The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-03-01
SHOULD HAVE GONE BEFORE
COMMITTEE AND TOLD HIS
STORY LIKE A MAN.
AFRAID OF QUESTIONS
Senate Not Place to Present Testl.
mcny--Silence Before Commit
tee Does Not Comport
With innocence.

Washington. Feb. 2S.-Reviving the
accusation of completely on the part
Wf Senator Lorimer in tho alleged
\ corruption accompanying his election
to the senate, Senator William J.
Stone, of Missouri, addressed the
senate To-Day in opposition to the Illi-
, nnis senator's retention of his seat.
/ Mr., Stone found himself unable TO
sanction Mr.. Lorimers appearance
! before the senate as pleader In his
own behalf in lieu OF his appearance
before the investigating committee as
a witness in the case.
! He made no attempt to defend
aimseif under the sanotity OF an oath,
but preferred to remain silent wine
the investigation was in progress,
and come her to defend himself In a
speech before the senate the Mis-
souri, senator asserted. HE should
not have waited to make his defens.
as an orator or advocate pleading his
own cause before tine forum which is
trying him. His address was, indeed
| replete with eloquence and pathos:
but the senate is obliged to judge he
case solely on facts developed by the
testimony delivered vnder oath. 1t
wac meet and proper for him to adj.
dress the senate. but that was not the
opportne OCCASION nor that tse most
convincing way for him to offer his
testimony"
Asserting In arother connection
that it had been obligatory ca s;r
Lc2lmer to "bravely take the stand
and .eIl M 10 knew Mr.. stone
asked:
why did not Mr.. lorimer take the
witness stand, speak ont like man
who had nausht to tear, answer any
question propounded to MIN and tell
everything he knew about the case?
Doeg this attitude Of silence comport
with innocence?"
Rcblying TO his own queries, he
said:
IF 1t was shown that Beekemeyer,
Holtslaw AMI White had received
] money for their votes; If 1t was
pboup t,,o+ cthar tonieIatnrc aieo ho 4
been the recipients of tainted money
and if it was shown that still others
had been approached with corrupt
oyertures. did not this volume of In
culpating testimony shift the burden
of proof on Mr.. Lorimer and make !,
imperative that he should defend bis
tile?
i Il ask whether it IN within the
score of things probable that il
Browne paid this money TO Hclts;aw
Beckcmeyer and the other men in taC
way they allege, that DrowEc atone
was guilty of offending against the
law and public decency and that Lori
mer wenlcd his way through tx
maze, always the dominating End ii
recting influence and still remained
snow white and unstained?"
He asserted that having been nom,
mated by the primary in his STATE
Hcpkina was entitled to the election
by every rule OF fair politics, and add
cd "Wil lam Lorimer Is a Republi
can. He has been repeatedly honore'
by the people OF his state. He wa
not a candidate before the primarie
TO" senator He did net cross sword
: with Hopkins, and ask the voters 0
I! his party to choose between then
: Instead Of doing that he went t
I Springfield, and there organized
bolt among Republican senators an
representative against the electio
, of Mr.. Hopkins. ] say he organize
the bolt, If he did not who did? Ca
there be any reasonable doubt tha
J. his was the master influence an
force at work which organized tha
. revolt and directed its operation
n Confessedly his business at Sprln!
I field, primarily at least was TO defea
i the election OF Hopkins and he wa
r there from the beginning of the figl
Q to its ending. He was the general /
? command, pulling the strings and d
r recting the force he had organize
/ All others were subordinate to him
/. they were but his heutenants."