The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1911-03-23
4 LETTER TO vrRMoSrrRs.

nov notorious "Lorimer case
Possibly your readers may wondci
Why citizen Of Illinois should tax,
It upon himself 10 memorabilia the
clientele 81 Vernon, newspaper
regarding what many probably thini
Is closed Incident. An explanatio
Is 10 order. First OF all. the Lorim'
err Incident Ia far from being clos
cd Incident. II is an issue still yer,
much alive. and is az vital 10 Yer.
mont as Il Is to Illinois II Is a M.
tlonal issue. because involved IN Il
are the purity aud integrity Of our
government.
la the second place the writer,
who 10 a native Yermonter himself
and therefore keenly alive TO Yer
mont's political progress and destiny
fears that the true facts about Lor-
inner may not be known 10 Vermont.
ers generally. or else have been 81
garbled aud tortured out OF shape
as TO create the impression that tho
protagonist OF the late Senatorial
drama is its long-suffering hero and
not its scheming william.
Thirdly. all vermonters doubtless
know that Vermont's vote In th,
Senate on the Lorimer case was
divided one. This divided vote calls
loudly for comment, for the attitude
from the first OF the senior Senator
from Vermont In the matter OF Lol
liner was, from the point OF view
Of honest, progressive and conscien
tious citizenship, neither equitable
nor judicial. but rather purely pal
| tisan, narrow and stubbornly feac
tionary. We vermonters outside
and especially In Illinois think you
senior Senator's Immediate eonsti
tuents should know how his actor
looks to a wider circle OF observers
because we are convinced that poll
deal ldealism is far from beint
moribund In your State, and that al
appeal 10 this Idealism will not fai
on deaf ears.
Tho Matter Not a Dead Issue.
The trial OF Lorimer as politica
Boss" In our State is strewn witt
evidence of his unscrupulous meth
DDS II there were room here sp.
cific instances OF his gross abus
OF ruthless one-man power In mt
chine politics might be cited, IN
stances which are the common Pre-
perty OF everyone familiar wit |
Chicago history, and which can
substantiated. But II will be enougi
merely to allude to them as demon
strable and damning proofs of
shameless and selfish career, tn,
crowning infamy of which was IL
act OF venal legislature .whereb.
Lorimer acquired national honor |
to which be WAS not Justly entitled
and which he was Ill qualified I,
bear. The exposure Of this legisla
tive rottenness Ia such recent his |
tory and has been 30 thorough. |
ventilated during the last few mon
this that little need be said a out
here. The testimony wrung from
unwilling lips In the badly bunglet
senatorial investigation In Chicag
last Fall not only disclosed the fe,
shreds OF positive evidence OF bri
berry, which satisfied such keen legi
lights In the Senate as Root. Beve
ridge and others that Lorimer's e.
ection had been vitiated, but estab
lished AZ well the conviction In tn,
lay mind that the Lorimer corruptio
was far more extensive than any In
quiry could show. This conviction
was further strengthened In the la.
mind by the subsequent mistria
and acquittal OF Lee 0'Neil Browne
Lorimers arch-Dispensator. One is
almost tempted to throw overboart
what little confidence he may eve.
have had In our jury system as ht
reviews this Browne fiasco and the
Erbstein travesty on justice that fol
lowed. both OF which show plainl.
enough the extent to which the sin
lister influence OF that power repre-
sented by Lorimer has ramified Ii
chicagos body polite. But wha
can we say when our national Sen
ate acting as jury tramples OF
facts and evidence, disregards az
peals TO patriotism, and considers o.
more value to itself It's own selfisi
esprit de corps than tho integrit.
OF our republican institutional Thes,
things are all linked together: the.
are off the same piece. they tell u.
that American democracy is beint
weighed In the balance.
To thinking men OF conscienc,
the country over. and there are som
left, the contemplation OF this Lot
liner spectacle and OF Lorimer',
cadmean victory Ia disQuieting. !
brings home 10 US with increasint
force the oft quoted sentiment en-
tertained even by the friends o.
democracy that the moral fiber o.
our people Ia weakening. Ii showt
us what our democracy must do ant
be II she Ia to be victorious. Europ,
Is sitting grimly by awaiting with al
Indifferent curiosity the result o.
this ''grea, American experiment
We need no jeremiah TO tell US tha
which connotes botl
ambition and that vast
cooperative Powel
which two or three decades have cen;
Iered In few remorseltss hands.
cannot exist by the side OF our ma
llonal ideals, II We expect our poll
" TO persist. The Lorlmer incident
8 not a closed incident
The Real Lofimer Not Generally
known.
so Ear AS IL known the private {
lfe Of william Lorlmer is above 70