The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-07-15
THOMPSON LIKELY TO
LOSE GRIP ON CHICAGO
Once Powerful Political Machine Ap.
pears to Be Headed for
Dissolution.

Defeated in the June judicial cleo
tons in Chicago, baked in its pro.
gram to dominate the state Of Hi
nols, through its control of the gov.
ernor and legislature, and now faced
with a rebellious city county. the
supposedly invineible political Chica
so City Hall machine, Of which May
or William Hale Thompson is the
tltular head, now seems well along
TIE path toward dissolution, says a
Chicago dispatch to the New York
Times.
A year ago, during the Republican
national convention, the Thompson
organization was at the height Of It's
mower It claimed credit for the a..
Feat of Governor Frank o. Lowden
Tor the Republican nomination for pres
ident and was offering Mayor Thomr
son tentatively as TIE "logical" can
dldato from Illinois IN 1924.
Gaining control of the state as well
as city patronage By the nomination
and election OF Len Small as Cover
nor, Mayor Thompson and Fred Lun
din, believed by many to be the real
head OF the Thompson organization
are now facing possible political ex
tlnction They have lost much DO
litical power and prestige within the
past six months.
Tho Lundin-Thompson organization
by primary plurality of less than
10000 too late for an Investigation
Of alleged frauds in Chicago nominal
cd Small for governor last September
and he, carried the state by large
plurality along with President Hard
ing aud the rest of the Republican
ticket. Governor Small went into of.
nee in January with unquestioned
control OF both the senate and tho
house, organized both branches. and
put out an administration program of
legislation generally understood 10
have heeuslnspired by Mayor Thomp.
son and Mr. Luudin.
In June. despite offers of both
state and CAP patronage. this pro.
gram was repudiated in both house.
The Small-Thomps0n.Lundin combina.
ton lost practically every friendly
senator and insurgents I'm the house
took away everything but tho adj
ministration's control Of the speakers.
ship. f
Tho revolt at the state capitol at
Springfield dated from the judicial
elections in Chicago, when tho Thomp
son candidates for judges of the cir.
cult and superior courts were defeat.
ed by pluralties averaging more than
100 600 During the campaign il was
charged openly that the Thompson
candidates had been "hand.picked" nv
the machine. The defeat was so com.
plete that no attempt at an explanation
can been "hand-picker" by the ma.
chine. TIE defeat was so complete
that no attempt at an explanation
was ever made by either the mayor
or Mr. Lundin
The effect of this defeat entirely
unexpected by the rest of the state
was instantaneous The legislature at
once defeated the so-caled Thomp.
son-Lmdin '1lve-cent fare" bill de-
signed to provide Mayor Thompson
with a somewhat time.worn campaign
issue.
The legislature then defeated the
governors public utilities commission
bill, upon which he had largely based
his campaign and which pretended TO
grant "home rule" to the cities of the
state. It then defeated the admins
tration bill exempting 1000 state po.
sitions from civil service protection
and the administration tax commis-
sion bill, which would have permitted
the governor to have appointed a
state tax commission of three mem.
hers.
A revolt followed in the Chicago
city council, which had been subser.
Went to Mayor Thompson for the
past five or six years. The council cut
tho budget and threw out many TEN.
pOrary employees" who, Il was said,
had been placed on the payroll as a
reward for political services. 1t called
a halt on large payments to real es-
tate experts" employed by the adj
minstration in connection with mu'
nicipal improvements.
Five of these men received S2,H2
OOO in one year for their services,
Some of these experts are now about
to face Judge Kenesaw NJ Lands IN
the United States court in an inquiry
conceulg their income tax reports
The Chicago Tribune has started a
civil action to recover for the CITY
moro than 100000 witch has been
paid to them
Tho attorney general of the state
has started grand jury proceedings u
inuuire into Governor Small's alleged
failure while state treasurer, 20 turr
over to the state all interest on pub
lie money.
Mayor Thompson's term OF Office
lasts until Doe. 81, 1923, so there viii
be no opportunity until that year tt
vote for another candidate for may
or His opponents, however, believe
that the "break" in his power has
come, and that he will not he able