, 1876-12-22
SPRINGER OF SPRINGFIELD.


CHICAGO, Dec. 1o.-Promlnent among the fiery,
uutamed buildozers Of the 'tinyisble in war
Democracy" is of my old associates in the as-
ee,nbled wisdom OF the State in the Twenty
seventh General Assembly. As Dickens says Ut
tue auliab!e and pious Mr.. cruncher: His sur
Mime is Springer, and on the youthful occasion
when he reuounced the devil and all his works by
proxJ Though fear he has gone back on his proxy
long aso) he received the additional appclaton Of
Dil!'' Bills great peculiar forte is talk He
talks at all times and on every subject in season
and out of season, relevant and irrelevant, though
principally tho latter late and early, in order and
ont Ut order, never ceasing while any unhappy
victim remains to bear the exquisite torture Com
inr into the ~ House " one day about noon. the
Doorkeepcr told me he had kept tally on Bill that
morning, ana that BY actual count, without bull
doing or amending the returns, Bill had obtained
The floor fifty seven times: On cer1ain occasion
Dil had quoted the Scriptural saying about
stralnng At gnet and swallowing a,
camel" when his antagonist retorted that he
knew OF no gentleman who would strain At such IN
insinitcssimal gnat nor swallow such monstrous
calnel the gentleman from Sangamon. Hts
hatred to Cook County cropped out very early IN
tue session. ue introduced resolution setting
forth that Cook was only entitled to fifteen mem
bers, and us twenty-five were elected, that seven
OF that number should be unseaed Preslous to the
Morrison said to me, - iou must not feel annoyed
by this move, there fs Of our fellows who is
pregnant with speech, and he must be allowed TO
ret It off and then will send 1t TO the committee
on Elections, where it will sleep its last sleep
Eill spoke about four hours about his bantllng,
which was then quietly smothcred and heard OF NJ
more. When Bill was supervisor or something
of that kind, he pledged himself to the enllghten-
cd Democracy Of Sanganou that ii they sent him
to the Legislature he would use all his talents ~
to destroy the High Schools Of the state: True to
his pledge and instincts, when the school question
under discussion in the House he szeFted se4
himself to the utmost to acsompllsh that
na1,rrrafir
ed Bill in fine burst OF e1oquence, III
we educate all the people we will soon
be unable to get aborers to work in the fields, ana
then what will we do for farm produce:'' During
the Twenty seventh Assembly 3 very not contest
arose on fhe attempted removal OF the Capital to
Peoria, which gave the good people of Springfield
great deal OF trouble Many Of them believed that
The members from Cook who advocated tue re-
moyal were doing SO to get even Win bill 1or us
opposition TO them. Poor Bill was the very plct,
urc OF misery. In his extremity tfor so bttef aid
the tight On him become that he contemplated sell
ing out and leaving springaeld> he came 70 some
OF us and begged us to 60 tt Jacob Bum and some
other Leading citizens und cxonerate him. fityln3
The moor devil, we did he requested, and pro,
cured his pardon. In return for IT, however, anu
as pcna1lce. and dire And cruel one 1t was they
insisted that he should make no more speeches
during his term. Bill obeyeJ, but it was almost
the death of him. Many time he got the door,
erls]y form OF Jake Bum, like Ban9uos ghost,
would loom up between him and the Speaker, anu
he would sink back into his seat IN Despair. IN
the whole, Bill was the cause OF much amusement
10 nis associates and was universally regarded as
one of that class Of dogs who annoy the people win
bojsttrous barking, sometimes showing tnelr teetn'
. 80. 49, - ~ Mn .tCOoKn