The Forrest City times., 1893-11-10
TRICKS IN LAWMAklNG.
MT. Springer's Experience whom He Was
 Clerk Of the Illinois House.

MT. sprInger's Experience whom He Was
 Clerk Of the Illinois House.
 When young man Hon. William M. Springer was clerk of the Illinois house of representatives. There was an ap- propriation bill consisting of number of items before the legislature. An at- tempt was made to have incorporated in it an item appropriating the sum of fifty thousand dollars for certain pur- pose. A majority of the house was op- posed to this particular appropriation. The bill as reported did not contain the objectionable item. When it came to its final reading Mir. Springer read the bill in full The members listened fifty thousand dollar item was not in. cluded in the bill as read.
 Mir. Springer laid the bill down on his desk after reading it, and, taking up the list, called the roll, the Illinois constitution requiring 8 yea and nay vote on the final passage of bill. The legislature, being economical, had no supcrnumerary officers, so that one man had to perform the duties usually devolving upon two or more persons. The bill was passed, and Mir. Springer noted that fact on the back of the printed copy of the bill and sent 1t over to the senate. It passed that body and was signed by the governor. It was soon discovered that Che act which re. ceived the gubernatorial autograph had incorporated in it the objections ble item.
 This looked SC rious. for the house, al least, had not intended to pass that item, and as matter of fact had not passed it, for it was not included in the bill as read and voted upon in that body. MT. Springer was equal to the emergency. He caused the journal to show that the bill was read in full and then incorporated it in the journal thus showing officially that the obnox ious item had not been voted upon or adopted by the house. A writ was then sued out enjoining the state treas urer from paying the money. The su preme court granted it and made il perpetual, thus going behind the ap proving signature of the governor and the attesting signatures of the presid. ing officers of the two houses of the leg islature to the journal of the house, ,and accepting it as the best evidence of the intention and act of the house of rep resentatives and of the slegislature. Whether the entire act was invalid was not passed upon, and as no injunction was applied for as to the other items the appropriations tthey carried stood and were paid.
 Mir. Springer thinks someone inter ested in the fifty-thousand-dollar ap propriation had bogus bill printed in exact imitation of the genuine, and when, after reading it. he had laid the genuine bill down on his desk the spurious one was substituted quickly and the genuine carried off and de. stroyed. There being crowd about the desk at the time it was easy enough to do this. Mir. Springer said. Nat0r- ally, he indorsed what appeared to bs the proper bill without reading il again His ready wit. however, en. abled him to defeat the game of the conspirators, even when it seemed to be too late to do anything to repair the mischief. It was never learned, Mir Springer said, who played .the sleight of-hand trick. Washington Post.