New-York tribune., 1911-02-23

New York and South Dakota would have
this Senate believe
Mr.. Lorimer, still dramatically relating
his personal experiences in Chicago, traced
! Nanny" Abrahams's friendship for him TO
the interest he said he had shown in the
welfare Of the Jewish peders and others
Of that race from the time when Lorimer
was a street car employe. He said Ahra-
hams could not have gone back home from
! Springfield and told his people that he had
refused 70 vote for Lorimer. Senator Root
had referred 10 NANNY" Abrahams as
'the bellwether" las II there never had
been another bellwether," Mr.. Lorimer said.
There have been bellwethers in the Sen
ate: there is a Democratic bellwether. an
insurgent bellwether, a stalwart bellwether
When am out at the beginning of roll
call. I ask. when l come in. how Senator
Aldrich has voted, and then vote as he has
voted he is my belwether. If he is away
/ wait until my colleague, Senator Cullom.
has voted, and he becomes my bellwether
In his absence il is Senator Gallinger or
Senator Lodge. But II find that Senators
Lodge and LaFollette have voted the same
way. 1 wait until some one else has voted
before select a bellwether"
This sally at the expense Of the Wisconsin
Senator caused g burst Of laughter which
did not soon subside
After stating that his first vote had been
east for James G. Blaine for President,
Mr.. Loriner said he had been getting
Democratic votes ever since. He then lived,
ne said. in a Democratic precinct, and he
went TO work TO organize his party in that
section Many Democrats were brought
into the organization. so that within a year
the ward became Republican.
But for the Organization in that section
the city of Chicago would have been as
strongly Democratic during the last twenty
years as the city Of New York has BEEN"
he declared.
1T wasn't very long until the leaders OF
the party looked TO our territory, and, as
a consequence / was made the Republican
leader in that Democratic section" he con-
tinued 80 ii happened when. in 1897, THE
Republican patronage Of that section tell
into my hands, didn't know what to DC
with IT, Many Of the places went 10 young
men who had come TO US from the Demo-
cratic party. No man ever came 20 me
10 do him favor, little or big. unless II
was q strictly party matter, that ! asked
him as 10 his politics. I know, therefore,
that in that territory 90 per cent OF the
Democrats will tell you that they would
rather have Lorinier in Congress or any.
where than any member Of the Democratic
party"
Mr. Loriraer closed this yart Of his speech
with the declaration that no Democrat ever
had voted for him exce.:t from pure ana
unadulterated friendship" He asserted that
he had received in his district $500 more
votes than President Taft
"Is that an evidence CT corruptton?" he
demanded If so. have trail OF Demo
cratic votes following me for the last quar-
ter Of a century. II had bought them II
would have cost me millions Of dollars.
'It Is an easy natter TO charge wrong
doing, and / regret to say that it is an
easy matter for many TO believe. In my
opinion the charge as against G. Senator or
| member is more serious than that OF de-
priving MN OF life or liberty Not even
The Chicago Tribune has dared 10
charge me with bribery or corruption.
Never have I used dollar nor had the
remotest knowledge Of the use OF one dollar
70 promote an election OF mine. either %
the lower house or 70 this. II Senators
even suspect that did have knowledge Ct
corruption in any degree I am very sorry,
because on my word as q man there never
has been time that ] have en- guilty of
that act: and I never did give, or know Of
any person giving FOR me. any promise or
any money, or anything else. for any one
20 vote for me; and my regret is that any
body should think so I claim for myself
no virtues more than those OF other men.
] have always tried 10 lire so as 20 re-
tain the confidence OF the decent citizens Of
my community and my stare.
~ say | may not have succeeded, but
have tried II have succeeded no man
will come 20 my door and lay the charge %
corrupt pra ctice in my election. be IL for
myself OF anybody else | regret there