The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-06-17


Representative MaeNeil that
Julius Johnson, secretary sf
the state utilities commlsion.
had used irregular methods IN
lobbying for the aAministI1.
TONS Legislative program.
The governor declared that he
would not permit any en-.
pl0ye, guilty Of wrongful act to
remain IN the employ ef tAe
state.
Springfield, ILL.,, June 17.-Repre.
sentative MacNeil. Democrat, oe
Olney, exploded a bomb Of senSa-
ton last night in the house during
consideration of the Wheeler SER
vice bill, when he declared that
Julius johnson. secretary Of the
public utilities commission, prom
ised favorable action by the COM
mission on a case In which Mac
Neil was interested. il the Olney
Democrat would vote for the
Wheeler bill and the tax commis-i
sion bill. which was still tied up In
committee.
Creates Sensation.
MacNeil's sensational CHARGES |
overshadowed all the arguments
which were made against the faults,
of the civil service system and tho,
bill escaped instantaneous death BY
q narrow margin of two votes be-
fore 1t was sent to third reading.
i Representative MacNeiI made the
charges during a scathing denmci-.
alton Of the administration which
he said was returning to the "spoils
system" to reward its friends.
Holding aloft a piece of paper
MacNeil said it contained, in John
sons handwriting, the number OF
the bills for which he had been
asked to vote in return for favorx
by the commission. Thirty minutes.
after he had been in the utilities
commission office to discuss his
case pending there, MacNeil said he
was approached by johnson with
the offer. He challenged a denial
that the figures we're written BY
Johnson. The utilities commission
secretary sat outside the brass rail
around the house chamber while
MacNeil was speaking.
Demands Resignation.
Governor Small should either
ask this man to resign at once, or
resign himself" Representative
MacNeil shouted,
Intimation that something tn the
nature of MacNeil's charges were
coming was made by Represents
tive Devine. Democrat leader.-The
minority leader, in a speech against
the bill, declared that he was op-
(posed to civil service on general
principles but added that he was
not for the administration bill,
which he said was camoufiage and
bunk.
Representative Searcy Of Spring
field said he had been approached
with a proposition relating to the
state fair ground controversy il he
would vote for certain pieces of leg
islation.
q
government appointees. have gone
along as far as l can," said Rep
resentative J. Tice, who refused to
vote on the bill.
Small Faces Defeat.
Defeat Of a large part of his leg
islative program was confronting
Governor Small this morning a. .
result Of last nights sensational
and alarming session. which lasted
until almost daylight Senators go
ing to their hotels after an all-night
battle over the home rule utilities
bill and the omnibus bill, met the
early milkmen ON their routes.
When daylight dawned, the ad-
, ministration had put over but one
of its important measures-the
Meentz highway maintenance bill
which passed before the Legislative
storm broke about the Wheelef
: civil service and the utilities bill
i Shear Utilities Bill
D. Sheared OF much OF its original
? garments the utilities bill went ff
the third reading in the senate afteI
a stubborn fight 1t still carried tha
I home rule clause but the provis<
: was almost unrecognixable frou
! the original home rule provisiona
II Clothed in many new amend
' ments the bill provides that utlitie.
' in cities which adopt home rul,
: shall have the right to appeal Il
the Illinois commerce commissiol
d from decisions of city counfill
Either a home rule city or its ufili
tiles are given the right to appeal d
local courts from decisions of III
lcommission.