Archives/Special Collections, University of Illinois at Springfield

Q: So sou didn't get involved in the partisan fighting in an)- \ray on it
A: No.
Q: Were yur~ approached by the Chicago people to vote
A: Oh yes. I went along with them because they went along with nrr on several things that
1 wantrd. So 1 went along with them on that particular time.
Q: 1 understand that the way that was fin;llly compromised was that they let the Chicago
people do the re-districting then after that reapportionment was made.
A: It took a long time.
Q: Do you recall anything ahout that particular compromise'?
A: I can't recall
Q: Llid that reapportionment in any way affert the area here?
A: No that didn't have much effect on it
Q: How about in 1963, that reapportionment fight? That was the one that the legislature
couldn't make up its nrinti on.
A: Yes that's when we \\,as drawing up maps. \t1e had a hundred different maps. \Ye was
all drawing up maps. That's when I was going to grt - brought in this lower end of thr
district over hrre. Part of Alton or Godfrey, somr Godfrey area and I don't know cuactllwhere
else it did go. Rut I was willing to accept any part of it I got out of it. I rcmembrr
going along with some of the other boys. We tried tr~ fix up a map which tlrouglrt \\:IS
suitable to us, advantageous to us at that particular time hut - I can't recall nrurlr ahout
it anymore because this area through here, seems like you can't depend on it. It could hex
a Democratic district one tinre, pretty soon it'll be a R~puhlican district. It was a swing
district. Depends on the individual.
Just like Findlry, since he's heen in he's helped make the whrlle thing a Republican district
out of it brcause people would vote for Findley anri they would votr thr rrst of the tickct
that way tuo and pull them over there. I know- I got a lot of good i)enrocra!s who years
ago wouldn't think about voting for a Rrpuhlican. But Findley did thrm some favors anti
especially during the Vietnam War I think uhen some of the boys had gone home or solnr
things he got done. And now they've turrred to he strong Repuhlieans. They'd havr nrvrr
heat him if it wouldn't have been for the changr !hat put him in :I new district too,
see. Otherwise Durhin would never haye heat him in this election year. But the waj- it
went they threw him in Deratnr and he didn't do anybody in Ijecatur any good. And 1
notice he got heat hl- 6,000 votes over there and !hat's what beat him. Becausr if thrl-'d
have left him anywhere near his old district here, why, they never would have heat him.
Q: Bob McCarthy from over at Llecatur was thinhinp one time of running against
Findlry. Did he ever discuss that with you?
A: Yes he discussed it with rnr. I told him he couldn't heat - 1 told Durl~in yc;~rs go.
he came down when he hati run against somebody. In fact he called nlr one d;ly ;1n11 hc
said, "Do you remember you told nrr that?" I forget who he u-as running against. Hut
he was running against somchodq-. And I said, "You seemed to br" - I nrrrr knciv
him. He'd come tiown to my place. And he sremed to be a very 1)~~rsonable sort of a
fellow. I said, "You certainly should get some place. Rut the nran you're running against
Carl Wittmond Memoir -- Archives/Special Collections, University of Illinois at Springfield