"Let us Proceed to the Vote."
Whether or not we get past the vote - in this installment anyway - is another matter.
Saturday, March 24, 2024. Good morning.
Finally, we get to the formal nomination of the mayoral candidates and, at last, a vote. Alas, it's not the last vote. It’s not even the last day of this process. You didn't think it'd be that easy, did you?
But first.
Where were we?
Here is a link to the home page to read past issues. I have shortened the summaries from previous posts.
• 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. The Chicago Tribune continues its vendetta against Governor Altgeld, who has his own vendetta against candidate Judge Gary, who convicted the Haymarket anarchists.
• 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. Lawyers adopt a succession plan: Aldermen will elect a temporary mayor. A special election will be held in December.
• Thursday, November 2: Republican aldermen nominate George B. Swift. Alderman Epstean casts a blank ballot. Republicans call for a special meeting on Saturday at 11 am to vote for mayor pro tem.
• Friday, November 3. The Democrats nominate 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. The fight over the election of the Chair is fierce. Democratic nominee McGillen strong-arms his way to the position. He uses parliamentary procedure to ensure the five paid-off Republicans can vote for him.
Saturday, November 4. Continued.
So. We have four tellers ready to tally the votes, two Republicans, and two Democrats. All we need now is to place the candidates' names in nomination and vote. Not so fast.
As the Trib later reported, there was a delay in the distribution of ballots to the aldermen. Unbeknownst to McGillen, Democrat Powers, who had had the responsibility of paying off the requisite Republicans, had handed out special ballots to these alders with McGillen's name already written on them. These were quickly squirreled away while Clerk Neumeister issued the proper blank ballots.
What was the going rate for Republicans, at least for this vote? According to the Inter-Ocean, it ranged from $1,000 to $5000. That’s a tidy sum even today, but back then, it was from almost $35,000 to almost $175,000. Among those rumored to have been bought were John Vogt, James Reddick, Daniel W. Ackerman, William L. Kamerling, and Louis I Epstean. Readers might remember Epstean as the dime museum owner who had won an upset victory over the incumbent in the heavily Democratic Ward 1, and who had cast that blank ballot at the Republicans’ caucus.
The names of George B. Swift for the Republicans and John McGillen for the Democrats were placed into nomination without any fuss. It only remained for speeches to be made on the candidates' behalf. I won't bore you with their content. I’ll only note that Martin B. Madden (who had challenged George B. for the nomination) placed G.B.'s name in nomination and Democrat Tripp spoke for McGillen.
Regular readers who remember the Trib's strange antipathy against Swift may be interested to know that while the Inter Ocean and Herald printed Madden's nomination in its entirety, the Trib's account was truncated to exclude the compliments Madden had paid Swift.
THE VOTE. FINALLY. WELL, THE FIRST ONE, ANYWAY.
Even with Johnny Powers's fake ballots out of circulation, there was still a good chance that five Republicans would vote for McGillen. Breaths must have been bated, as Neumeister called the roll. Here is the mood as reported by the Democratic Herald:
The angry voices were now hushed. Everything was calm and silent as a church at midnight. The climax was now at hand and a nervous anxiety stilled those who had a few minutes before been shouting and fighting like demons.
The four tellers marched from their seats to the point designated by the chairman, in the space between the reporters’ cages, in front of the reading desk. The reading clerk began the roll-call. There was no strife now, no wrangling. Each alderman in turn advanced to where the tellers stood and dropped his ballot in the big slouch hat of Alderman O’Neill. Carter Harrison’s picture was gazing down at them, and they walked back to their seats as solemnly as if they were stepping in time to the requiems that rang out like wails on the air last Wednesday. The last ballot was cast in the hat. The die had been cast, and the question on every lip was: Have the Republicans all been true to their pledge? Have they all voted as they vowed they would?
The Tribune also gave a detailed report of the scene:
The Clerk began calling the roll, and the members marched to the front and deposited their ballots. There was no interruption except once, when Ald Swift voted. Then the Chair spoke: “I thank you, George,” he said. But the pleasantry was not appreciated.
Many of the Republican aldermen, such as Madden, Hepburn, Noble, Kleinecke, and Ackerman, voted open ballots for Mr. Swift. Not many open ballots were voted for the Democratic candidate. One man, a Republican, who voted a folded ballot, was so nervous and excited that he was hardly able to deposit his ticket.
All four tellers stood around the hat to begin the count. Aldermen and newspaper reporters also began to crowd around. McGillen ordered them back to their seats.
Republican teller Jack O'Neill read out the results:
Swift - 34
McGillen - 33.
Blank - 1.
This meant that three Republicans had, indeed, voted for McGillen. However, had the blank ballot not been cast, Swift would likely have been named the winner. But that blank ballot gave McGillen the wiggle room he needed.
All the newspapers wrote in vivid detail about what happened next, but I'll give the floor to the Trib.
For a moment there was deepest silence in the chamber. Every one was thinking. Thirty-four was a majority of 67, the whole number of actual votes. But it was not a majority of 68, the total membership of the Council.
Chairman McGillen was confused for a moment, but only for a moment. He rallied to his own support. He announced the figures and continued:
“As 68 votes have been cast and as no candidate has received a majority of these votes there is no election. Prepare your ballots for another vote.”
Ald. Kent and Madden were on their feet at once and Ald. Kent was heard to say above the noise which the Democrats made: “I beg your pardon, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Swift got a majority of the votes cast on this question. The blank paper does not count. I make the point of order that Mr. Swift is duly elected.”
The Chairman held differently, and for once realizing his peculiar position, appealed to Ald. Kent not to put to him embarrassing questions.
Ald. Kent - “It may be embarrassing, but you have made the situation and we desire a ruling.”
Mr. McGillen looked angrily at Kent and called out vehemently: “My ruling then is that there has been no election. Proceed with another ballot.”
I was curious to see what the official record looked like so I read the minutes for this meeting online. Here is how the minutes record the exchange you just read and what happened afterward.
These minutes, as they should, do indeed reflect the decision points, but other unrecorded actions profoundly impacted the outcome. For example, the minutes record that after the Clerk (Neumeister), at McGillen’s direction, starts to call the roll, Johnny Powers moves to dispense further calls of the roll. Why? No Republicans were in the chamber to call. They had left the room as the roll call started. Republicans being in the majority, McGillen had lost his quorum.
From the newspapers, we know that as the tellers headed for the clerk’s desk, Alderman Swift was seen whispering to Republican teller O’Neill. O’Neill then returned to his seat. Madden then called to adjourn. This is recorded in the minutes, but the minutes do not record that all Republicans voted in favor of the motion. The Republicans all stood up and began to file out of the chamber. The Trib has the spiciest coverage of McGillen’s attempt to stop them from leaving the meeting..
“Mr. Sergeant-at-arms, you will obey Rule 16 and see that no Alderman leaves the hall,” said the Chair. “You will call upon the police to assist you if necessary.”
“You are not dictator here, sir,” shouted Ald. Campbell.
“I am ruler here, sir,” flashed back the answer.
Some policemen attempted to prevent the exit of the Aldermen, but [Republican] Sergeant-At-Arms Powell cried out: “Stand back there and let the Aldermen pass.”
“How dare you block the way,” angrily queried Ald. Bidwill. The bluecoats fell back and the thirty-eight Republican Aldermen filed out.
The Herald also reports that Alderman Kent issued a rallying cry to encourage his fellow Republicans to leave the chamber, with words that sound to my mind’s ear like movie dialog, if movies had existed back then.
“Come on, boys,” again shouted Alderman Kent, “we’ve elected Alderman Swift.”
The Republican members of the council then retired in a body.
McGillen was huddling with Johnny Powers and others as to next steps when reporters tipped the group off that Republicans were waiting in a room nearby and planned to re-enter the Council chamber once the Democrats left. Their purpose was unclear, but this possibility unsettled the Dems. Since Republicans held the majority, they would have a quorum. Besides, even if he wanted to, McGillen couldn’t technically adjourn without a quorum. They might have to stay in the chamber until the Monday meeting. The word went out that beds and meals might be needed, and McGillen summoned the lawyers.
I’d love to continue this story, but I’ve reached the 8-minute mark and have sworn to keep these installments as short as reasonably possible.
Next week: Madden makes a surprise visit! Do the Dems do an overnight? Was the vote binding? And who DID cast that blank vote anyway?
Resources:
Proceedings of the Chicago City Council, 1893 - InternetArchive.org
I’ve often joked that just once in my career I want to see someone vote no on an adjournment. Turns out I just needed to time travel to Gilded Age Chicago!
Thank you Jen. I view this writing as putting you in as the "Agatha Christie" category of the political scene. I feel the suspense in awaiting your next week's substack news.
Lydia Bornick