performed other tasks. There are only a few large reformatories conducted on this principle in the world, and we believe the one at Pontiac stands at the head.

NEW INSTITUTIONS AND NEW BUILDINGS.

During the last four years there have been founded by the State two new Normal Universities, one at Charleston, in the eastern part of the State, and one at DeKalb, in the northwestern part of the State; also two new insane asylums, one at Peoria and the other at Rock Island; also a girl's reformatory at Geneva, near Chicago, and a home for soldiers' widows at Wilmington, and in addition to these there have been erected the following buildings:

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHAMPAIGN: A large civil and electrical engineering building, an astronomical observatory, a large library building, now nearing completion; a large mechanical workshop for the students, a President's house, the necessary buildings for the establishment of a vaceine farm, and the necessary buildings for a complete dairy establishment for purposes of instruction. In addition the chemical laboratory building, which was partially destroyed by fire, has been rebuilt.

AT THE NORMAL UNIVERSITY NEAR BLOOMINGTON: A library and gymnasium building.

AT THE NORMAL UNIVERSITY AT CARBONDALE: A library and gymnasium building.

The main INSANE ASYLUM AT ANNA, which was destroyed by fire, has been rebuilt.

THE EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY AT CHICAGO has been greatly enlarged.
AT THE JOLIET PENITENTIARY:

and a large new prison for females.

Some shops, power-house, a new hospital

AT THE SOLDIERS' ORPHANS' HOME NEAR BLOOMINGTON: A new building for manual training.

AT THE ELGIN INSANE ASYLUM: A new hospital for the physically ill, and extensive general repairs.

AT THE REFORMATORY AT PONTIAC: A large cell house, a number of shops, power-house and a large executive building.

AT THE LINCOLN MONUMENT, SPRINGFIELD: New home for the custodian. AT THE STATE FAIR GROUNDS, SPRINGFIELD: Three very large and a number of small buildings.

AT THE INSTITUTION FOR THE BLIND AT JACKSONVILLE: also a gymnasium.

A workshop and

AT THE DEAF AND DUMB INSTITUTION AT JACKSONVILLE: A boys' cottage, and general repairs.

AT THE SOLDIERS AND SAILORS' HOME AT QUINCY: A new hospital. THE ASYLUM FOR INSANE CRIMINALS AT CHESTER has been greatly enlarged.

AT THE PENITENTIARY AT CHESTER: A number of small buildings. All of these buildings are under roof and nearly all of them are completed and occupied, and those which have been built during the last two years have, with the exception of a couple of small buildings, been built absolutely fire proof and nearly all of them have been built of stone. In order to give a better idea of the general character of the buildings that have been erected within the last four years, I submit herewith photographic views of some of them.

MONUMENTS.

There has also been erected during the last four years a monument to Governor Ford, at Peoria, upwards of sixty granite monuments on the battlefield of Chickamauga in Tennessee, to mark the positions of the Illinois troops in that great battle, .nd a splendid granite monument to the memory of Elijah P. Lovejoy, at Alton.

STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE.

Owing to the rapid growth of our population and the great demand for room in public institutions but little consideration was given to the subject of architectural design in public buildings in the past, the principal effort being in each case to get as much floor space as possible. Consequently, while the State has a large number of buildings, there are but few whose exterior architecture is commanding or impressive. The appropriations made during the present administration were so small as not to admit of ornamentation; but it was felt that the time had come when we should not only build fire-proof buildings, but give a little more attention to their external appearance. After an examination of the subject, I became satisfied that the most inexpensive, as well as the most impressive architectural style for buildings that are to stand alone in a grove, or in a field, is what has been called the Tudor-Gothic style, as the effect is produced by simply carrying the mason work, that is, the wall above the cornice line, and there breaking the lines in such a way as to produce small towers, battlements, etc. This Style has consequently been adopted in most of the buildings that have been erected during the last two years, and is found to be very effective. Had we possessed large appropriations so that Grecian columns, Roman arches, and other forms of ornamentation could have been indulged in, it is probable that some other style of architecture would have been selected; but for the money which the State has expended it would have been impossible to get the sanie desirable effects in any other style.

LEGISLATION.

In addition to the usual legislation and to numerous amendments to the laws intended to correct abuses, there have been a number of measures placed upon the statute books, some of which were entirely new in this State. Among the latter may be mentioned the following:

An act providing that no man shall be imprisoned for non-payment of a judgment or fine unless he has been granted the opportunity of being tried by a jury.

Second: An act which requires State, county, city and school treasurers, and all other custodians of public funds, to account for interest on such funds whenever they are kept in a bank.

Third: An act intended to arrest the sweat shop and child labor evil, which provides for inspection of factories, workshops, etc., and aims to prevent the employment of young children in factories, etc.

Fourth: A civil service law for cities.

Fifth: An act to reform the method of land conveyancing in this State, introducing an entirely new system known as the Australian system, and intended to do away with the vast expense that now accompanies the transfer of land titles in large cities.

Sixth: An act to provide for paroling prisoners from the penitentiaries, intended to do away with the gross inequality of sentences which have heretofore prevailed for the same offenses, and to make it practicable to keep professional and hardened criminals in the penitentiary for long terms and to release the young and those who are comparatively innocent, after serving a minimum term in prison.

Seventh: An act which provided that a graduated tax should be paid on all legacies and inheritances.

Eighth: An act to provide for founding a pension fund for school teachers in certain cases by a small deduction from their salaries.

Ninth: An act creating a Board of Arbitration for the purpose of adjusting disputes between employers and employés in certain cases.

Tenth: An act for making the kindergarten system a part of our public schools under certain conditions.

INSURANCE DEPARTMENT.

The Insurance Department of this State now stands at the head of all similar departments in this country, and it is believed that our people are better protected against the operations of dishonest and worthless insurance companies than those of any other state. Formerly this department contributed scarcely anything to the State Treasury from the large amount of fees which it collected. During this administration the sum annually turned into the treasury by the Insurance Department is very large, and for the year 1896 will amount to over $170,000, which is the result of a strict enforcement of the law.

EDUCATION.

It is gatifying to report that during the last four years the cause of education has made tremendous strides in our State, both in public and in private institutions. Our public schools are being steadily brought up to a higher plane than they ever occupied before. Appreciating the fact that it is the teacher who makes the school, and that it is consequently the duty, as well as to the interest of the State, to look after the education of teachers, the facilities in the existing Normal universities have been enlarged and improved, and two new ones have been founded. The University of Illinois, located at Champaign, has moved forward and taken a position as one of the best institutions of the country. In the matter of civil and electrical engineering it is unsurpassed anywhere. Its work in other departments is of a high order and it now offers many advantages to both young men and young women that are not to be found anywhere else. The institution needs a large gymnasium. Inasmuch as Illinois now leads nearly all the states of the Union in the matter of enterprise and material prosperity, her educational institutions should be so perfected as to be models for the world.

AUXILIARY BOARDS OF CHARITY.

During the last twenty-five years humane and thoughtful men and women have given their best efforts to the subject of caring for the dependents and unfortunates, and as a result splendid theories have been worked out and have been in part put in practice; but experience has shown that it is one thing to work out a theory and to apply it on a limited scale, but a more difficult thing to see that it is generally applied, and while we have provided complete machinery for looking after matters in the aggregate, we did not get down near enough to the source of the trouble. In other words our jails and poor houses and our street children were neglected. It was necessary to have a better oversight of these matters, to get more sunlight in on them. Accordingly the General Assembly authorized the appointment in each county of three persons who were to be known as auxiliary boards of charity, and they were to work in conjunction with the State Board of Charities. They were to serve without pay but were given full powers to visit and examine jails, poor houses, etc., at pleasure. These auxiliary boards have done excellent service. Their chief efforts are devoted to getting children out of the poor houses and out of the jails, and in a general way to have the condition for other unfortunates made as comfortable as possible.

NATIONAL GUARD.

During the last two years our National Guard has performed exercises and maneuvers never before witnessed in this State, and I deem it sufficient to say that while there are larger military establishments there is not a better one on this continent than is possessed by Illinois.

FREIGHT RATES.

The freight classification had scarcely been changed for twenty years by the Railroad and Warehouse Commission of this State and had become complicated, and in many respects worked an injustice, and the merchants and manufacturers of Chicago found that it was almost impossible for them to do business in central and western Illinois because of the fact that the railroads entering the State from the east had adopted a classification which made freight rates from Cleveland and Cincinnati to that section of the State much lower than they were from Chicago. To overcome this difficulty the Railroad and Warehouse Commission performed the almost herculean task of making an entirely new freight classification, bringing our State more nearly in harmony with the states east of us, and they have thus made it possible for the merchants and manufacturers of Chicago to again compete in territory from which they were formerly almost excluded.

ILLINOIS AND MICHIGAN CANAL.

Prior to the beginning of this administration this canal did not turn anything into the State Treasury. The principal business on the canal was earrying stone to Chicago from the quarries at Joliet and Lemont, and owing to the hard times and the falling off in building operations the business of the canal was necessarily greatly reduced, yet it has turned into the State Treasury $50,000.00, and besides has built over half a mile of new docks, and made other extensive improvements.

WESTERN PARK SYSTEM AT CHICAGO.

Although the matter of connecting the West Park system with the Lincoln Park system, and the South Park system had been discussed for more than twenty years, practically nothing was done toward bringing this about. The present West Park Board undertook the task of making the connection, and although it involved the laying out of new streets and the building of a bridge over the river in the northwestern part of the city, in order to connect with Lincoln Park, that connection has been made. To the southwest it is necessary to build several bridges and cross a number of railroads, and also to build several miles of boulevard to connect with the South Park system, and that work is now being done, and it is believed that by the beginning of summer the connection will be complete, so that the three great park systems of Chicago will have a direct boulevard connection around the outer edge of the city.

In addition to this the West Park Board has endeavored to make the park of the greatest possible use to all classes of citizens. It has built many miles of boulevard for the accommodation of those who drive, has built a large natatorium and gymnasium in Douglas Park for the accommodation of the public, and a bicycle race track in Garfield Park. This, in connection with the other attractions to be found there, make the West Park a perfect system for the purpose of furnishing pleasure and amusement to all classes of people.

LINCOLN PARK.

Owing to its advantageous location and high state of improvement, this park is considered the finest on the continent. The present commissioners have put in an entirely new system of lighting and have greatly improved the park in other respects. It was felt that the park should be extended to Evanston, and could be so extended without great expense to the public by taking the proper steps in time. The waters in Lake Michigan are shallow for about twelve hundred feet out from the shore, and by building a break-water and a

driveway out that far from the shore and parallel with it, from Chicago to Evanston, it would enclose the shallow waters lying between that and the shore, which could be filled by degrees, leaving an open channel, so that there would then be a driveway out in the water, an open channel west of it, and a strip of park the entire way; and almost the only expense involved in this would be the building of a break-water and driveway, for in this way the land would cost nothing and the riparian rights of the shoreowners would cost very little, as many of them have offered to deed their riparian rights if the improvement was made. Legislation authorizing this move was secured in the spring of 1893, but was afterwards found to contain some defects, and at the last session of the General Assembly another act was passed to authorize this improvement, and great efforts have been made by the Park Board, as well as by the Executive, to carry it out. A plat has been filed in pursuance of the act which will vest the title to the submerged land in the public for the use of a park, but so much captious opposition was encountered from people who had little selfish ends to serve that the work could not be started, but it is believed that this opposition can all be overcome and that the next administration will be able to secure to the people of Chicago this addition to its park and boulevard system.

ARBITRATION OF LABOR TROUBLES.

For a number of years the conviction has been deepening in the minds of patriotic and intelligent men, that some more enlightened and just method of settling labor disputes should be found than a mere resort to brute force, which in the form of strikes and lock-outs frequently disturb the peace of society, destroy property and do great injury to non-combatants who are dependent upon the regular operation of the industries involved. The convietion has grown that these disputes, like all other disputes between citizens of a civilized community, should in some way be decided by an impartial tribunal, representing at least in some degree the State. Apparently insurmountable difficulties are in the way of universal compulsory arbitration of these troubles, but experience in other states has demonstrated that a Board of Arbitration, with somewhat limited powers, could adjust many difficulties, and has been of great service to the public. During the closing hours of the special session of the legislature in the summer of 1895, an act was passed to create a Board of Arbitration for this State, but the measure was opposed by some strong interests, and the board was so limited in its powers as to almost entirely destroy it. Yet during the seventeen months that have elapsed since the board has been created, it has acted as a mediator in 41 cases, each of which involved more or less serious differences between employés and employers. In 38 out of these 41 cases a satisfactory adjustment was effected and further trouble avoided. In the other three cases the employers haughtily refused to take any notice of the Board or its friendly efforts. In addition to these 41 cases, the Board arbitrated two cases which were submitted under the law, and its decision was accepted by both parties and ended the trouble, and I recommend such further reasonable legislation upon this question as will enable this Board to properly perform the functions for which it was created, and increase its usefulness. The results of its labors as above given are most gratifying, and show the wisdom of its creation. In the 40 controversies successfully adjusted by the Board, there were involved as employés 5,780 persons, whose daily wages amounted to $9,537.

LANDLORDISM.

The principle of self-protection and self-preservation requires this State to adopt some reasonable legislation for the purpose of guarding against the evils of landlordism. In the past, land was plentiful and no notice was taken of this system, but now its evils are daily becoming more apparent. There are sections of the State where whole townships, and in some cases, nearly half a county, are owned by one individual and are occupied by tenants who feel no interest in the soil and have no inducement to make improvements. The landlord, on his side, has no interest in our institutions or State except