Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1899-08-12

Will the officers Of the Chicago Gas
Trust kindly state whether they know
anything about the raising of fund
from which number of the members
Of the last Senate were paid each
$4,000 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 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 IRE mt hand. The prin-
cipal features are 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 more willing
to tell what they know about this In
jquitous 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-flrst
General Assembly properly, 1t may be
stated ut the outset that outside the
members Of the Senatorial syndicate
and the select coterie In the House, the
Forty.first General Assembly was a
''cheap skate" Legislature. The great
Illinois corporations SO regarded II.
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
1t that though the veteran lawyer and
corporation lobbyist who shelled out
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 ever
before 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 that
seven.e ighths Of the members of the
House got nothing Mt all during the en-
tire session beyond the $1,000 allowed
by law as their remuneration and their
allowance for mileage and stationery.
The select clique, led by n 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 sight,
In the Senate things were nearly but
not quite so bad. The Senatorial syn
dictate made an agreement at the outset
with the veteran lawyer and corpora
ton lobbyist to kill every bill that In
any way interfered with the privileges,
emoluments and monopolies Of the COR
pOrations. The agreement actually con-
tanned the basis Of payment upon which
this work was to be done.
1t was found, however that this
could not be done without some cooper
alton from the outside. The six Sena-
tors composing the syndicate found
that they would have to get few OF
the outsiders at cheap figure to aid
them in delivering the goods to the
corporations. And so number OF 9TH
or Senators We're taken into camp by
the syndicate, and bargain struck.
THIS BARGAIN WAS THAT THE
OUTSIDERS WERE TO BE PAID
FOURTHOUSAND DOLLARS EACH
FOR VOTING WITH THE MEM
BERS OF THE SYNDICATE UPON
ALL BILLS AFFECTING THE COR
PORATIONS OF THE STATE OF
ILLINOIS.
This agreement was made between
the members Of the outer circle and the
inner circle. The former Were never
allowed to come In contact with the
representative Of the corporations.
They did business with their colleagues
who composed the inner circle, and the
latter did business at the Great North
ern Hotel with the shrewd old lawyer
who represented all the corporations.
The outer circle co.operated Loyalty
with the inner circle, and the syndicate
kept It's word. Five days after the
Legislature adjourned the members Of
the outer circle OF the Senate gang
were paid of in Chicago. Each was
given exactly $500 in cash. One hun
dred dollars was deducted from each
mans pay 10 cover certain incidental
expenses, including some costly pres
ents that were dished out TO certain
well-known persons and officials Three
thousand nine hundred dollars apiece
was the sum total Of the graft" made
by the majority OF the members Of the
Senate In the late Legislature. II was
abe cheapest Senate the corporations
ever had 10 deal with In this State.
The Eagle Is in possession Of the de-