The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-10-10
SMALL IS HIT
BY DECISION
AGAINST |. C.
But There's Still Chance
to Protect Friends
By KARL REEVE.

company has at last heard a
decision rendered against it,
after successfully staIIing off
the encouragement of Illinois
state for sixteen years.
Len Small, governor of Illi-
nois, will be sorry at the news
that Judge Samuel C. Slough
of the Circuit Court of Grundy
County has decided the suit in
stituted by governor Deneen in
1908 in favor of the state.
For governor Small is a director Of
the Illinois Central railroad, and
stands to lose much money thru the
judges decision.
Still Chance to Chest
But a decision against such a
powerful railroad combine as the one
which owns the Illinois Central does
not always mean that the money is
collected. Governor Small can be of
good cheer. After election, when the
political capital Of winning a big suit
has done its work in putting attorney
general Brundage in a good light be-
fore the voters of the state, perhaps
Len Small's railroad will find means
of cheating the state of Illinois out
of its taxes after all.
Small's railroad was able to clog the
wheels of justice for 16 long years.
Even then several of the findings of
Judge Slough were favorable to the
railroad in which the governor is in
terested. However, the decision that
the Illinois Central has for many years
been lodging millions of dollars tax
payments which were due the state,
If carried into effect, means that the
Illinois Central must pay seven per
cent of the receipts from their char
ter lines to the state. The Illinois
Central has managed to escape this
payment for many years.
Backed by Labor officialdom.
Len Small, who is "ex-officio" direc-
tor of the Illinois Central, which
means that during his term of Office
he does not officialally vote, but takes
part in all deliberations and decisions
70 the road as director, is running for
reelection this year. Small's most
valuable support is coming from the
reactionary officers of the Illinois
State Federation of Labor, and from
Frank Harrington, president of the
Illinois miners. If Small, with the
aid of his labor faker hackers, can get
himself reelected, he may yet be able
to save his colleagues on the Illinois
Central their money.
And Small is associated with very
powerful group of capitalists. The
board of directors of the Illinois Cen
trail railroad include, in addition to
Small, William Vincent Aston, Corne-
Illus Vanderbilt, R. S. Lovett, H. w.
De Forest, Stanley Field, R. w. Goelet,
and C. A. Peabody.
May Still Reward Friends.
Small has recently thrown over the
OliSltc CiOWQ anu SOiAlC Oub OpOA-
ly, along with his fellow financiers,
including Ebert H. Gary, as a hacker
of Coolidge and Dawes. Small, who.
established the most corrupt record
in modern political history as governor
of Illinois, is however, Endorsed by the
Illinois Federation of Labor officials,
who at the last convention Of the
Illinois Federation of Labor pushed
thru resolutions indorsing his record.
and Small has the Endorsement of
John Fitzpatrick, Oscar Nelson, Ed
Nockels, and the Chicago Federation
of Labor.
The state has won the victory in
exposing, after is years delay, the
tax-dodging practices of the Illinois
Central railroad. But it is doubtful,
with governor Small retaining his posi-
ton as governor, whether it will be
easy or expedient for the state Of
Illinois to collect the millions of dol
lars due to it.