History of Springfield, Illinois, its attractions as a home and advantages for business, manufacturing, etc. Pub. under the auspices of the Springfield board of trade, by J. C. Power.

I'rTS ADVANTAGES FOR MANUFACTURING 15
and a much larger one built of brick, on and two inches. Those marked with a
the same ground. The brick building is star are all deceased.
now used by Fayette county as a Court The removal of the Capital was a foreHouse, Vandalia being the county seat. gone conclusion. The members of the
Legislature found much fault with VanThe rapidity with which emligration
Tfilled up the northhern part of the dalia, because they were fed almost entirely on prairie chickens and venisonState rendered it apparent, long be-
the eeit, t very common articles of food at the time,
fore the expiration of the time, that it
although they are considered luxuries
would be necessary to move the Capital
now; but the law makers wanted somcfarther north, and as early as 1833 the
thing better, or at any rate a change.
question began to be agitated in the GenPerhaps no other place would have done
better; but experience proves that when
From the time Sangamon county was a body of Legislators wish to find fault
organized and Springfield fixed as the with a town, it is easy to raise pretexts.
county seat, it grew steadily though not There was, however,-a real necessity for
rapidly. Among the new comers there moving the seat of government further
was an unusually large number of men of north, as the tide of emigration set
more than ordinary talents, many of whom steadily in that direction, and the
afterwards acquired National distinction. means of travel were confined almost
Among these may be mentioned Abraham
entirely to stage coaches and riding on
Linicoln, Stephen A. Douglas, E. D. Baker, horse back.
and many others who are yet living. The people of Illinois were, at that
When the question of relocating the Cap time, almost crazy on the subject of interitol came up, Sangamon county was very nal improvements. Not more than one
ably represented. in ten thousand of them had ever seen a
In the Legislature of 1836-7 she had railroad, but they had heard of them, and
two Senators and seven Representatives, thought the prairies of Illinois the best
who were not only men of talents, but place in the world to build them. Charpersistent workers. They were the most ters were granted for them in nearly all
remarkable delegation from any one coun- parts of the State. The "Long Nine"
ty to the General Assembly, for the reason were a unit for securing the State Capithat they were much taller than the aver. tal, consequently did not jeopardize it
age of human stature. I havejust learned by putting in claims for other improvefrom one of the number-Hon. Ninian ments. The result was the passage of
W. Edwards-who is yet living in this "An act permanently to locate the seat of
city, that some of them were a little government for the State of Illinois,"
less and some a little more than six which was approved at Vandalia, Februfeet, but that their combined height was ary 25, 1837. This law provided for a
exactly fifty-four feet. For this reason joint session of the two houses on the 28th
they were then and are yet spoken of as of the same month, to select a situation.
the "Long Nine." The names of those in An appropriation of fifty thousand dolthe Senate were, *A. G. Herndon and Job lars was made, to commence building the
Fletcher; in the House, *Abraham Lin- State House. The law also declared that
coin, Ninian W. Edwards, *John Dawson, no place should be chosen unless its citi*Andrew McCormick, *Daniel Stone, W. zens contributed at least $50,000 to aid
F. Elkin and Robert L. Wilson. One or in the work, and not less than two acres
two were as tall, but none taller, than of land, as a site for the Capitol. When
Abraham Lincoln, who was just six feet the two houses assembled on the 28th, it