Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-02-04
STATE AND COUNTRY DIsGRACEI
Corruption so Common that Legisla-
tors Regard 1t as Joke.
MR.. PAYNTER ASKS QUESTIONS
Kentuckian Told Where More Evil
dence Could Have Been Secured.
COMMITTEES WORK CRITICIZED
Its Findings and Methods Analysed
from Legal Standpoint and
BOtS Are Declared linz
proper.


ate today sat through a long speech by /
Senator Root and heard him declare that
Senator william Lorimer should be ex-
cuded from his seat on account Of bribery |
in his election by the Illinois legislature, /
regardless Of what methods Of subtraction
were resorted to with reference to the /
seven alleged tainted votes.
Senator Bailey created a sensation by |
asserting that n Lorimer were shut out by |
any such logic then Mr. Csllom. the ven |
erabe Illinois senior senator, also should !
be excluded and he added impressively:
And there is no one here who would !
not acquit Mir. Cullom OF having knowl- |
edge Of any wrong doing in connection !
/ with his election"
/ The New York senator held the undivided
attention Of his colleagues. Mr.. Roots
| position had been a question of much spec
ulation and so high is the esteem in which
Z his opinion is held that II is known some
members of the senate have held in abey-
ance their own opinions until they could
I hear from him.
There was large attendance of senators
and the galleries were we'll filled.
Mr.. Root spoke without notes and in the
main his address consisted OF a careful
analysis OF the testimony taken by the
committee. The argument was almost en-
tirely legal.
The speaker lost little time in indicating
the conclusion he had reached, which was
entirely antagonistic to Mr.. Lorimer.
COmmittee's Methods Wrong.
He took the position that the investigat-
ing cOmmitee had been at fault in permit
ting either the attorney for Mr.. Lorimer or
the attorney for the Chicago Tribune to
direct its course in the matter of connecting
Mr.. Lorimer with the corruption of MEM
bers of the Illinois legislature, but agreed
that even in the face OF its fault in this
respect the committee had obtained suffi-
cient evidence effectually TO taint and in
validate the election.
Citing the resolution under which the
inquiry was directed, Mr.. Root said the
committee had failed to find the testimony
sufficient - justify the conclusion hat
Mr. Lorimers seat had been rendered in
valid by the employment Of corrupt meth
DDS practices.
1T is fair to infer" he said. that the
committee was Of the opinion that corrapt
methods and practices were resorted to.
but that their legal effect was not such as
to invandate Mr. Lorimer's election,
This view is sustained by the testimony
before us, and / regret to say that after
an examination OF this testimony ! am
constrained to disagree with the members
OF the committee"
Saying that he had been forced to this
conclusion with deep regret both ac-
, count OF his respect for the members OF
/ the committee and Of regard for Mr. Lori
mer, Senator Root said he had been i'm
PEELED to reach an adverse view in the in
D terest OF the state OF Illinois and Of the
: country at large.
Il cannot" he said earnestly, come to
a any different conclusion"
state and Country DisEraced.
He expressed the opinion that both the
: state and country rad been disgraeed by
the methods OF the Lorimer 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
organization properly interpreted the scope
N Of its instructions, but felt that it had
= gone too far in interpreting the charges as
a private complaint by the Chicago Tri-
+, bune. The committee should, he thought,
= have borne in mind that the reputation the
honor. the purity and authority OF the SEN
ate were involved
When" he asked earnestly, did We en-
trust the guardianship OF our honor and
integrity to any newspaper or any mani
II was the duty Of our committee 10 in
vesugate whether corrupt methods and
I. practices had been resorted to as directed
by the senate, and not to decide whether
the Tribune had established a case
1T was clearly shown" Mr.. Root con-
70 tended that In following the leadership OF
the Tribune the committee had failed to
take advantage OF any opportunities to
J. obtain testimony. Avenue after avenue
had been voluntarily closed"
n One effect OF the committees course had
been to create the feeling that this was
a persecution rather than a prosecution
and the speaker himself confessed 90 shar-
al ing the view that the work was not one
S, in which a newspaper might properly en-
Is gage.
g. Il do not believe he said, that a com
A. bination Of the tremendous power
y Of a great newspaper should be combined
D. with the work OF a prosecutor. because
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