Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1899-09-16

ScnOOlDOOk puDllSnerS tn0t the bill on
this subject was never resurrected from
the committee in which II was en-.
tombed. Still another illustrat ton of
the way the wind was blowing is
found In the fate Of the warehouse BILL
When this measure first come up It
was referred to the Committee on Ag.
riculture. Shortly afterward the chair
man Of the Warehouse Committee be.
came so uneasy about the bill that he
demanded Its reference to his commit.
tee. 1t accordingly was withdrawn
from the Committee on Agriculture aud
found final resting place in the Com
mittee on Warehouses. When attempts
were made on one or more occasions
to exhume buried measures chairmen
OF committees parrled the movements
by promising to have the bills reported
out--promises that never were full.
fllled.'
Francis ]. Sullivan. a Democratic
member of the House from the Second
District, thinks that some of the meth.
ods employed by the dominant element
at Springfield were disgusting" lie
said:
"Pugillsts and not statesmen are the
kind of men the people should send to
the Legislature In fh.s state. Rules.
protests, arguments, constitutional
rights--all such things are ridden over,
rough-shod, by those in power. The
Speaker and the Clerk are practically
the whole Legislature IL they choose
to be. The Clerk has more power than
fifty members in deciding the fate of
legislation. lie can and ,he does record
men as voting for measures they Op.
pose and as voting against measures
they favor. Redress Is out Of the ques.
tion II the Speaker sees fit to carry to
a successful conclusion the wrong be.
gun by the Clerk. A member who finds
himself recorded as having voted
otherwise than he did vote has right
to protest, but when the chair refuses
to recognize him what Is lie to do!
The situation Is one of simple anarchy
and the man for the occasion Is prize
fighter"
Sidney McCloud. Senator from the
Third District and Republican, long
has been at outs with the gang con.
trolling the Legislature, and said he
had but little inside Information rs to
how things had been managed. or the
general situation he spoke as follows:
ut Is unquestlonably true that the
corporations have controlled the Legis.
lature Of this State rs they control
things In New York and Pennsylvania.
How they do their work I am unable
to say, but do know that they have
little difficulty In getting what they
want at Springfield. know also that
members are elected whose election ex.
penses are more than their salaries
amount to-who frankly confess that
fact. How are they recompensed?
There are other members who boast
that they are not In politics for their
health But to prove what every one
knows who has been at Springfield Is
not easy; specific evidence must come
from the ranks Of the gangsters them.
selves. Votes are not bought openly"
House ana Senate committeeships in
the late Legislature. according to 10.
seph Il. MahOney, a Democratic Senator
from the Thirteenth District, were
handed out by John Riley Tanner. Said
Mr.. Mahoney:
"That the corporations bossed things
at Springfield last winter there Is no
doubt. They worked through their
warm friend Tanner. Tanner dictated
the organization Of both the House and
the Senate. and he did 1t absolutely.
Everybody at the session who knew
anything knew that.
"As to the use of Doodle In the recent
session, l have no definite knowledge.
Persons who accept brlbes and persons
who give them are not communicative.
The man ut Springfield who Is not look.
Ing for n share Of the money that Ia
floating about In the interest Of those
who make u business of cOrrupting
Legislatures Is not likely to come Into
possession of positive information con.
cernlng bOOdling operations, although
he may plainly see the results Of such
operations"
| Assistant Corporation Counsel Denis
Il. Sullivan. a Democratic member OF
the House from the Twenty.third DIS
trict, said:
MY experience at Springfield las,
winter leads me to believe that cOrpOr'
ate interests had large hand in tho
control Of matters. Speaker Sherman
or somebody whose persuasive powers
he could not resist, reversed the ilp
memorial custom Of majority speakers
In order that the names Of Samuel Al
schuler Of Aurora, ElmOre w. Hurst OF
Rock Island and myself might be
stricken from the committee lists where
they had been placed by the minority
candidate for Speaker, Mr.. McGOOrty
"Why was this?
II was one Of the old members and
Mr.. McGoorty thought might be use
full on the Committee on Municipal Cor
pOratlOns, on the RailrOad COmmitte
the Committee on Live Stock ant
Dalrying and others. ! saw the lis
when 1t left McGOorty's hands, ana
saw 1t when 1t was given out by th'
Speaker. Meantime my name, together
with those of Alschuler ana Hurst, hat
disappeared. l understand that the lis
was sent to Chicago and passed upol
by certain men, who blue-penciled thu
Objectionable names. We were 'prett,
good fellows rs the gang said, but W,
were some of those - --- reform
ers.' 1t appears that the street rail
ways, the steam railways ana the live