Archives/Special Collections, University of Illinois at Springfield

A: Well he didn't have no way - and he had to be at work the next morning, the railroad,
he had to go to work. I don't know what'd he do. So, hell, nobody else had any rars or
anything around. After I closed up I took him home. And I was talking with Charlie. But
I didn't even know then who he was or if he had any influence. But some way or another
- Stevenson was governor and Paul Po\\-ell. And another guy from over at Carlinville, he
used to come over here once in a while.
Q: Lyons?
A: No. Just another bigshot and he died, he. . . . Anyway, they had ch:~rge of the
patronage. And one of the fellows over at Olney \\-as caught taking some fun~ls some way
or another. They'd offer something on this job. And my name was brought up. And naturally
I had the business experience. But, hell, I never had no labor or no unions or
anything. And this guy got up on the house floor or wherever it was at the - speech and
said. "They'd better do something for that Carl Wittmond, see, down there." (laughs) I'll
be damned if I didn't get the job. And I really didn't want it. I had plenty of business
and work to do. Hell, 1 really didn't want no damn - didn't even know what an arbitrator
was. We never heard of them, we'd never heard of rhem.
So one day I got a call wanting a joh to come to Chicago. So I reported up to Chicag~]. So
I stayed over at the Sherman Hotel. And they paid my esprnirs and all and I went across
the street and I was sitting around there. And even then I'd deal in stocks and
everything. I was pretty active then dealing in this and that, and had this popcorn operation
and had nly orchards then too I think, had them orchards. And I'd he sitting thvre
and I was thinking about all of this operating going on and me working for these peanuts. I
thought peanuts than a damned job you know. I was about ready to give it up.
And finally the chairman, J. B. [B. Jay] Knight - all of the other arhitrators, they wrre
in fear of him because every - thought he took a drink. Man, they didn't e\.er want him
to take a drink. And he used to ask me to go out and have dinner with him. :In11 he',]
take a drink and I'd drink with him. And that wasn'l planned. we'd just have - hr'd take
a wine or two. And the rest of the boys. I ren~eniber they used to go, "He don't drink with
you, does he?" And [ said, "Sure he takes a drink."
But anyway, I'd become disgusted with that after a couple of weks. I just thought I was
going to quit. I told him. He said, "You mean you're going to give this - this is a pretty
lucrative deal," he said, "You mean to tell me yoo'rr going to give this job up?" An11 I
said, "I think I'm wasting my time." IIe said, "I'll tell you \\-hat >-IIU do. ~ h rlnn't y you
stay one more week and if >-ou don't like it, why, then don't cnmr hack." 30 I stayed one
more week.
(taping stopped to attend custonier, then resunled)
Q: So you had another week'!
.4: Stayed another week and then hr \vent overhoard entrrtaining me around an11 I turnrd
out, they said, to be one of the l~est arhitrntors there was. I had a hvttrr record than most
any of them up there. But that was - talk to them and grtting acquaintrtl ihroughout thr
state. See I traveled the whole stat^, all the way from Ke\\-anee ~ l~~\vn to Cairo.
Q: What did you 1111 as an arbitrator? What did >-ou find out the jo11 amnuntrd to thcn'!
A: Well 1 had hearings. I'euple had injuries of any sort in a tiispute and it was up tu rnr
to decide what the reward \vaa and so forth. And I always recall the first - see in Chicago.
\I-hy. I had other arhitrators in the building, and hearing cases. And I heard them toci
see. But if you ran into a problem you could call a recvss and go in :in11 ask sonirhody
to help me. When I was out on my own I had a rourt reporter conir 11o\vn hrrr ever>-
Carl Wittmond Memoir -- Archives/Special Collections, University of Illinois at Springfield