Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-01-08
HITS SLUSH FUND
Representative Johnson Goes
After Machine at Spring.
field at Start.
IN THE MINORITY NOMINATION
New Speaker Shows Nervousness
What the Bosses Are
Doing.

r. Springfield, Jan. S.-CaucuS states III
both houses were rushed yesterday
without ceremony or hitch and the
usual preliminary routine followed
the lines of typewriter resolutions
prepared the night before and doled
out to members for introduction.
Above the hum of routine. however,
Caleb c. johnson, democratic member
from Whiteside county, raised a cry
which has set many of the machine
bosses thinking. Representative John
son. who is one of the democratic
veterans of the state, managed to
\ sound the tocsin of war against the
s..5 per cent slush fund in his speech
nominating j. p. Wilson for minority
candidate speaker, and the manner in
which the Shermanites grinned and
chuekled caused CONSERVATION among
the machine leaders. Our candidate
believes, that the state institutions
are the wards of the people, as he be-
lieves that this great government rs
the heritage of free men," declared
Mr.. Johnson. He reSentS the idea
that our state institutions should be
the lodging places of political bench
men, or that there should be collected
from these institutions a slush fund
to debauch the public electorate"
This was the debut of the ''slush
fund.- in the infant legislature and
there are prospects of a general in
vestigation of the ) per cent system
before the house appropriation bill is
passed. There Shermanites. elated
over their organization of So took
little interest, apparently, in the pro-
Int x-ntaH tnrilN the
caucus slate.
Miller Appears Nervous
John ii. Miller appeared ill at ease
and nervous with the gavel. He was
assisted in the preliminaries by Clerk
| Reeve and others. and. although his
friends say he will be equal to his on
! erous task. the gossip is that DR..
| Shanahan. of Chicago. and Ed c. Cur
! tbs. of Kankakee. probably will occu-
/ DIV the chair much of the time. The
! aftermath of the speakership fight
| leaves the Sherman men full OF con-
| fidence in their ''damper" organiza-
! ton and full of schemes which none
of them has dared to divulge.
Gov. Yates Anglers Many
Gov Yates message, in which he
| refers to the insurgent camp in his
! party and the United States senator
| ship, has angered many members not
! attached to the Sherman camp. Al
| ter assuring the legislature that in
! the light of past experience he feared
no obstruction or partisan interior
| ence from the democrats, the state
| executive refers to the election of a
| strong wise and capable United
States senator, a matter already sub
stantialIy accomplished" The words
substantially accomplished" are the
rub. Many members regard this allu-
sion as unbecoming a state executive
who is addressing body supposed to
have original jurisdiction over the
election of a United States senator.
| Gov. Yates statement is taken as
meaning that the republican state
convention in May decided the sena-
torship and that there no longer is
any question as to Hopkins election.
In view. of the militant mood in
which the Sherman men find them
selves at the close of bitter fight,
the critics of the governor say he is
impolitic in the extreme.
The Election of Senator
| According to n resolution offered in
the house by Representative Patter-
son balloting on United States SEN
ator will begin at IL o'clock Tuesday,
| Jan. 20, in both houses. Both houses
will meet jointly the following day,
when the respective journals will be
read and joint ballot taken if the
houses disagree. The time and place
of the joint caucus will be fixed by a
| steering committee to consist of
three house members and two sena-
| tors.
! Congressman Hopkins came in from
| Aurnra and reported at his headauar-