Substitution in Illinois

The Democratic state central committee of Illinois met in Springfield one day last week to perform an embarrassing chore. Their problem, as Chicago Mayor Richard Daley put it, was to choose in "open and free balloting" a substitute for Cook County Treasurer Herbert C. Paschen, who stepped out of the race for governor two weeks ago, after disclosures that a $29,000 employees' "welfare fund" administered by his office had been used for political purposes (TIME, Sept. 10).

In the customary open and free fashion, the committee's decision had been determined in advance. The day before, after checking with Adlai Stevenson, Dick Daley had huddled with his lieutenants at Chicago's Palmer House to scan a list of some 20 hopefuls--among them Steve Mitchell, Stevenson's old aide and former Democratic national chairman. After three hours Daley & Co. brought out of the hat a name from among the "also mentioned"--Chicago Superior Judge Richard B. Austin. Quickly the word was telephoned to the Cook County delegation, which controls the committee by a 13-12 vote. The result: after token resistance from downstaters, Judge Austin was nominated unanimously on the first ballot as the hand-picked candidate of the Chicago machine.

For Dick Daley, Candidate Austin had obvious merits to outweigh the fact that outside of Chicago he is practically unknown ("Who is he?" asked a dismayed downstate delegate when the word first got to Springfield). Richard Bevan Austin. 55, is an Episcopalian and will add diversity to a ticket on which there are already four Catholics. He has few enemies in the party, and his personal life--as family man (three sons), Chicago attorney (since 1926), assistant state's attorney (16 years) and judge (since 1953)--has been impeccable.

For the Democrats, however, Austin's merits go beyond that. Their hope of unseating Governor William G. Stratton lies chiefly in splattering him (although he was not involved) with the scandal in which former Republican State Auditor Orville E. Hodge succeeded in looting the treasury of more than $1,000,000 (TIME, July 30 et ante). To do this they are in need of a fierce and able prosecutor. In small (5 ft. 41n.), stern-faced Judge Austin, who assisted in prosecuting some notable crime cases in his years as assistant state's attorney, they hope they have found their man.

Accepting the nomination, Candidate Austin got right to work. Said he, in words that ex-Candidate Paschen never dared use: "The people of Illinois have been shocked by the greatest theft of their money in state history by public officials. The people have yet to receive an explanation of how these great crimes could have occurred without the knowledge of the governor."

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