Leland J. Kennedy Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

Q: Yes.
A: Bond never did like being with Madison County I don't think, because they couldn't elect
a legislator, but they elected Vaughn.
Q: Yes.
A: And they had a man by the name of Bickenns out of there that, when I was on the Illinois
Commerce Commission - the Commerce Commission judges your utility rates and I served
on the Illinois Commerce Commission. He was a big man. Well known throughout the
state, a big Republican, he could have been on the state ticket at one time, I'm not sure. He
had ambitions to be, but I'd go see Bickenns when he'd be in town. He had a law office
there and he was always friendly to me. I'd just go see everybody and just . . .
Q: What about door-to-door? Did you do door-to-door?
A: I went door-to-door a lot in my alderman contests. I didn't do too much door-to-door
work as a state representative except one time down in Nantiokee Township in one of these
primaries. It was pretty rugged and I wasn't sure of myself down there. I went door-todoor
there, and my wife went door-to-door too. But we weren't too cordially received so
we didn't - I've never done that much. I don't say I didn't do it, as I mentioned I'd go
to stores, and I never went in taverns. I just wasn't a tavern campaigner. Filling stations
and different places like that - well I think Simon always had a way about him. He'll
go and maybe get three dollars worth of gasoline at this station and drive till he's out and
get three dollars worth of gasoline at the next station. Well I done that. I done that. If
you're going to be out all day and drive a hundred miles, well you could - hell, with gasoline
as cheap as it was then you could get a couple of dollars worth here and maybe hit at least
two stations.
Q: Yes. Well. (chuckles)
A: Interurban stations were a good place to campaign. And homecomings, you always went
to homecomings. And all of these townships have these homecomings and all of the cities
and counties and villages and you'd have homecomings running out of your butt
sometimes. But I went to them. I wasn't, oh, overenthusiastic about homecomings as a
political means. I always thought people were there for that, what the thing was, a homecoming.
Q: Visiting.
A: And they didn't - to visit - and they didn't like to be bothered by politicians. Now
some of them did. And the same way with bowling alleys. I went to bowling alleys. But
hell, I thought those guys had worked all day, or the women's team, and the men's team,
and they were glad to get away from their husbands or the husbands were glad to get away
from their wives, and get a few beers and - oh, some of them - it was alright, but I'll
bet the bulk of them didn't give an S-H-I-T whether they saw a politician in a bowling alley
or not. They just were out for . . .
Q: They came to go bowling.
A: That's right and just to have a night on the town.
Q: Did you have cards printed up that first go-round?
A: Oh yes, I had cards. I've still got some cards I believe some place. You wouldn't want
those would you?