Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-12-13
No Special Effort Made to
Get Out Official
Report.
AGREE UNANIMOUSLY
General Feeling Is That No Case
Against Senator Has Been
Made Out.

Washington, Dec. 13.-No special
meeting has been called by Chairman
Burrows Of the senate committee on
privileges and elections, to receive the
report of the subcommittee on the Lor-
/ inner charges. The committees regu-
lar meeting day is Saturday. wheth-
er the subcommittee's report will be
/ brought up then was not determined
/ today.
Committee Unanimous.
Washington, Dec. 13.-The sub
committee of the senate committee
on privileges and elections reported
unanimously late yesterday after,
noon that the charges against Sen
ator Lorimer of Illinois in connec-
/ tion with his election had not been
proved.
The subcommittee consists OF Sen
ators Burrows. Michigan; Bulkeley.
Connecticut; Gamble. South Dakota:
Hepburn, Idaho, republicans; Fra
zier, Tennessee; Paynter, Kentucky,
and Johnston, Alabama. democrats.
These men conducted the hearing
and practically all the testimony OF
the case was taken in Chicago. The
testimony Of a few witnesses taken in
Washington developed little Of i'm
portance.
Full Committee May Meet.
The full committee may meet late
this week TO receive the sub-commit-
/ tees report.
The proceedings Of the sub-com-
mittee yesterday were executive. all
members declining to discuss their
action. 4 resolution was adopted by
the committee by which all members
agreed not to divulge any Of the pro-
ceedings or 10 discuss the vote until
after the matter had been submitted
to the full committee. The full COM
mittee consists entirely Of lawyers
and it is expected that they will
judge the evidence from a technical
point of view much the same as a
court would do.
Not One Against Lorimer.
The report was current about the
senate that an informal canvass Of
the committee had been taken and
that not one member of the entire
committee would vote 10 sustain the
charges. This, however, was not con
firmed.
There is no doubt that the action
Of the subcommittee is correct. Al
though members of the committee
refused TO discuss it publicly, news
of the action was communicated 10
their colleagues in the senate who
are not members of the committee.
story Of Case.
Chicago. Dec. l3.-The charge
that Senator Lorimer had purchased
his seat in the United States senate
was first made when a confession OF
Charles \. White, member Of the
Illinois legislature from OFaIlon. a
former street car conductor and la
Dor lobbyist AT Springfield. was pub
lished in a Chicago newspaper April
80. 1910. The names Of State Rep
resentative Lee O'Neil Browne. III.
j. G. Beckemeyer. Michael Link and
Robert +. Wilson were mentioned
as having been involved.
White declared he had been paid
$1,000 for his Lorimer vote by
Browne. the minority leader at
Springfield White himself was a
democrat and Senator Lorimcr had
been elected by a combination OF
democrats and republicans after the
legislature had deadlocked for
months in the vain effort TO elect n
senator.
Two Others Confess.
To States Attorney Wayman Of
Cook county Beckemeyer and Link
were said to have confessed they had
received money after voting for Lor-
inner.
At the same time States Attorney
Burke Of Sangamon county took up
an investigation of the charges and
forced from State Senator ID. ".
Holstlaw a declaration that he had
been paid $4,000 for his testimony
by State Senator John Hedrick. "A
Chicago saloonkeeper and demo-
cratic friend of Lorimer Indict-
ments were returned against the men
in both Cook and Sangamon coun-
ties.
browne Goes Free.
Lee O'Neil Brown was tried twice
in the criminal court OF Cook county.
The first time the jury disagreed on
June %. after having been out for a
longer period than any other jury in
the history of the county. His sec
ond trial ended Sept s. when a sec
ond jury returned a verdict OF not
guilty
Browne has been reelected to the