Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-23
ALMOST CERTAIN TO PASS
Dillingham; Plan to Prevail Over
That of La Toilette.
[NOIS SENATOR SCOR.
Declared to Have Remained Inactive
While Colleagues Writhed Un-
der Bribery Charges.

resolution providing for a second in
vestigation Of Senator Lorimers election
and his right to a seat I'm the upper house
of Congress will probably be passed this
afternoon. Action on one of the resolu-
tions now pending in the Senate awaits
the conclusion of the speech Senator
La Toilette. begun yesterday afternoon
Before the Senate convened this after
noon il was generally predicted that the
Dillingham; resolution. rather than the
La Toilette resolution. would be passed
The Dillingham; measure puts the inquiry
in the hands of the Senate committee on
privileges and elections. and a subcom-
mittee of that committee will do the
probing. The La Toilette resolution
would put the task in the hands Of five
Of the new senator's whose service began
with this special session.
Thinks He Had knowledge.
Senator La Follette's demand for a
second investigation of the Lorimer case.
begun yesterday afternoon and to be con-
cluded late this afternoon. is made not
only on the record of the prior investi-
cation. but also upon the evidence
brought out by the special committee of
investigation appointed by the Illinois
state senate. Yesterdays speech was
confined almost entirely to discussion
of the origin Of the charges and the re-
suits of the first inquiry.
That Senator Lorimer must have had
personal knowledge Of the spending OF
money I'm his own behalf was the main
contention made by the Wisconsin. sena-
tor. Thirty democratic senators had vot-
ed for Mr.. I4orimer, he declared. and
these votes We're cast by men who were
under the leadership of Lee O'Neil Browne.
Page after page of the testimony taken
during the previous inquiry, he remarked.
showed the closest associations between
Mr.. Lorimer. Speaker Shurtlefr and Lee
ONeil Browne.
so. l say. I was convinced that Lori
mer had personal knowledge. Mr.. La
Toilette continued. 1T is uncomfortable
that he could have been there without
have been otherwise"
Review Of the Case.
Mr.. La Toilette reviewed the Lorimer
case. citing the confessions Of bribery in
the interest Of Mr.. Lorimer's election.
rs there. another senator against whom
such an imputation could have been
made who would not have risen In his
seat and demanded an inquiry he
asked. Can you conceive of any man
holding such trust as a seat in the
Senate " no could sit here for weeks and
months after his title had been I'M
peached without saying something?'
For three weeks. Mr.. La Toilette de-
clared. the Illinois senator had sat ab
solutely silent-''the only member of the
body who APPARENTLY had not writhed
under the public criticism. He attrib-
uteI the course of the Senate in failing
to act To false sense of courtesy, with
which. e said. a system is yelled and
cloaked with the result that the repre-
sentative chamber of the government is
being undermined.
But" said Mr.. La Toilette. lit went
along for almost four weeks until the
2sth of May, until there were mutteringS
in the cloakrooms that IL Lorimer did not
speak some one must speak for him. Then
after another confession the Illinois sena-
tor took the floor. ! say that these pro-
ceedings in themselves burn the brand
into this case.
Prompted by Colleague.
Mr. La Toilette expressed confidence
that Mr.. Lorimer had been prompted to
speak in his own defense by his colleague.
Senator Cullom. and he paid a high trib
ute to the venerable senator from Il
nois.
so long as ! live ] am going TO cher
ish the conviction that Mr.. Lorimer was
the only member OF the Senate who would
not have come Forward the next morning
with a demand that the charges be made
good" exclaimed Mr. La Toilette.
II concede that now and then you can
find instances OF disregard of party af
f.iation.' he said. but / say to you that
any philosophic study will show that such
votes were cast in circles of political
change"
One feature of Mr.. La Follettes speech
made the Senate sit up and take particu-
lar notice. Recalling the vote in the Ser
ate last session by which Mr.. Lorimer
was cleared. Mr. La Toilette read on the
names OF those who had voted for Mr..
Lorimer and then the names of those who
had voted against Mr.. Lorimer. 1t was
unique in the history Of the upper house
Of Congress.