Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-02-04
Root Says Lorimer
Is Illegally Seated,
Hale Calls on Someone to
Clear Illinois Name.
Democrats Favor Increase in
The House Membership D.
Senate Indefinitely Postpones
Peary Promotion Bill

ItdI TIUlllUtlUII DILL
Washington, Feb. By powerful
and analytical speech today Senator
| Root of New York suddenly became
the leader of the anti Lorimer crusade
in the Senate and made the opposition
to Mr.. Lorimer assume the phase or
not being an attack upon an individ-
ual, but an effort to clear the good
name of the state of Illinois. When
Mr.. Root concluded, Senator Hale, the
veteran Republican leader in the Sem
ate pleaded with tremulous voic for
some friend of the state and suggest
ed that Senator Cullom answer Mr..
Roots speech and exonerate, not Lori
mer but Illinois.
Il refuse to believe that SO great a
people are rotten to the core said
Bailey of Texas. IF We are to try
senators on the general misconduct of
Legislators the senator whose right is
challenged now is not the only one
who must yield his seat. His col
league, Cullom, was elected by one of
those Legislatures and no man here
believes he was party to any of these
evil practices, but still the case of
Lorimer is the case of Cullom.'
Lorimer had numerous defenders.
Chief among them was Hepburn of
Idaho a member of the Lorimer inves-
tigating committee who charged that
some persons had treated Lorimer in
the spirit Of a man hunt
Root began his speech soon after the
- lte,,
viously announced what his position
was TO be. Before he had proceeded
far, he showed he went beyond the
position of others who have condemned
the election of Lorimer as having been
accomplished by bribery. The rotten
ness shown by the testimony contend
ed Root was sufficient to invalidatc
the election of Lorimer and he assert
ed that all of the following of Lee
ONeill Brown, the Democratic leader
in the Illinois Assembly was corrupt
and the votes of that following should
have been eliminated.
Few senators left their seats during
the speech and the galleries We're
crowded with hundreds of others in
the corridors waiting for chances of
admission which never came.
Washington. Feb. 3-Scnator Will
liam Loriner of Illinois holds his seat
as the result of bribery and on that
account should not be permitted to
continue in the Serate, is tine conclu-
sion reached by Senator Elihu Root
and announced by him in an argu-
meEt on the floor of the Senate to-
day. The New York senator held the
undivided attention of his colleagues
as he discussed the report of the COM
mittee on privleg IS and elections, by
which Lorimer was eXonerated. Root S
position has been d question of much
speculation and So high is the es-
TEEN in which his opinion is held
that it is known tEat some members
of the Senate have held in allegiance
their own opinions until they could
hear from him. Root spoke without
| notes and in the main his address
consisted of II careful analysis of the
| testimony taken by the committee.
| The argument was almost entirely
| legal.
The speaker lost little time i'll in
dicGting the conclusion he had reach
| ed which was entirely antagonistic to
| Lorimer. He took the position thai
| the investigation committee had been
at fault in permitting either the at
| torney for Lcrimer or the attorney
| for the Chicago Tribune to direct it's
| course in the matter of connecting
Loriiaer with the corruption OF rnem-
bers of the Illinois Legislature hut
agreed that even in the face of it's
| failure in this respect the committee
had obtained sufficient evidence Ell
! fectually to faint and invalidate the
election.
Root expressed the opinion that both
the state and country had been dis
graced by the methods of the L.orimer
election. Not only did the senator
differ as to the conclusions but as to
the methods of the Senate committee.
He did not believe that that organiza-
ton had properly interpreted the scope
of it's instructions. but felt that it had
gone too far in interpreting the charges
as a private complaint by the Chicago
Tribune. The committee should. he
| thought. borne in mind the reputation,
the honor, the purity and the authority
of the Senate were involved.
| On the conclusion of Roots speech
Hale of Maine took the floor and in
tone almost tremulous pleaded for a
reply to the New York senator's speech
that would eXonerate not only Mr.
Lorimer, but Illinois.
| "AsI listened to the distinguished
senator's lamentable and melancholy
arraignments," said Hale, the Illinois
senator disappeared entirely and | be-
came impressed with the serious re-
Election upon the great state whose
name is involved" "a 81 a1
! When Bailey saw that Lorimer had
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