Cecil A. Partee Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

of that nature. But other than that there was no real need to have a meeting
because this was something that was so desired by the people in our
community that you just, you just know that this is something that people
wanted.
Q: Do you recall any of the hearing action in regard to that? Was there
any . . .
A: Oh, yes, they were always very hotly contested committee hearings on it
and there were people who would come to testify, both pro and con. The
specifics of those I don't remember but they were always long and harrowing
and there was a harangue every time the bill came up because some of the
opposition was just very very bitter and denunciatory of the whole concept.
Q: Do you recall any lobbying that went on in regard to the bill?
A: Well, not in specifics. I know that certain organizations like the
N-double A-C-P [National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]
and the Urban League and all would always send representatives to testify
for the need. And industry would probably normally send somebody who would
be there to testify against it as being harassing and burdensome and onorous
on business.
Q: (pause) When the initiative part was finally passed in 1969, Jhrold
Washington led a filibuster in order to get the bill up and to get it
considered. Do you recall that filibuster?
A: No, because that was over in the House. See, I went to the Senate in
1967, so I don't remember the details of it. I know that there was a
filibuster and finally it got passed over there and it got over to the
Senate. Now, I'm not sure that that's the same year we passed it in the
Senate or not. I don't really remember what year we passed it in the
Senate.
9: Yes, it was 1969.
A: Good, because I know that when it was passed in the Senate, I was thq
principal sponsor of it, that I know.
Q: Yes. Ralph Smith was involved in a compromise at that time. Do you,
recall any compromise?
A: Ralph Smith was speaker of the House at that time and what the compromise,
the terms of the compromise was, I don't know. But apparently if there was
a filibuster, the compromise would be to get the bill called under certain
circumstances to stop the filibuster, I would assume.
Q: Yes. One we haven't gotten to yet, since they changed the procedure in
the Eegislative Reference Bureau records, we haven't been able to analyze
as yet the bills in 1975 and 1976 that you were involved with other than