The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1911-01-13


should properly stand is that no
election of a senator clearly shown
to have been based in any degree
upon bribery or corrupt practices
should be allowed to stand. ! think
that the lection of United States Sen
ators should be made and kept above
suspicion. In my opinion no elected
officer in city, state, or nation should
be allowed to take his seat or hold
it where it was proven he was the
beneficiary of any corrupt practice.
The senate is honor bound to set a
high example in this matter, and l
refuse emphatically to acquiesce in
any lower standard than this The
country Is in serious need of a good
example. Look at Adams County,
Ohio; over a thousand citizens in
dicted for selling their votes. Adopt
ing the doctrine / suggest will put
an end to corrupt practices. The
need is obvious.
Mr.. President, In Great Britain if
a single vote is bribed or any money
unlawfully spent in electing mem
Der of Parliament, his election is alb
solutely annulled. Why should the
United States senate which plumes
itself as being the most distinguished
legislative body in the world, adopt
a lower ethical and moral standard
than the British House of Commons?
F! In the second place, l think the
evidence, even on the very narrow
theory of the committee that it must
be shown that enough votes were
obtained by bribery to change the
result, would justify the invalida-
ton of the election of Mr.. Lorimer.
Mr.. Lorimer was compelled to have
103 votes as a constitutional major
ity. He received 10S, and of these
10 are already shown not to deserve
to be counted on account of corrupt
practices.
submit brief abstract of the ev-
idence filed in the proceedings, re-
ferring to pages of the record by
number. In considering the evidence
of bride givers and bride takers and
their evasions and falsehoods, have
endeavored to ascertain the actual
truth as evidenced by circumstantial
evidence, sound reason, and common
sense. In spite of all denials the wit
nesses corroborate each other in the
essential facts.
Here follows an extended resume
| of the testimony before the senate in
vestigating committee, showing that
IS members of the legislature had
been bribed to vote for Lorimer, or
had assisted in bribing others.
| There were 80 of the Browne fac
ton who followed Browns leader
ship and supported Mr.. Lorimer.
| Albert j. Hopkins had received
165,305 votes at the republican pri-
mary; George e. Foss, 121, 110 votes,
William E. Mason, S6,593; William
G. Webster, 17,7O4 votes.
| Lawrence B Stringer was the only
democratic candidate and received
the vote of his party at the primary.
! Mr.. Lorimer was not before the
primary as a cahdidte. He received
the vote Of only one member of the
legislature on May 10, Is, 10, 20, 25,
but on May 26 he suddenly received
10S votes, . or in excess Of the
constitutional majority required.
Every democratic legislator was
under the instruction of the demo-
cratic primary to support Mr.. String
er, and knew that it meant great po-
litical danger to support MI. Lori
mer. There was no mandate from
the people to elect Mr.. Lormer. Ey-
cry sound reason Of political eXpedi-
ency forbade it. 1t seems as if pc
icuniary consideration alone could ac-
complish it since this dangerous law
defying method was finally resorted
to.
The above record of corruption and
! bribery cannot be broken down, in
my opinion, on the theory that the
men who received brides were I'M
worthy of belief or on their confess
sion, and that their testimony
against the bride givers is unworthy
of credit (because the witnesses are
infamous) for the reason that there
is such tissue Of substantial and
circumstantial evidence surrounding
the case that it is impossible to re-
sist the belief that these confessions
are substantially true. 1t does not
suffice to say that bride taker is
unworthy of credit. With the excep-
ton of White, all the testimony of
the bride givers and bride takers
came with extreme reluctance and
was obtained only by the exercise OF
the powers of the government.
In my judgment the attempt to re-
but and break down the force OF