its passage was impossible in the House, 

 and the movement took the form of an amend- 

 ment to the State Constitution by a vote of the 

 people. For this purpose the following amend- 

 ment was proposed: "No person shall manu- 

 facture, sell, or keep for sale, in this State, any 

 alcohol, whisky, high-wines, wine, ale, beer, 

 or other intoxicating liquors whatever, except 

 for medical, scientific, and manufacturing pur- 

 poses, and the General Assembly shall enforce 

 this article by appropriate legislation." 



At the same time the State Temperance Al- 

 liance held a convention at the capital. It was 

 numerously attended, and adopted the follow- 

 ing resolution : 



Resolved, That while we can not indorse the princi- 

 ple of licensing the sale of intoxicating liquors, and 

 believe the whole theory of licensing evils to be im- 

 politic and wrorg, nevertheless, as the present laws 

 look toward the repression of some of the evils inci- 

 dent to the traffic, we pledge ourselves to use all means 

 in our power to enibrce them. 



The sentiment of the House relative to some 

 portion of the management of railroad corpora- 

 tions and their property found expression in 

 the adoption of the following resolutions, with- 

 out discussion : 



Whereas, The published reports of the leading rail- 

 roads chartered and operating under the laws of this 

 State show a constantly increasing surplus of net earn- 

 ings, enabling the managers to pay large dividends, not 

 only upon the cost of the roads, but in many cases upon 

 a fictitious " watered" capital ; and 



Whereas, At common terminal points the freight and 

 .passenger traffic of the railroads is pooled or adjusted 

 by " eveners," and injurious discrimination is made in 

 favor of " through business," and in favor of certain 

 cities, as against other cities where there are no com- 

 peting lines of railroad, thus depriving the people of 

 the benefit and protection of competition to winch they 

 are justly entitled ; and 



Whereas, We hold the true principle to be that, 

 when the capital actually invested in a railroad has 

 been fairly compensated, the rest of the benefits and 

 advantages resulting from the construction of said 

 railroad 'belong to, and should be enjoyed by, the 

 people ; and 



Whereas, Under the existing laws of Illinois and 

 the present mode of assessing railway property, said 

 property does not bear its proportionate share ol the 

 taxes and expenses of the government; therefore, 

 be it 



Resolved, That the Committee on Eailroads be in- 

 structed to report to this House, with the least possible 

 delay, a bill for enactment containing the following 

 provisions : 



1. A bill to prevent the pooling of traffic-earnings 

 at any and all competing points in this State wherever 

 two or more companies are operating railroads. 



