The Wilson times. [volume] (Wilson, N.C.) 1896-19??, 1911-03-03
Simmons SUS-
TAINS SLORIMER
SAYS HE HAS GIVEN due WEIGHT
TO TESTIMONY. REPORT OF
M..-THE ARGUMENTS
HIS SPEECH FOLLOWS

Washington, D. c., March 2.-Sena-
tor Simmons in voting for Senator
Lorimer to retain his seat in the
United States Senate declares that
he would violate his oath if he did
otherwise The speech of Senator
Simmons follows:
"Mr. President: I have read the re-
port of the committee appointed to
investigate the charges against the
Senator from Illinois, generating him
of those charges. That report is sign
ed by six of the seven Republicans
and four of the five Democrats on this
committee The ten Senators sign
ing this report are all lawyers, some
of them have been judges, trained and
educated in weighing and applying
able men as sit in this body. l have
read practically all the evidence adj
duced before this committee l have
heard nearly all of the speeches that
have been delivered on both sides of
this controversy. I heard the speech
of the junior Senator from Illinois in
his own defense, a speech which, in
logical symmetry and force, in inner
ent evidences of sincerity and truth,
in simple and unconscious pathos, will
ever live in the memory of all who
heard it as one of the most remark
able deliverances ever uttered in this
chamber When that speech was con-
cluded my inner consciousness said to
me, as many people who heard it
have since said to me, if the Senator
from Illinois had been guilty he could
not have conceived that speech and
delivered it as it was delivered by
him.
"Mr. President: 1t is said in some
sources that the Senator from Illinois
is a bad man and unfit for seat il
this body. His speech to which
have just referred answers conclu-
sively the charge of mental fitness for
the high Office he now fills. That
speech shows that Intellectually he is
the peer of any Senator here. The
evidence of people of his own State
and city, who have known him all
his life, who have known him in his
business, political and social life;
known him in all the walks of life;
House of Representatives, where he
served for more than thirteen years.
all answer the charge that he is
bad man and show that so far from
being bad man, in purity of his life
and character he is the peer of any
man here.
Giving due weight to the report
OF the committee, the evidence and
the arguments, under my oath I do
not feel that the evidence is sufficient
to justify me in voting that the Sena-
tor is not entitled to the seat in this
body to which the certificate of the
great State of Illinois, under the com
mon seal of that commonwealth, de-
clares he is elected.
That various fraudulent schemes
to promote and defeat legislation we're
organized in the Illinois legislature
which elected the Senator, organized
When the Senator was at his home
sick nigh unto death, organized long
before he became a candidate for the
Senate and when he was supporting
another candidate, / have no doubt;
but that the Senator from Illinois
Dr1bed any one to vote for him or
mad knowledge of any ones being
DrlDed to vote for him, I do not be
heye, and I do not think there are
many who do believe it, nor do / be
heve the evidence satisfactorily
proves that anybody was bribed to
vote for him.
Mr.. President: cannot vote to de-
prlVe this man of his property and
destroy his character upon the evi-