Archives/Special Collections, University of Illinois at Springfield

A: . . . get credit for it, see, if it was going to be done. And that was a hard one to put
t.hrough. But this here one benefited a lot of people and the public as well. So it xi-as not
too controversial. The onlj- thing, nobody knew anything about it. They wasn't aware of
it.
Q: Did you haie to speak for it on the floor then?
A: 1 didn't have to say too much. I just mentioned about the hill, what it did, and that
was ahout all. I never u-as much of a speaker to elaborate on anything. I could do more
work person-to-person than I could by getting up there and talking and all that becausr
I found out most of that talk didn't amount to anything anyway.
Q: Well. Did you support it in committee? Did you go in and speak for it?
A: Oh yes. 1 always used somebodj- else, because it looked too much likr for me, so I promoted
- in fact on that ferry bill 1 think I recall - was that the ferry hill or what was
that? I used Bill Scott. I tried to put him ahead see so they wouldn't think it was entireljfor
\Vittmond. I put Scott first on the hill. Anti that way they'd look at it., well, it wasn't
my bill too much. It wasn't for me. It was Scott's bill. And he had his following too
that'rl go along.
Q: And besides, that was the other party I guess too. And that might
A: No Bill was a Democrat
Q: Oh is that right?
A: He was a Democrat
Q: Oh. I'm thinking of the wrong Bill Scott.
A: He was very close to me. Hr was from Bloomington.
A. IIe was a quiet sort of a fellow. But he had a lot of friends arountl that would - if
he'd asked them to help him. they would help him. He'd rome down an11 visit me several
times afterwards and just loaf around for a da) or two.
n(l then I had to get some prul~le to conrr up in committees to testify you know for these
ilitferent projects. I often rrmarkrd how I askeil so many of them to come up. Anrl thtxn
\vhen it comes time, everybody was bush- - and one fellow in particular, Judge 1)ew:ir. 11r
came up here, he paid his expenses, he didn't ask. he didn't want me to pay him anything.
And he spent a clay up here and his testimony was really helpful in seruring it. And then
some of his enemies down there crucified him latcr on, you know, just because he got to
he a judge and then he . . .
itaping str>pr~ed to greet rustomers, then resumed)
Q. Judgr Deaar, h-ou say they rrurifiecl him'!
tl: Yes hr gut in trouhle. One of thr attorneys in the same town got mad at him over something
and then turned him in herause he give a little advice or did a little legal work on
th~. side for some friends. FIe never rven charged thrm for it, he was that type ol'
f~,llr~\v. But still and all, thry took t.he judgeship away from him. I recall that just about
killed him \\.hen they did that.
Carl Wittmond Memoir -- Archives/Special Collections, University of Illinois at Springfield