Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1899-09-02
These Men Will Talk and Can Prove
Everything that They
Testify To.
Outside the Senatorial Syndicate" the Price
Paid Was $500 for Every
Man Bought

Will the officers of the Chicago Gas
Trust kindly state whether they know
anything about the raising Of a fund
from which number Of the members
Of the last Senate were paid each
$1,000 for services rendered. The
Eagle Is in a position to state on the
very best Of authority that such fund
was raised to take care Of number
Of the small.fry Senators, whose votes
were necessary to enable the Sena.
torial syndicate to fulfill their contract
with the trusts and corporations. Three
thousand nine hundred dollars was the
exact sum paid to these small.fry Sen
atOrs. The six who formed the syndl.
cate got ten times that amount each.
They were the big toads in the puddle.
The little fellows were glad to be rec.
ognlzed even to the extent Of thirty
nine hundred plunks. The details Of the
whole business are Mt hand. The prin.
cipal features are given In the story
that follows this statement. Names,
dates and other particulars are at
hand. II the Gas Trust folks decline
to talk now. they may be more willing
to tell what they know about this In
lauitous transaction later. and before q
different tribunal than that Of public
opinion.
In order to start this chapter Of the
history Of the infamous Forty.hrst
General Assembly properly. 1t may be
stated at the outset that outside the
members Of the Senatorial syndicate
and the select cOterie In the House. the
Forty-Hrst General Assembly was
"cheap skate" Legislature. The great
Illinois corporations SO regarded It.
The members Of the little clique which
controlled both houses came high, to be
sure, but the combine" was exceed
ingly small In numbers. So small was
Il that though the veteran lawyer and
corporation lobbyist who shelled out
the coin had to divide up small Tor
tune among the members Of the select
coterie, vet he was exceedingly pleased
with the outcome, inasmuch as the cor
porations were protected for less
money, and the interests Of the public
were sold for smaller price than ever
bcfore In the history of this State.
This was due to the fact that so well
did the syndicate and Its auxiliary IN
the lower house map out Its plans thai
seyen-eighths of the members OF the
House got nothing at all during the en-
tire session beyond the $1,000 allowed
by law rs their remuneration ana the'l
allowance for mileage and stationery
The select clique, led by a prominent
member of the House, got everything
A few persistent ones did "break IN
here and there, and had to be taken
care OF, but generally speaking the
clique "hogged" everything In sisht
In the Senate things were nearly pu'
not quite so bad. The Senatorial syn
dictate made an agreement at the outse
with the veteran lawyer and corpora
ton lobbyist to kill every bill that II
any way interfered with the privileges
emoluments and monOpolies OF the cor
poratiOns. The agreement actually con
tanned the basis Of payment upon whicl
this work was to be done.
IL was found, however, that thu
could not be done without some cooper
alton from the outside. The six sena
tors composing the syndicate iouh'
that they would have TO get Few o
the outsiders at a cheap figure 10 ai'
them In "deliv ring the goods 10 th
corporations. And so n number OF oth
or Senators were taken into camp d.
the syndicate, and bargain struck.
THIS BARGAIN WAS THAT TIL
OUTSIDERS WERE TO BE PAll
FOURTHOUSAND DOLLARS FACE
FOR VOTING WITH THE MEM
BEERS OF THE SYNDICATE UPON
ALL BILLS AFFECTING THE COR
PORATIONS OF THE STATE Oh
ILLINOIS.
This agreement was made between
the members Of the outer circle ana IN
inner circle. The former were heve
allowed to come In contact win III
representative Of the corporations
They did business with their colleague
who compOsed the inner circle, ana IN
latter did business at the Great Norti
erp Hotel with the shrewd OLD awye
who represented all the corporation
The outer circle co-operated loyaii
with the inner circle, and the syndicat
kept its word. Five days after IN
Legislature adjourned the members o
the outer circle Of the Senate gan
were paid of In Chicago. Each wa
given exactly 5000 In cash. One hui
dred dollars was deducted from eac
.o,a NOV m cover certain incidenta
expenses, including some costly pres
ents that were dished out to certai
well-known persons and officials. Thre
thousand nine hundred dollars apiec
was the sum total OF the graft mad
by the majority OF the members OF IN
Senate In the late Legislature. IT wa
the cheapest Senate the corporation
ever had 10 deal with In this State.
Tue Eagle u In possession OF the d