Archives/Special Collections, University of Illinois at Springfield
Archives/Special Collections, University of Illinois at Springfield
Archives/Special Collections, University of Illinois at Springfield
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district. Powell said, "YIIu'~ h~tter w<strong>at</strong>ch out. Ile'll be running against yo11 the next<br />
time." Th<strong>at</strong>'s wh<strong>at</strong> happened to hini. He said he brooght the minister up there and said,<br />
"The next term, why hell, the minister liked it so well he just . . ."<br />
Q: Stayed, huh? (chuckles)<br />
A. IIe was his opponent the next election<br />
Q: I'll be darned. I understand th<strong>at</strong> Dixon and Simon and McCarthy and Mann<br />
A: They were ralled the Young Turks, they called them up there. They kind <strong>of</strong> stuck<br />
together on some things. One <strong>of</strong> them is in Chicago. He wpnt to he a congressman. Wh<strong>at</strong><br />
was his name?<br />
Q: Let's see, Mikva?<br />
A: Mikva, Mikva. They were all friends. Mikva was a pretty good friend <strong>of</strong> mine. They kind<br />
<strong>of</strong> handed together, more against Powell than anything else. But I stay~d with I'owell all<br />
the time, even though they were friends <strong>of</strong> mine, hut I always went with Powell. Th<strong>at</strong>'s<br />
the reason a lot <strong>of</strong> people thought th<strong>at</strong> we were in business together, I guess. In fact t h ~<br />
Internal Revenue come down here and stayed with me a couple weeks. They thought th<strong>at</strong><br />
I was in business with Powell.<br />
Q: Oh is th<strong>at</strong> right?<br />
A: Yes. When he died. But there was nothing like th<strong>at</strong>. He never ever said anything to<br />
me. It was just understanding th<strong>at</strong> he needed anything I went the way I thought he would<br />
want me, and he did wh<strong>at</strong> I'd want. I didn't have to ask him. He just did it autom<strong>at</strong>ically.<br />
Like he knew I wanted this ferry down here, and I didn't ha1.e to go and talk to him about<br />
it, he just understood it.<br />
Q: LVhen did you start pushing for the ferry?<br />
A: Oh 1 tirst tried to get a hridge, see<br />
Q: Oh you did.<br />
A: Yes. I ha11 a c~~ur~le <strong>of</strong> pieces <strong>of</strong> realty studies too to get a hridpe but th<strong>at</strong> niwer was<br />
feasible. 1 got thirty-five one time, seventy-five thousand, and finally I was beginninl: -<br />
hell, it was just a waste uf money. throwing the money away getting these iianrned<br />
studies. And then Bill 1,yons was smart enough - I think Bill, he knew how to oper<strong>at</strong>e,<br />
I didn't. Bill I think was g~tting a rut out <strong>of</strong> th<strong>at</strong>, whoever would g ~ the t contracts for<br />
the studies, see.<br />
Q: I'll be darned. (laughter)<br />
A: He knew how to oper<strong>at</strong>e. He'd tinaple around some way or another.<br />
Q: I see. And then so tinally you just abandoned the bridge ronrept<br />
A: Yes. An11 took the ferry yes. By th<strong>at</strong> time we had a different influx <strong>of</strong> people ron~inp<br />
in and people can begin to see the bad effects a bridge would have. And so the>- decided<br />
they didn't wr.:lnt a bridge. And so now they're glad they don't have a bridpe.<br />
Q: Wh<strong>at</strong> would be the bad effects?<br />
A: Lye11 it would bring everybody in here. And this way it's secluded and th<strong>at</strong>'s the way<br />
they want to keep it.<br />
Carl Wittmond Memoir -- <strong>Archives</strong>/<strong>Special</strong> <strong>Collections</strong>, <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Illinois</strong> <strong>at</strong> <strong>Springfield</strong>
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