Saturday, April 27, 2024. Good morning.
When I was first researching the political education of George B. Swift, I guessed it would take an entire book to write about this one pro-tem mayoral election in 1893. I had in mind the excellent book “Nine Innings” by
. Writing this substack has confirmed that guess as accurate.However, I fear that this particular accounting is veering more into the territory of Nicholson Baker, whose book “The Mezzanine” scrutinizes the items and tasks of everyday life—say, the tying of a shoelace—at a hilariously molecular level. (Not that I could approach the talent of either author, but just for comparison’s sake.)
Thus, it has become clear in writing what I thought would be this last chapter that, in fact, it’s not the last. It’s likely the penultimate chapter, but I make no promises. The more I scrutinize the newspaper accounts, the more I see details I didn’t notice before, and they feel pertinent to this story. At least, this story the way I’m telling it.
By the way, thanks so much to those who have given me feedback and comments—and for reading! If the “open rate” is to be believed, over half of my subscribers read this regularly. I wasn’t sure at all that this would interest anyone but me and a handful of political nerds, but I think that’s most of the people who subscribe! In any case, I’m in very good company. Thanks so much again; it means everything to me.
Meantime:
Where were we?
Here is a link to the home page to read past issues.
• Saturday night, October 28: Mayor of Chicago Carter Harrison is assassinated. A process to succeed the mayor does not exist.
• October 29: Newspapers start promoting mayoral candidates.
• Monday, October 30: The World’s Fair closes. The City Council meets to prepare for the mayor’s funeral.
• Tuesday, October 31: Newspapers and politicians plan for a fight over the mayor’s seat. Attorneys continue to look for a succession plan.
• Wednesday, November 1: Harrison’s funeral. A succession plan is announced: Aldermen will elect a temporary mayor to serve until a special election in December.
• Thursday, November 2: Republican aldermen nominate George B. Swift over Martin Madden. Epstean casts a blank ballot. Republicans call for a special meeting on Saturday morning to vote for mayor pro tem.
• Friday, November 3. The Democrats nominate Alderman John McGillen, Chair of the Democratic Campaign Committee. Democrat Johnny Powers plans to pay five Republica aldermen to vote for McGillen.
• Saturday, November 4: The City Council meeting to elect the Mayor pro tem. McGillen makes himself Chair of the meeting. A blank ballot leaves Swift without a majority of total votes. The Republicans claim Swift won, and the Democrats say he lost. They adjourn until Monday to regroup.
• Sunday, November 5: Republicans and Democrats strategize for the Monday meeting. Republicans are counseled by attorneys not to attend the adjourned meeting on Monday morning if they want to avoid a second round of voting.
• Monday, November 6: Republicans avoid the 11 a.m. meeting and “caucus” nearby. Efforts fail to locate them and compel them to appear.
Monday, November 6. The Afternoon.
When last we left things, Sergeant-At-Arms Powell had notified John McGillen and the democrats that the Republican aldermen were sequestered at the Title and Trust building, and he was not allowed entry. Their Republican brethren would thus not be attending the 5 pm meeting. The meeting was adjourned, and Dems prepared to attend the regular Council meeting at 7:30. (The Republicans wanted this outcome because they could vote in one of their own to chair the meeting and avoid McGillen’s continued shenanigans.)
Republicans still believed that Swift had been legally elected, and Democrats believed that he hadn’t been. Those were the positions they staked out, anyway. All decided that they’d better hammer out a compromise before the start of the meeting.
During the afternoon, several proposals were bandied about. Most of the bandying took place at Billy Boyle's, an all-night chop house in Newspaper Alley, which was just about equidistant between City Hall and the Title and Trust Building. Billy Boyle’s was essentially the Cafe Milano of 1890s Chicago. (Fun (?) fact: Assassin Patrick Eugene Prendergast reportedly supped at Billy Boyle’s two days before he killed Mayor Harrison. He sat down at the Mayor’s secretary’s table, of all places, and threatened to kill Harrison if he didn’t elevate the tracks in Chicago. Cranks have certainly killed for less.)
Anyway, during the first round of talks at Billy’s, Republicans demanded that a new chair be elected to run the meeting. McGillen refused. Republicans upped the ante: They’d agree to a second vote to elect the acting mayor - if the Democrats would guarantee fair play. Corporation Counsel Adolf Kraus "said he would like nothing better," but McGillen again refused.
According to the Inter Ocean, when the Republican HQ heard of McGillen’s stubbornness, they began formulating plans…
…to organize the Council, using force if necessary. It was decided that Alderman Swift should call the meeting to order by virtue of his selection as presiding officer by the Republican caucus last spring. Then Jack Cooke, of the Seventh ward, was to be made chairman. It was thought that he would be a tower of strength in case the Democrats resorted to violence."
Relying on heft to sway the results in their favor? Not a good sign.
Eventually, in perhaps a signal that the negotiations were getting serious, the meetings moved from Billy’s to the City Clerk’s office. McGillen had a counteroffer: The Republicans would allow a Democrat to preside and a secret ballot to be used for the mayor pro tem vote. The Republicans turned this offer down flat.
All Democratic leaders except McGillen had accepted the inevitable: With the numbers on their side, Republicans would win the office. One of the most urgent voices was that of Alderman Sexton, a candidate for judge in the election that was to be held the following day. If Democrats didn't clean up their act, the voters would make their voices heard at the polls tomorrow, and Democrats might not like the sound.
Sexton and other Democratic leaders made this case to McGillen, and he seemed to concede. According to the Daily News, fifteen minutes later, an agreement was reached that was essentially what the Republicans had turned down. It was also worked out which Democrats would vote for Swift to ensure he was elected mayor in case some of the bought Republicans decided to stay bought. (The Democrats chosen were Johnny Powers and “Fighting 29th” Alderman Tom Carey.)
If that sounds undemocratic to some of you, this is how compromise works in politics and government. In legislative bodies, a close vote is a carefully choreographed exercise, with every legislator ordered to play their part. This kind of choreography was crucial, for example, for Ukraine aid to pass in the House this week. What wasn’t democratic was using illegal tactics such as paying aldermen to vote.
However, everyone must be reading from the same script. And it soon became apparent that if all aldermen had been given the script, some had either yet to read it or had tossed it altogether.
As the hour for the meeting neared,
The City Hall was surrounded by thousands, the corridors were thronged and bluecoats were as thick as flies in a sugar barrel when the hour for the third session of the day approached. No one knew just what was going to develop…That Saturday's experience would be repeated was regarded as certain, and the democrats seemed to be ready for action when they took their places on the stroke of the clock. —Chicago Herald, November 9, 1893
7 - 7:30 pm - the Republicans Are Released.
At about 7:00 p.m., the Republicans left the Title and Trust building to head to City Hall. The procession attracted considerable attention and wordplay from the assembled reporters. Here are some nuggets from some of the newspaper accounts.
DAILY NEWS
At 7:05 pm, “Billy” Lorimer opened the door of their voluntary prison.
“Fall in!” yelled Billy, and the aldermen lined up inside.
“First ward!” but Louis Epstean had not yet arrived.
“Second ward!” And Ald. Horan and Best took hold of each other’s hands and passed out. “Third and Fourth wards!” And Ald. Marrenner and Eli Smith, Hepburn and Madden came out, two and two, grasping each others’ hands tightly. Ald. Vogt and Cooke came next, and then the others two and two. The long line halted in the outer rooms until all had formed in order. There was a little delay, and then “Billy” placed himself at the head. “Forward, march!” and the cohorts came down the stairs of the big Title and Trust building.
CHICAGO HERALD
There was a hush of anxiety in the chamber, and everybody was wondering what was the cause of the republicans' tardiness. The silence was broken by a tramp, tramp out in the corridor. Alderman Carey ran to the glass door looking out on the passage. He soon turned around and told what he had seen.
"Here are the prisoners marching in pairs," said the alderman from the twenty-ninth, "and Billy Lorimer is at the head of the regiment, whistling "The Rogues' March.'"
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
As each Republican alderman appeared in the ante-room he was surrounded by Democrats who welcomed him by shaking hands and asking:
“How do you like being locked up?”
“Pretty hungry by this time, eh?”
“Having anything to drink?
“Glad to see you back.”
“Thought you died.”
CHICAGO TIMES
The Republican aldermen were marched like convicts from their place of confinement to the council chamber. Each prisoner was given a typewritten ballot and ordered to vote it upon pain of perjury.
I'm not convinced that the aldermen actually walked "hand in hand," nor that they were issued typewritten ballots, but I give all the reporters an A plus for vivid reporting.
Coincidentally, I've been following the trial of former President Donald Trump this week via the New York Times live reporting webpage, and the reporting style is not dissimilar. A little more toned-down, of course, but the reporters are offering fascinating nuggets of detail and commentary that you don’t get in a regular news article.
McGillen Digs Back In.
Even though the Republicans had now arrived, McGillen was still huddling with leaders. While the fuss over the parading Republicans had been going on, McGillen was still resisting the compromise already agreed to. I won't go into the details - several more options were discussed, with McGillen refusing all of them. He was now insisting that they adjourn the meeting until after the election.
I’ve tried to figure out why McGillen protested so hard against the inevitable, and no reporting or even gossip spells it out. My best guess is that he wanted to be “caught trying,” as the saying goes today. I suppose that he supposed that there was always a chance that chaos would produce the result he wanted. Plus, just old-fashioned pride. And you know what they say about pride.
At 7:50 or so, after various alders on both sides of the aisle had called for a roll call, it was announced that the deal had fallen apart but that the meeting would proceed anyway.
Tensions must have been high as Clerk Neumeister called the roll. All 68 aldermen were present, including Louis Epstean, who had slipped in just after the phalanx of his fellow Republicans arrived. Even Alderman Kleinecke, whose 7-year-old daughter had died during the day, was present.
Republican Alderman Kent played the part initially assigned to him and moved McGillen to chair the meeting. McGillen smiled. “I thank Ald Kent and the Council for the honor,” he said.
Unfortunately, Democratic Alderman Tripp must have forgotten his lines, for he then spoke up:
“Now that we have come together so happily, said Ald. Tripp, “There is no necessity for a secret ballot. I move that the Clerk call for the roll and we vote viva voce.” —Chicago Tribune, November 9, 1893
There was a commotion in the chamber as those unfamiliar with the deal promoted their party's lines. It fell to the Republicans to remind the aldermen that under the original resolution, the voting had to be done by secret ballot.
I am SO tempted to describe in detail the skirmishing that went on - Neumeister, weirdly, was a moderating influence in trying to get his boss to see reason - but even I am losing patience and want to finish this up!
We will get to the vote - er, votes - next week. I hope it will take one installment. But it may take two.
Thanks for reading!
Jen