Leland J. Kennedy Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

Q: Oh I see.
A: I think they'd do that. I think they still do that.
Q: So you would then refer to the statute.
A: Yes. I learned that and 1 was always pretty able to catch on in my younger years and
I could listen and decide, and of course it would he discussed in party caucus and I believe
in party caucuses and T believe if you're not going to follow the decision of the caucus that
you should tell them so. And as time wore on there were always debates in caucus but
you generally came out of there with a pretty clear cut idea of what you were going to do.
Q: Did you have any good luck charms that you put on your desk?
A: No. No I never did. No 1 didn't have anything that - I said my prayers I guess. I
don't have any now. I have a St. Christopher medal in my car, in both of our cars, I have
that.
Q: I see, yes sir. (chuckles)
A: No I had no good luck charm. No, I guess gws do, but I didn't have. We didn't have
offices then of course. We didn't have offices for a long time.
Q: Well how did you go about traveling back and forth to Springfield normally?
A: Oh I rode the train the biggest part of the time. And as I've mentioned I rode the bus
a couple of times. I'd go up the night before the session and hack . . .
Q: Were there people you rode with normally?
A: I'd see Harris and Hodge occasionally. I think Hodge always rode the forward car. I'm
sure he did. Hodge was a freer spender than I was. John Ilewis, who later on became
Speaker, and a Republican, and a very learned man I thought. He and I got along fine. And
he paid me a terrific compliment. He said, "Leland," he says, "you're a good public
official." And I'll always remember that because I needed that compliment that day. Of
course the trains were running very frequently then and he'd come in from wherever he
lived, I guess in east Illinois, and come into St. Louis and get the Chicago-bound train. And
I'd meet him on it. It just seemed like we'd - not intentionally - he'd be on there and
I'd be on there. I didn't know him at first. I didn't know everybody you know, 154 guys. I
thought, "I've seen that guy before."
And hell, it took about seventy minutes to get to Springfield and they'd bring coffee through
then in those days or we'd go into the cafe or cafeteria - or whatever they called - it
wasn't a dining car. They might have had one, but they also had a canteen - and
talk. And he was a farmer, and he was just an auctioneer and he talked like one, and he
was a very interesting man and I had a lot of respect for him. My original acquaintance
with John Lewis was made not on the assembly floor but in traveling back and forth to
Springfield. Now 1 didn't ride back with him too often. Maybe the train 1 caught didn't
make connections in St. Louis with his train, so he'd go at a different time.
SESSION 7, TAPE 14, SIDE 2
A: 1 think at that time - well I'm sure that some air traffic was on but most everybody
came by train. I really believe that the fellows upstate - oh I'm sure there was some drove,
but I believe the bulk of the General Assembly came by train. That would have to be above
Springfield. 1 suppose those below Springfield in most cases drove up. But Chicago always