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

Will the officers Of the Chicago Gas
Trust kindly state whether they know
anything about the raising Of n fund
from which n 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 snall.fry Senators, whose votes
were necessary to enable the Sena.
torial syndicate to fulfill their contract
with the trusts ana corporations. Three
thousand nine hundred dollars was the
exact sum paid to these small.fry Sen
ators. The six who formed the syndi.
cate got ten times that amount each.
They were the big toads in the puddle.
The little fellows were glad to be rec.
ognized even to the extent Of thirty.
nine hundred plunks. The details Of the
whole business are Mt hand. The prin.
cipal features IRE given In the story
that follows this statement. Names.
dates and other particulars are Mt
hand. II the Gas Trust folks decline
to talk now. they may be mc,e willing
to tell what they know about this In
iaultous transaction later, anu before q
different tribunal than hat Of public
opinion.
In order to start this chapter Of the
history Of the infamous Forty.first
General Assembly properly, 1t may be
stated Mt the outset that outside the
members Of the Senatorial syndicate
and the select coterle In the House, the
Forty.flrst General Assembly was Q
"cheap skate Legislature. The great
Illinois corporations so regarded 1t
The members Of the little clique which
controlled both houses came high, to De
sure, but the combine" was exceed
ingly small In numbers. So small was
II that though the veteran lawyer ana
corporation lobbyist who shelled ou'
the coin had to divide up small for
tune among the members Of the select
coterie, yet he was exceedingly pleased
with the outcome, inasmuch as the cor
poratIOns We're protected for less
money, and the interests Of the public
were sold for smaller price than evei
before In the history Of this State.
This was due to the fact that so well
did the syndicate and Its auxiliary II
the lower house map out Its plans thai
seven.eighths Of the members of thu
House got nothing ut all during the en-
tire session beyond the $1,000 allowed
by law as their remuneration and theil
allowance for mileage and stationery
The select clhlue, led by a prominen
membe" OF the House, got everything
A few persistent ones did "break In
here ard there, and had to be takeI
care of, hut generally speaking tho
CLIQUE "hogged" everything In sight
In the Senate things were nearly bu
not quite SO bad. The Senatorial syn
dictate made an agreement mt 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
tained the basis of payment upon whicl
this work was to be done.
1t was found, however, that TIL
could not be done without some cooper
alton from the outside. The six Sena
tors composing the syndicate foun'
that they would have to get few o
the outsiders at cheap figure to all
them in delivering the goods to IN
corporations. And so number or oth
or Senators were taken into camp b.
the syndicate, and bargain struck,
THIS BARGAIN WAS THAT TIL
OUTSIDERS WERE TO BE PAll
FOURTHOUSAND DOLLARS EACi
FOR VOTING WITH THE MEN
BEERS OF THE SYNDICATE UPO.
ALL BILLS AFFECTING THE con
PORATIONS OF THE STATE Ol
ILLINOIS.
This agreement was made betwee
the members of the outer circle and tn
inner circle. The former We're neye
allowed 10 come in contact with tn
representative OF the corporations
They did business with their colleague
who COMPOSED the inner circle, and tn
latter did business at the Great Norti
ern HotA with the shrewd old lawye
who represented all the corporations
The outer circle co-operated loyal
with the inner circle, and the syndicat
kept its word. Five days after IN
Legislature adjourned the members Q
the outer circle OF the Senate gan
were paid off in Chicago. Each wa
given exactly $4,000 in cash. One hui
dred dollars was deducted from eac
mans pay 10 cover certain incidents
expenses, including some costly pre-
cnts that were dlshed out to certai
wellknown persons and officials. ThrC
thousand nine hundred dollars apleC
was the sum total Of the graft mad
by the majority Of the members OF III
Senate In the late Legislature. II wa
the cheapest Senate the corporation
ever had 10 deal with In this state.
The Eagle Is In possession Of the d