ho had served in
Congress and been Director General of the World's Columbian Exposition
at Chicago, were candidates against me. Mr. Joseph E. Medill, the
owner of _The Chicago Tribune_, also considered the question whether
he would be a candidate. He advised with the late Hon. John R.
Tanner, asking him if he thought that he (Medill) could be elected
if he could secure the solid support of the Cook County delegation.
Mr. Tanner replied that he could not, that I had a sufficient number
of votes in the country outside of Cook to defeat every candidate;
whereupon he declined to consider the possibility of election at
all.

The Hon. John R. Tanner managed my campaign. He had served in the
Legislature, where he had been a very influential member, and was
then chairman of the State Central Committee. He was popular and
possessed shrewd political sagacity. Tanner was very loyal to me
then, and for many years I considered him my closest and most
devoted political friend. I have always had the firm conviction
that if he had remained loyal and had supported me for re-election
in 1900, he would have been re-elected Governor himself, and would
have succeeded the late John M. Palmer as my colleague in the
Senate.

The Legislature met in January, 1895. I secured the caucus nomination,
and on January 22, in the joint session of the Thirty-ninth General
Assembly, I was elected the third time to succeed myself in the
United States Senate.

There were a number of very complimentary speeches made on that
occasion. My old friend, the Hon. David T. Littler, who then
represented the Springfield District in the Senate, made the first
speech. He began by saying:

"Mr. President: Twelve years ago, from my seat as a member of the
Lower House of this General Assembly, I had the honor to place in
nomination as the candidate of the Republican party for the great
office of United States Senator, the Hon. Shelby M. Cullom. I took
occasion at that time to predict that in the office to which he
had been elected he would show his usefulness and increase his
reputation not only among the people of our own State, but the
whole people of this country. After the lapse of twelve years and
with his record perfectly familiar to the people of the whole
country, I ask you Senators whether my prediction has not been
fulfilled. His name has been connected with every important measure
introduced in the United States Senate; and his discussion of