364 



ILLINOIS. 



or disbursements for the period. Unknown and 

 Minor Heirs fund, balance on Oct. 1, 1888, $13,- 

 832.60; receipts for the period, $1,332.52; dis- 

 bursements, $409.34 ; balance on Sept. 30, 1890, 

 $14,755.78. Local bond funds, balance on Oct. 

 1. 1888, $599,539.09 : receipts for the period, $2,- 

 914,341.76; disbursements. $2,924,969.36; bal- 

 ance on Sept. 30, 1890, $588,911.49. The total 

 balances in all funds on Oct. 1, 1888, amounted 

 to $3,839,217.22 ; the total receipts for the period 

 to $10,421,335.39; the total disbursements to 

 $9,815,084.62; and the total balances on Sept. 

 30, 1890, to $4.445,467.99. The receipts of the 

 revenue fund included $2,290,499.35 from the 

 State tax levied in 1888, $1,822,081.95 from the 

 State tax levied in 1889, $917,080.93 from the 

 Illinois Central Railroad (being 7 per cent, of 

 the gross earnings for two years), $111,233.87 

 from the United States in aid of the Soldiers' 

 Home, $164,876.89 from fees of the State Aud- 

 itor, and $43,534.99 from fees of the Secretary 

 of State. The receipts of the State School fund 

 from the taxes of 1888 were $1,068,898.53, and 

 from the taxes of 1889, $1,062,881.26. During 

 the biennial period warrants were drawn against 

 the revenue fund for the support of State insti- 

 tutions as follow : Institution for the Blind, 

 $104.495.20 : Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, 

 $223,929.31 ; Charitable Eye and Ear Infirmary, 

 $57,064.08 ; Asylum for Feeble-minded Children, 

 $169.130.79; State Reform School, $98,832.14; 

 Soldiers' Orphans' Home, $174,210.63; Soldiers' 

 and Sailors' Home, $297,761.02; Northern Hos- 

 pital for the Insane, $211,989.12 ; Southern 

 Hospital for the Insane, $269,483.02 ; Eastern 

 Hospital for the Insane, $540,002.02; Central 

 Hospital for the Insane, $347,796.70 ; Northern 

 Normal University, $58,987.12; Southern Nor- 

 mal University, $53,057.50; University of Illi- 

 nois, $78,588.67 ; National Guard, $190,764. 



The bonded State debt on Jan. 1, 1891, was 

 $19,500, on which interest has long since ceased. 

 Bonds to the amount of $3,600 were paid and 

 retired in January, 1890. 



Valuations. The total valuation of property 

 in the State for 1890, as equalized and assessed 

 by the State Board, was as follows : 



ASSESSED IN COUNTIES. 



Personal $142,201,091 



Lands 381.156,217 



Lots 255,889,169 



BY STATE BOARD. 



Kailroart property 72,974,896 



Capital stock 6,671,909 



Total $808,892,782 



The total equalized value of property assessed 

 for 1889 was $792,197,542, the increase for 1890 

 being $16,695,240. Included in the assessment 

 for 1890 were 1,108,376 horses, valued at $25,- 

 450,782; 2,372,475 cattle, valued at $15,244,712 ; 

 93,901 mules, valued at $2.200,813; 631.842 

 sheep, valued at $646,382 ; 2,637,268 hogs, valued 

 at $3,656.028. The total equalized valuation of 

 Cook County was $240,308,050, of which the 

 value of railroad property was $12,075,785; of 

 corporation stock, $4,719,195; and of property 

 assessed by the local assessors, $223,513,070. 



The rate of State taxation for 1890 was 2-25. 

 mills for general purposes and 1'35 mill for 

 school purposes. For 1891 it was 2 mills for 

 general purposes and 1*3 mill for schools. 



Legislative Session. The regular biennial 

 session of the General Assembly began at Spring- 

 field on Jan. 7, and adjourned on June 12. A 

 prolonged contest over the choice of a successor 

 to United States Senator Charles B. Fanvell 

 marked the early months of the session. In this 

 contest the Democrats controlled the House and 

 cast 101 votes on joint ballot ; the Republicans 

 controlled the Senate and had 100 votes on joint 

 ballot, while the balance of power was held by 

 3 members of the Farmers' Mutual Benefit As- 

 sociation, a local organization similar in purpose 

 to the Farmer's Alliance. The Democrats had' 

 but one candidate throughout the struggle, Gen. 

 John M. Palmer, whose candidacy had been ap- 

 proved by the Democratic State Convention of 

 the preceding June. For the Republican nom- 

 ination there were several candidates, including 

 Senator Farwell. Out of these the Republican 

 caucus on Jan. 15 selected on the first ballot ex- 

 Gov. Richard J. Oglesby, the vote standing : Og- 

 lesby, 64 ; Farwell, 30 ; Walter Q. Gresham, 4 ; 

 scattering, 2. Neither Palmer nor Oglesby was ac- 

 ceptable to the Farmers' Mutual Benefit Asso- 

 ciation members, and they accordingly decided 

 to give their support to Alson J. Streeter, hoping 

 that one of the leading parties would finally be 

 compelled to support him. On the first ballot 

 in the General Assembly, on Jan. 20, the follow- 

 ing vote was cast : Senate, Palmer 24, Oglesby 

 27; House, Palmer 77, Oglesby 73, Streeter 3. 

 For several weeks there was no change in this 

 vote, but toward the middle of February the 

 Republicans became convinced that the three 

 Association members could not be induced to 

 support their candidate, and they therefore 

 abandoned him. Then followed a long series of 

 negotiations with the three Association members 

 and with Streeter, as a result of which the Re- 

 publican leaders undertook to transfer the party 

 vote to Streeter. But this plan was foiled by a 

 few members who resolutely refused to be sup- 

 ports of Streeter, claiming that they had been 

 elected to vote for a Republican candidate and 

 for none other. They adhered to this purpose 

 through a long series of ballots, and the contest 

 appeared no nearer settlement than at the be- 

 ginning, when, on the 154th ballot, on March 11, 

 two of the three Association members, Moore 

 and Cockrell, suddenly transferred their support 

 to Palmer, and gave him the 103 votes necessary 

 to elect. On this final ballot, Palmer received 

 103 votes. Cicero J. Lindly 100, and Streeter 1. 

 Messrs. Moore and Cockrell published a long 

 mfinifcsto giving various reasons for their change 

 of position. 



The legislative work of the session includes an 

 act, passed after long discussion, by which the 

 members of the State Board of Agriculture are 

 constituted and appointed ex-officio members of 

 the Illinois Board of World's Fair Commission- 

 ers, and are authorized to secure a suitable ex- 

 hibit of the resources and institutions of the 

 State at the Columbian Exposition. The sum of 

 $800,000 is appropriated to carry out the pro- 

 visions of the act, one tenth of which is placed 

 at the disposal of the Illinois Woman's Exposi- 

 tion Board, composed of four women appointed 

 by the Governor and the two Illinois women on 

 the national commission. 



A ballot-reform act provides for printing and 



