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

men who are bosses of the situation at
the sessions of the Legislature. Once
was chairman of u committee of ply.
sicians that was trying to secure the
passage of good bill at a former leg.
islature. The Speaker promised to c,,ll
1t M and failed. I sent man to him
to ask why he had not kept his prom.
ise and he referred the man to u go.
between. The go-betwecn told my
man that they would pass our bill for
$1,000. We refused To put up u dollar
and the bill was lost.
Il want to speak of the state instltu.
tions-the normal schools. the peniten-
tiarics. the asylums for the insane.
deaf. dumb and blind and the resort for
feeble-minded. The people would
make money by consolidating these In.
stltutiOns ut one place any place.
They are becoming a menace to nll of
us because Of their encroachment upon
the revenues Of the State. Their In.
fiuence upon legislation IL pcrniciOus.
Representatives from the districts
where the schools. penitentinries and
nsylums are located trade votes for mp.
preparations and get not simply what
they need, but all they want. This II
II wrong that the people sooner or later
will be compelled to consider II they
expect to escape being beggared Mt the
hands Of the taX-eaters Of the state.
''HOw the Legislature II to be lifted
to n plane Of decency II u knOtty prob.
lem. l will say. however. that some Of
Its worst evils would be done away
with II there were such Il constitutional
amendment as would properly limit the
powers Of the Speaker and provide Il
fitting penalty for any misrepresenta-
ton Of u vote on the part Of clerk. AZ
matters stand mt present We have no
government by the people: what we
take to he such IL n delusiOn and Il
snare"
John McI.auchlan, Of I.aSnlle. II one
Of the veterans of the House. He tells
u story revealing the inrOads that he
says life at Springfield makes upon
the sobriety and responsibility Of some
men. McIauchlan passes among those
who know him rs u man whose intelli-
gence and courage are not likely to he
questioned. He Inns this to say about
the Illinois General Assembly:
Il have served my district five terms
In the Leglslature-have viewed the
performance from both behind and be-
fore the scenes-and my honest judg-
ment Is that 1t Is humbug. We have
no representative government ut
Sprinefield; IL II government by u
Speaker, n gang the bosses of II pO.
litical machine-all under the dOmina-
tons most successful missionaries are
n lot of fellows who pretend that they
are not In politics ut all and that they
are ut Springfield simply to spend II lit
tie of their superhuOus money In u good
time with the boys These men wage
II masked ana merciless warfare
against manhood. 1t Is their speciality
to furnish liquor for unsuspecting
members and to lure them into II fever.
ish and demOraliZing social life. They
have suites of finely furnished rooms
and are able To command the blandish-
mcnts of some women In the further
ance of their designs. Every once In
awhile member not purchasable Is
roped In, duped, made drunk, kept 81
and manipulated like an imbecile.
have seen this done ana know what
am talking about. \ lawyer friend Of
mine was made n SOt by them and
sprawled over his desk in the House
during the sessions In II drunken
stupOr, being reused 10 vote and voting
as they directed,
among the members who sat neal
me was farmer. He was good
man. He sucked the milk of anti-mo
nopOly at his mothers breast. Whel
he first appeared in the House he heart
me make speech and came over tC
shake hands and profess approval Ol
the sentiments uttered. He was ricl
and utterly beyond an open bribc, bu
before that session was u month old
he fell into the trap set for him, he
came a habitual drlnker and voted fol
every vicious measure the gang pro
posed.
/ ut Is touching to behold the abjec
[ slavery Of those men In the House wh'
hunger for the Speakers favor. The"
have collars Of brass upon their necks
They think ana feel, yet dare no
/ speak. They protest ana eXpostulat'
and swear-but always under thei
breath. The Speaker is king and pros
trarlon Is their play II they would no
offend his majesty,
"And for what Is all this;
'ro secure the passage Of insignia