The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-06-26


to have the result of the ballot an
nounced, but this right was denied
them by Speaker Meyer. The speaker
entertained Mr.. Crafts motion for
postponement and ordered it to be
submitted to a vote. Mr.. LIE CrOne
made the point of order that the mo-
tion of Mr. Crafts was not in order,
but the speaker arbitrarily overruled
the point. The men who voted
against overturning the veto went on
record against the motion for post
ponement, but it was, OF course, easily
carried by the votes of the majority,
who were supporting the corrupt
measures.
From o'clock until midnight on
Friday the men in charge of the
Crawford bills offered any and every
consideration to obtain the support
of the additional fifteen members
necessary to pass the bills over the
veto. The speaker of the house was
absolutely subseryient to the wishes
OF the corrupt managers. At the
evening session he practically permit
ted the men in charge of the Crawford
bills to run the house. He recognized
members at their dictation and cast
his influence in favor of the passage of
measures which they desired ad--
vanced, as means. of gaining votes
for the Csawford bills The traffick-
ling. and bargaining ich were car
ried on openly in the hall Of the House
at the evening session disgraced the
men who engaged in 1T. No doubt
open bribery was attempted. There
hall to the effect that more than one
mo m hor had ho0n onnrOo choH
The speaker should have called
UP the bills promptly at o'clock and
announced the result of the vote.
This duty he failed to perform. When
the hour of 8 o'clock arrived enough
recruits had not been obtained to pass
the bills. The honest members of the
House repeatedly demanded that the
speaker should announce the result Of
the roll call, but no attention was paid
to these demands. The hours went by
until mid dnight was reached and still
the Crawford bills had not been called
up. Meantime the corporation agents
were busy. They persuaded memb bers
of the opposition to leave the hall
and 90 into cOmmittee-rOOms to listen
to propositions which might result in
making votes for the corrupt meas
ureS.
Almost every measure called up at
the evening session of the House was
considered solely with the view of
helping the Crawford bills. Members
who were known to be inflexible in
their opposition were given no chance
OF recognition. A member of the op-
position, however, who manifested
the least sign of wavering, had no
trouble to obtain recognition from
the speaker, and was permitted to
call up any measure which he desired
to have passed. The speaker and the
entire organization of the honse were
thus placed in the control Of the
agents Of monopoly. Members who
represented honest constituencies and
who were themselves honest and hon
orable men were denied their rights
on the floor. In vain they stood and
shouted for recognition. The speaker
had for them only deaf ear. Yet it
would have been only necessary for
one Of these honest members to indi-
that he might be persuaded to vote
for the Crawford bills and he could
have had anything he wanted.
POWER OF THE CORPORATIONS.
The proceedings were a disgrace to
the Commonwealth. 1t is only stat
ing the truth to say that the power of
the corporations was absolutely su-
preme. The scandalous dickering of
the corporation agents had demOral-
izing effect ON the house. The honest
representatives felt the humiliation
most keenly and would gladly have
left the hall had they not feared that
in their absence the managers would
resort to forgery to make up record
showing that the Crawford bills had
been passed. Some of the employees
caught the spirit of the corrupt ma
jOrity in the house. One Of them in
vaded the hall in drunken condition
and impudently attempted to cast the
votes of members who, for reasons of
their own, declined to respond when
their names were called. An order
was issued to eject this drunken en-
ploye from the hall. The attempt to
carry out this order resulted in free
fight, in which number of reprcsen-
tatives participated.
The Crawford bills failed to pass.
Although the managers were un-
doubtedly authorized to make the
most liberal offers, there were enough
honest men in the House to sustain
the honor of the state. The legisla-
tive records in Illinois contain many
dark chapters, but the blackest Of all
would have been written in the House
of Representatives at Springfield, last
Friday night, if the Crawford bills had
been passed over the governors veto.
Try T1nclo Sans Monooram m Whiskov