The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-12-24
L0R|MER HAD AN
HONEST MAJORITY"
EVEN If FOUR ILLINOIS LEGIs
LAToRs WE'RE INFLUENCED
BY BRIDES.
BUT SENATE COMMITTEE DOUBTS
And Thinks tho Whole Affair 10 q
RIaos<mailing Scheme Against
An Honest otates.

An honest 0tato1-
Washington, Dew. 22.-The report
OF the senate committee on privileges
and elections In the case of Senator
Lorimer was presented to the United
States senate by Senator Burrows.
The report recites that the memorial
filed 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:
I'm 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 senator OF
account of bribery it must be made to
appear, either
First-that the person elected par.
ticipated in one or more acts of brib.
cry, or sanctioned or encouraged the
same, or.
Secondhand by bribery or corrupt
practices enough votes were obtained
for him to change the result Of the
election"
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 says:
TT should further be stated that
the investigation which would tend In
the remotest degree to implicate Sena-
tor Lorimer in any personal act of
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 and other indicia
Of the truth or falsity Of the stories
they were telling. The report says:
-Four members of the general as
semb1y which elected Mr.. Lorimer
testified to receiving money as a con-
sideration for their votes. The men,
bers who thus confessed their own in
fanny were Charles A. White, Michael
Link, H. J. c. Beckmeyer and Daniel
W. Holstaw."
The report goes on to name Charles
A. White, member of the lower house
Of the Illinois legislature. as the "ohief
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 basis for
extorting money from Senator Lori
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:
ut may be said that after seeing.
observing and hearing this witness it
was the opinion of a majority of the
committee that 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 Holstlau
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 if it should be conceded that
the four members of the Illinois gen
eral assembly before referred to re.
ceived money in consideration for
their votes for Mr.. Lorimer there are
no facts or circumstances from which
it could be legally inferred that any
other member or members Of the said
| assembly were bribed to vote for Mr..
| Lorimer.
| "The majority for Senator Lorimer
in the joint assembly of the two
houses of the general assembly of the
| state Of Illinois was IL. 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 to the seat he oc'
! cupies in the senate. If it were ad.
mitted that four Of the members OF
the general assembly who voted for
Mr. Lorimer were bribed to do so, he
still had majority Of the votes cast
| in the general assembly and his cleo
| ton was valid"
| COUNT uEAIIEnRr DAVIS EIME