Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1899-09-16
From Every County in the State Comes
Demand for Decency
and Justice.
The Culprits, However High, Must Be Hanged
or Driven Out Of Our
State.
In the Meantime the People Are Preparing
Either for Revolution or
for Justice.

set aside at Springfield. Methods thor.
oughly revolutionary are employed. 1t
became necessary more than once dur
ing the late session for the minority
members of the House to assert their
rights by physical force, threatening
bloodshed. The clerk was an old man
in the place, and his nudaclty was un-
paralleled. lie counted men as voting
one way when they voted another. and
was protected In what he did by the
speaker arbitrarily carrying motions to
dispense with the reading Of the min
utes. TO this day do not know how
I was written down on the important
not know until got a copy Of the Jour-
nal. I know Mt least one man who
was recorded as voting for the Allen
bill in the Nth General Assembly
when he voted against It.
"The situation Is anarchical and dis
graceful. The people must choose bet
ter men and have them elect better
speakers. It will require twenty years
for the state to recover from the last
two legislatures.
Said a Republican Senator down in
the State:
"If the people of Illinois knew what
actually takes place at Springfield they
would rise up and drive the Legislature
out Of the capital. When the unso.
phlsticated man goes down there he
meets with revelation and IL greatly
disappointed. During the late session
1t was game between certain Sena-
tors and the speaker Of the House.
These Senator'S would 60 about saying,
This Is Sherman's bill; we want You
to vote for IT, OF course they were
drawing upon Sherman for correspond
Ing favors to advance their own meas
ures, and In the meantime men outside
of the combination We're struggling In
vain for even the scantiest recogni-
tion."
Charles C. Craig, of Galesburg Dem
ocratlc member of the House from the
Thlrty.iifth District, said:
zone day u fellow called me out ana
offered me 800 to vote for the butter
Inc bill. I took 1t as joke and laughed
at him. My opinion is that the corpora.
tlons work more effectively through
various forms Of suasion than by fat
footed bribery. Their machinery for
influencing the course Of legislation Ia
skillfully constructed and works with
out friction. The source of their pow
or lies far outside of Springfield. And
then ones constituents are much to
blame. He Is scarcely in his place until
they begin to yell for passes and force
him to put himself under obligations
to the railroads. Al Glade and j. i.
Cavanaugh, of Chicago, occasionally
ran things with sweep In their COM
mittee. l have seen them declare u
committee adjourned when numbers OF
men were on their feet protesting. They
would calmly instruct the janltor to
lock up the roOm."
!, . Several members interviewed ex
; pressed sentiments like those Of the
Senator quoted above, who said that
the people would rise in rebelliOus pro
test II they knew how some Of theil
supposed representatives acted. An
other Republican Senator remarked
zones faith in the dignity and hOnol
. of humanity Is likely to undergo Il Sc
we're strain II one spends term or two
: at Springfield" Charles \. Davidson
!. of Newton, Democratic Senator from
the FOrty-fifth District, put 1t thus: 81
have said If the people could see theil
Legislature at short range they woull
vote to abolish it, and ! believe the,
!, would"
James Hackett 1854 Wabash avenue
Chicago, a Democratic member of tn
house, said: Respect for government
would vanish from among the peopl'
Il they would go to Springfield and Sc,
now their laws are made" Mr.. Hack
cit continued:
l Pour or five weeks Immediately fol
: lowing the opening Of last winters ses
! sion Of the Legislature We're given NJ
c 10 pulling and hauling over the commit
j. tees. There were corporate interest
u TO be looked out for, and these wer
c we'll represented at the capital. CorpOr
5 alton attorneys and lobbyists swarm
o ed over the floors of Senate and House
i frequently occupying almost half o
the seats that were supposed to belon'
: to members. In my judgment the cor
I poratiOns dictated the committecship
: and practically organized the Leglsla
= ture.
i what are my reasons for believing
o so! Why, ! was convinced by what
3 saw and heard. In the first place tn
attorneys and lobbyists Of wealth wer
s there, and In the second place no meas