House to review Capitol artifacts for offensive depictions Follow Us Question of the Day Statues of legendary Illinois politicians Abraham Lincoln, left, and his longtime nemesis Stephen A. Douglas, right, adorn the second floor of the state Capitol rotunda in this Sept. 16, 2020, photo. House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch on Wednesday, April 14, ... more > By JOHN O'CONNOR - Associated Press - Wednesday, April 14, 2021 SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - An Illinois House of Representatives task force will judge Capitol artifacts against the values and morals of the state, the House speaker said Monday in an accounting that began with last summer’s removal of a Stephen A. Douglas statue following the revelation that the legendary Illinois senator owned slaves.