Archives/Special Collections, University of Illinois at Springfield

anything you'd want if you'd want it had enough. And I'd just want it h:i11 rnuugh and
I just thought I mas going to get it.
Q: What about confrontations? Who were you running against in the regular race?
.I: Well I had tough competition all the time see, with all the party, because I never mas
a party man. And they'd always put soniehody up to beat me. Antl county chairman, Don
Irving, is a heck of a nice - in fact he's the most important Democratic chairman in the
state of Illinois. Hz \\.as voted that several times. And I had to run against him. :And
he's tough competition when you go in and beat a man like that. and . . .
Q: You were able to beat him, were you?
A: Oh yes I defeated Don. 1Iard for me, too. He was real popular and that made it bad
aftvru-ards too when I ran against some other ones, because me heating him, he acted like
he was for me. but I could tell he was always - his argument was that he was throwing
his weight to the other party on account of trying to elect two, but it mas just a little resentment
underneath that I had heaten him. Naturally, that's only human nature to fed that
way.
Q: Did you have much problem because of the bullet-vote type of thing? The three-for-one?
A: Did I. You know, in the counties? Well see if you'd come from a big town you had
a big advantage, see there are more voters there and they'd plug free for you. That's the
reason every time I ran, especially the first time I ran, all the newspapers said I didn't have
a chance. You know, I mean the Quincy Herald-Whig came out and said there's no chance
of winning from a little county. But I really worked hard. I worked awful hard tl, win.
Q: Did you go talk to the Erald-Whig?
.A. Oh yes. I got to he ~ood frlends with the head of the Herald-LVh& and he endorsed
me several times.
Q: Oh'! See. there w;is a Pittsfield paprr also. Wasn't Paul Findley involved with it?
.4: I'aul Findley - well they had a Denlocratic paper thcn. Paul wasn't in it then. There
\%-as two papers there. Paul finally bought that paper nut, t h ~ 1)emocratic-Times . [I'ike
County Democrat-Times] ant1 they weren't ever for nie too niuch. They were for the other
side. Eventually they were friends of mine in later years hut earlier, some rpason, I don't
know why it was, whether it aas because I was in the tavern husiness - that hurt me to
a certain extent.
Q: Oh it did?
:A: Yes, me heing in the tavern business, a lot of then1 said, "\Vcll he's a hooze man. he's"
- \id I never drank, see.
Q: Yes
,A: Antl nohody could say anything about nle drinking hecause I never did drink. I could hall
all I'd want to drink but I just didn't want to drink. I used to argue that with Governor
Stevenson years ago. He was trying to regulate people's morals and ~ O I I sure get in
trouble. If you just tell somehody they can't do something, that's wh~n they want to do
it.
A But drinking, we old Germans - my dad made beer and anybody wanted a hottle of beer.
you could give it to then1 you know. And we always had lunch :it night ;~nd you could givc
Carl Wittmond Memoir -- Archives/Special Collections, University of Illinois at Springfield