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THE GREEN BAG
Attorney in his view was not a place to be attained and privately enjoyed. It was to him an opportunity to render important public services. To him his opportunity was the measure of his duty. Never before in Chicago did the office of State's Attorney seem so much a public institution. Never before were criminals, whether powerful or weak, so certain of punishment. The pub lic prosecutor went forth the representative of the people in their name to bring the perpetrators of crime to justice. It was a serious commission which he held, and seri ously he performed the duty it imposed. The reader who is unfamiliar with politi cal conditions in Illinois cannot realize, from the foregoing sketch of a strenuous and useful professional career, the significance of Mr. Deneen's election to the governorship of the State. Indeed, those who reside in boss-ridden States can scarcely realize its significance at all. Mr. Deneen was not the candidate of a boss or of a machine. He holds his commission from the people of Illinois and is responsible only to them. How this can be, it falls within the scope of this article only briefly to indicate. Illinois has never become the private game preserve of a political boss. Though it has suffered from the depredations of these parasites, it has always, if sometimes narrowly, escaped falling completely under their dominion. In 1896 a syndicate of bosses sought but failed to complete the conquest of the State. More recently, the "Federal crowd" (composed of the two United States Senators and certain members of Congress from Illinois), having taken pos session of all the avenues leading from Illinois to the national public service, tried to obtain control of the public service and to direct the exercise of the public author ity of the State. This attempt met defeat last year in the election of Mr. Deneen. There existed in Cook County prior to 1904 what was known as "The Organiza tion," used interchangeably with "Repub lican machine." This body, though not a
corporation sole as in Pennsylvania and New York, was long dominated by William Lorimer, now a member of Congress. Un der his leadership it was not an eleemosy nary institution. It sought to hold and dis tribute the public offices and to exploit the public authority. To this end, it main tained close working relations with the "Federal crowd" and with a down-State organization existing for like purposes. The combination elected Governor Yates in 1900. It held control of the national, State and Cook County (as distinguished from the Chicago) patronage. It also maintained close and mutually advantageous relations with the more important public service corporations throughout the State, exercis ing the public authority rather more than less in the interest of privilege. Mr. Deneen, soon after his arrival in 1885, established himself in one of the best resi dent districts of Chicago and soon became active in local politics. Here he and his friend, Roy O. West (now senior member of the law firm of West, Eckart and Taylor, member of the Cook County Taxing Board of Review, and chairman of the Republican State Committee) became there cognized po litical leaders in several wards. This sort of leadership is the one thing that com mands access to the inner party circle. It made Mr. Deneen a member of the County and State committees of his party. It also in time made him a powerful factor in "The Organization." For some years he usually acted with Mr. Lorimer, who was then gradually evolving as city boss. Mr. Lorimer not unfrequently favored excellent candidates. Among these in time was Charles S. Deneen, who was long regarded as one of Mr. Lorimer's lieutenants of the better type. Mr. Lorimer, with increasing power, be came more arrogant and less regardful of public interests. Mr. Deneen, on the con trary, became more independent and if pos sible more devoted to public interests with every passing year. The inevitable clash
