The Charles Mix new era. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1???-1911, 1910-12-30
EVEN iF FOUR ILLINOIS Legs.
LAToRS WERE INFLUENCED
BY 5RIBEs. Z
But COMMITTEE DOUBTS
And Thinks the Whole Affair is a
B!ackmaiiing Scheme Against
An Honest States
man.

~"
Of h senate committee on privileges
and elections in the ease of Senator
Lorimer was presented to the United
States senate by Senator Burrows.
The report ~recites that the memorial,
h!e June Z, 1910, by Clifford w.
Barnes, president of the legislative
voters league of Chicago, that "the
election of William Lorimer, senator.
from the state of Illinois, was secured
by bribery Under the head OF
bribery" the committee says:
In a number of cases that have
been before the senate of the United
States it has been held that to- in
validate the election of a senator on
coun of bribery it must be made to
appear, either
Ffrst-that the person elected oar
~ticipated in one or more acts of brib-
cry, or sanctioned or encouraged the
same, or.
Second-that by bribery or corrupt
practices enough votes were obtained
for him to change the result OF the,
election Az.
Attention is directed to the denial
made by Senator Lorimer in the open
senate of any act of bribery on his
part In connection with his election
and to his demand for an investigation.
In that connection the report q
1T should further be stated that
there was no testimony offered during
the investigation which would tend Iva
the remotest degree to impIicate Sena-
tor Lorimer in any personal act or
bribery or attempted bribery Or COR
rupt practices of any nature"
The committee says that it took Into
account the demeanor of witnesses
while testifying, their apparent candor
or want of candor mi other indicia
of the truth or falsity of the stories
they were telling. The report says:
-Four members of the general as
sembly which elected Mr.. Lortmer
testified to receiving money as a con-
sideration for their votes. The mem
bers who thus confessed their own In
fanny were Charles A. White, Michael
Link, Fl. J. C. Beckmeyer and Daniel
w. Holstaw.' a" ~.. Nr w'
The report goes on to name Charles
A. White, a member of the lower house
Of the Illinois legislature, as the chief
of those Self-accuserS and the one on
whose testimony the whole fabric of
the accusation largely depends" and
accuses him directly of corruption
throughout his Legislative career.
1t is stated that White appears to
have conceived the plan of claiming to
have been bribed in connection with
the senatorial election" as a basis for
extorting money from Senator tori
mer.
The report quotes from the record
of the investigation the correspond
ence relied upon to support this
charge. The conclusion of the com
mittee in regard to the testimony Of
White is as follows: "a
1T may be said that after seeing.
observing and hearing this witness it
was the opinion Of a majority of the
committee hat no credence ought to
be given to any part of his testimony
tending to establish the fact of bribery.
And after carefully reading the testi-
mony given by White in the investiga-
ton. a majority Of the committee con
cur in the opinion OF the sub-commit-
tee in that regard.
The report quotes the testimony Of
Link. In like manner it quotes that
In regard to ~Beckemeyer and Holstiaw
and comments thereon In part as foL
lows:
After a careful examination and
consideration of all the evidence sub
mitted, the committee is OF the opinion
that even IL it should be conceded that
the four members Of the Illinois gen
oral assembly before referred to re-
eeived money in consid GRAFTON; tor
their votes for Mr.. L.orimer theirs are
no facts o circumstances from which
it could be legally inferred that any
other member or members of the said
assembly we're bribed to vote Tor Mr..
Iorimer.
The majority for Senator LOtimer
in the joint assembly OF the two
houses OF The general assembly OF the
state OF Illinois was IA. Unless, there
fore, a sufficient number OF these votes
we're obtained by corrupt means to de-
prive him of this majority, Mr.. Lori
mer has a good title 10 the seat he &C.
cuFies in the senate. II it were ad-
United that four Of the members OF
the general assembly who voted for
Mr.. Lorimec were bri5ed to do so. he
still had a majority Of the votes cast
in the %gepern1 assembly and b;s
ton was valid"