Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-10-08
BROWNE TELLS
! why he VOTED
FOR LOR!MER |
MINORITY LEADER SAID REPUB-
\, LlcAN WAS DEMOCRATIC IN
HIS VIEWS; ALSO SAW CHANCE
TO SPLIT PARTY.

Chicago, Oct democratic Mi
nority Leader Browne resumed the
witness stand in the Lorimer investi
cation today. His testimony was 9
recital Of the story of lake trips he
made with Representative White and
others, and when opportunity offered
a denial Of connection with the alleged
bribery in Lorimers election.
Browne gave as the reasons for the
democratic votes for Lorimer:
That It was desirable to break
the deadlock.
That Lorimer was considered
more democratic in some Of his
views than other republicans.
That the election Of Lorimer
promised to split the republican
party in tho state, thus Increasing
the chances Of democratic success.
Browne was tried twice on the charge
Of bribing Representative Charles A,
White to vote for Lorimer, but did not
testify. The first trial resulted in q
disagreement, and the second in an
acquittal. Although he has to stand
trial on an Indictment making similar
charges, returned at Springfield, he
went on the stand before the senate
Investigating committee late yesterday
afternoon.
The witness talked composedly. en-
tering sweeping denial OF any wrong
He is a lawyer, and his attorney, Thos.
Dawson. found little to do In advising
his client as to answers.
The matter Of securing democratic
votes for Lorimer, the witness said
was first mentioned to him in a casual
way by Representative David Shan
nahan. Later--about three weeks be-
fore the election Speaker Shurtlefi
asked him how many Of his following
to- vote Tor Lprt1ner. " 3 ss ~ S u
~ss3 Hsw Dsmeorats stoed.
II told shnrtlen. and later Lorimer
would vote for Loriner with my con-
sent unless they-Shurtlen and Lori-
mer-would give me their word that
no democrats should vote for Lorimer
until his election was assured"
Browne testified that he saw Lori
mer and Shurtleff frequently after
having decided to support the former,
and talked to many democratic repre-
sentatives, including White, Becke-
meyer, 0HcPHdEu, Lluh duu 1SiAIk, dIA
of whom have testified before the sem
atorial committee. Y
He said he did not personally see all
the members of his faction about their
votes on the senatorship but that some
of them were spoken to by Represen-
tative Cermak and j. c. Werdell.
He denied he sent Representative
Robert E. Wilson. the alleged distrib-
utor Of the Jackpot" to ST. Louis in
July. He admitted that he had written
to several persons expressing regret
that they could not have been with
Wilson. .
Browne said he. was in st. Louis.
June 81, 1909 fixed by other witnesses
is the time and place when, the 81 900
packages of money We're handed to
them by Browne. He said he met Rep
resentative Henry A. Shepherd Mich
ael Link, H.. J. G. Beckemeyer and
Charles Luke in the Southern hotel.
He asserted that he did not tell Rep
resentative White he was going there.
His purpose in going to ST. Louis. he
said. was to confer with the repre-
sentatives named on the subject of
state patronage for the democrats. as
Governor Deneen was taking up the
question Of minority patronage. Later
he talked with the governor on the
subject.
Oenteo 6fioery. az
Browne denied that he had given
Link of Beckemeyer any money in the
Southern hotel st. Louis January 81
1909 as testified to by them.
Touching relations with White, wit
ness said he helped White draw up
bills and assisted him in his lagisla-
tive labors because he saw White was
deeply interested in his work.
Another witness Of the afternoon
was Thomas Curran. the republican
legislator who testified in rebuttal, to
the testimony of White. Curran said
White approached him at Springfield
and asked him to hold out the
women's ten-hour bill which was in
the committee Of which Curran was
cha irman.
White told me. there might be
something in it, the witness said.
Later he asked me If anything was
doing on the Lorimer section. told
him did not know. and observed he
as democrat ought to know. why do
you ask me- he inquired. And he re-
piled. I think there was and Browne
has double crossed u.s.
PIE EATERS ISSUE CHALLENGE.