The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-02-23
"Did / or Did l Not2"

mostly the actual condition Of my cleo
tion to this body.
did / or Did Not2'
'.Did / or did ] not use the Illinois
assembly against Hopkins?
Ibid / make Shurtlef speaker in order
that / might. be elected senator2
did | make Lee O'Neill Browne mi-
nority leaderl'
WAS Lee 0'Neill Brown my agent
my corrupt agentf
"Why did / stay ia Springfield during
the senatorial contest?
why did | sit in the speakers
roomi
"For what purpose did I talk there
with Shepherd
"Why did the Democrats vote for me
'These are some Of the questions sug.
gested by statements of senators in OPP
position TO the committee report, OF
openly put by them in the course Of the
debate,
TO these questions many sorts Of
answers have been given by my oppo-
nents Some Of these answers have been
ianciful theories; some mere guesses
and surmises.
"There IS only one kind Of answer
that should stand or that should count
in this case. That is the plain. matter
of-fact. simple truth. Il is the matter
Of fact this truth that ! purpose to
lay before the Senate to-day. The legal
arguments and abstract deductions are
beyond my purpose.
d s-ga Alg~ ~ al "a
who lived through it all, exactly how
my election at Springfield was brought
about, to answer the foregoing questions
with the facts that alone can answer
them correctly
Mr.. Lorimer said there had been an
effort to cover the case with veil Of
suspicion 1t had been charged that
some one person with a powerful mind
had organized the legislature to defeat
Senator Hopkins.
"Some senators have intimated that
the man with the powerful mind and
organizing genius was myself"
II had also been intimated, he assert
ed, that he had Leeu guilty Of corrupt
practices IN his own interest
Mr.. Lorimer declared that anyone
who knew aught OF the Illinois legisla
ture would not assert that he sought
to organize the legislature against Gov
ernor Deneen. To organize a legislature,
SO as to include Democrats and Repub-
leans. requires effort. From Sept Is
to Nov. g he had been confined to his
bed BY illness and had not been able
to appear until Just before the election.
just after the November election, he
made tour OF the Pacific coast and
after another illness bad returned. He
was in the national. House OF Repre-
sentatives on the very day, January 4
that Shurtleff had been elected speaker
He told Of the efforts of Governor De
neen TO defeat Shurtleff, saving that the
governor had gone so far as TO tell mem
bers that unless they voted against
Shurtlefi they would be deprived of all
patronage
'Iu other words, the governor of our
state undertook TO dictate who should
be speaker"
Quoting Mr. Crawford's allegation
that he had organized the legislature to
defeat Deueen, Mr.. Lorimer said that
OF "a Republicans who voted for Shurt-
left for speaker. II had at some time
in the contest voted for Hopkins for
senator
sIf the theory that / had been stay
ing up nights and c0niuring up dark
lantern schemes be true, how can you
prove il by this recordI' he asked
After summarizing Shurtlef's record
as speaker ON previous occasions, Mr..
.orimer defended him against the
OF corruption. lie said that in
either OF his Previous terms had he as
sisted Shurtleif Therefore, Shurtleif
was not a man Of his making "He owes
me nothing; [ was not on more than
speaking terms when we went TO Spring
field to secure waterway legislation. In
view of these facts, that he should be
known as my henehman is the most alb
surd charge that have heard made in
the Senate or in any other body.
Mr. Lorimer declared that Shurtleff
was Hopkins candidate and was chosen
by that gentleman's friends to the
House,
What effect, if any, the speech win
have upon the vote in the Senate, il is,
Of course. impossible TO say The gen
aral impression about the capitol last
night was that Mr. Lorimer and his
friends have safely pledged the votes
which they expect to defeat the reso-
'ption which would declare his seat va
ant. and that If the matter comes to
, vote the result win be a Lorimer vie
.ory
senator Beveridge is expected to make
to-day long speech in answer 70 Mr..
.orimer.