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

We Demand That the Springfield
Grand Jury fulfil its Duty towards
the People ef illinois BY summon.
Ing
.. 4. Q. Billings.
l.. Y. Sherman and
L. Q. Goddard
Before Il, In Order that the People
may commence their Ina est on
the Corporations.
There are many Others to Sum.
mon, Hundreds ef cheap Repre-
sentasives, Dozens OF Rotten Soma.
tors, Scores Of knowing Clerks and
ONE Gas ATTORNEY At LEAST,
but Summon
Billings,
Goddard and
Sherman
First!
Tho eshev witnesses can then
either Substantlate Or centradlot
them and the People will know
now 70 com m ence o. how 70 end,
whether Il will bs the callows
Or
The Penitentiay!
The People are Rising, and don't
you forget II.
From the Chicago Record, Sept. !,
1890:
Regarding the session Of the Illinois
General Assembly at Springfield last
spring Republican member OF the
House-a man believed to be entirely
trustworthy-said: ",rhe corporations
dictated the committeeships in so far
as they believed their interests de-
manded It. OF course they did not
recommend all the members Of COM
mlttees. but only enough to control
matters. There Is no doubt that the
gateway to places upon the important
committees lay through the favor OF
certain representatives of corporate
capital.
among the lobbyists at Springfield
last spring was an ex-member OF the
XLth General Assembly. He confessed
TO me that he received money for his
vote upon several occasions while he
was In the Legislature. know he was
telling the truth, for confirmation OF his
statement had reached me from a reli'
able source. A member Of the late
House told me at the close OF the ses
sion that he had barely made enough
10 cover his election expenses. ! have
information Of conclusive nature thai
a pool existed In the Senate, and thai
when the term was over those mem
bers who had fought good hight anc
kept the faith In behalf Of the corpora
tlons divided the Doodle among them.
''As a whole, the recent House was
good one. 1t appreciated its responsi
blllty and its duty. But there were
men among its membership who were
linked with the bad men in the Senate
and who started along sandbaggini
legislation that the corporations paid Il
have blocked in the Senate. ! watched
this system closely, and believe 1t wa
n game Of blackmall pure and simple
presume everybody at the capital un
derstood what was going on in this par
tlcular.
Adjournment April ii was the resul
OF movement begun in the Senate
The friends of the corporations wer
afraid of the House, and did not wan
the Senate to be embarrassed by al
accumulation of good bills upon whlcl
the corporations would not permit 1t 4
vote fayorably. Safety for the Senat
lay In getting out Of Springfield, AM
IL did all in It's power 10 hasten the da,
Of adjournment"
Michael Cleary, Democratic membe
Of the House from the Twentieth Dis
trlct, said:
II do not know what the corporation
paid TO have things their own way a
Springfield last winter. Indeed,
could not swear they paid anything
know only that men with bills that tn
corporations did not want found then
selves blocked and defeated. We coui
pass measure In the House, once W
got Il out OF committee but there wa
the rub. Bills that were obnoxious
corporate wealth were generally scu
lied in committee.
zone Of my bills provided for n
ductlon Of the legal rate Of interes
from per cent. to 8 per cent. 1t wa
referred to the committee on bank
and banking, Of which banker wa
chairman. I did all In my power
get the bill considered, but my effort
We're frultless.
Constitutional government often