The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1911-02-04
SENATOR LOR|MER
CONDEMNED BY ROOT
A New Yorker Says the Senate
Should Exclude Lorimer
LEGAL ARGUMENT MADE
Root Take. the Position That the In
yestisation Committee Was mt Fault
In Not Making Case
Against Lorimer

In Not Making a Case
Against Lorimer
Washington, February S.-The entire
Senate today sat through a long speech
by Senator Root and heard him declare
that William Lorimer should be excluded
from his seat on account of bribery in
his election by the Illinois legislature, re-
CARELESS of what methods of subtrac-
ton were resorted to with reference to
the seven alleged tainted votes.
He said it was immaterial whether the
tainted votes were subtracted from the
total vote upon joint ballot, or only from
the Lorimer vote.
Senator Bailey created sensation by
asserting that if Lorimer was shut out
by any such logic then Mr.. Cullom the
venerable Illinois senator also should be
excluded, and he added impressively:
And there is no one here who would
not acquit Mr.. Cullom of having knowl-
eoge of any wrong doing In connection
with his election
The New York senator held the undi-
vided attention of his colleagues as he
discussed the report of the committee on
privileges and elections, by which Mr..
Lcrimer was exonerated.
Mr. Roots position had been ques-
ton of much speculation, and so high is
the esteem in which his opinion is held
that 1t is known that some members of
the Senate have held in allegiance their
own opinions until they could hear from
him.
Galleries Are FILLED
There was a large attendance of SEN
ators and the galleries were filled.
Mr.. Root spoke without notes and in
the main his address consisted of care
full analysis of the testimony taken by
the committee. The argument was almost
entirely legal.
The speaker lost little time in indicat-
ing the conclusion he had reached, which
was entirely antagonistic to Mr.. Lori
mer. He took the position that the In
vestigation committee had been at fault
in permitting either the attorney for Mr.
Lorimer or the attorney for the Chicago
Tribune to direct its course in the matter
of charging Mr.. Lorimer with the corrup-
ton of members of the Illinois legisla-
ture but agreed that even in the face of
its fault in this respect the committee
had discovered sufficient evidence to faint
and invalidate the election.
Citing the resolution under which the
inquiry was directed Mr.. Root said the
committee had failed to find the testi-
mony sufficient to justify the conclusion
that Mr. Lorimer's seat had been rem
dered invalid by the employment of cor
rupt methods or practices.
1T is fair to infer" he said, that the
committee was of the opinion that cor
r,Ipt methods and practices we're resorted
TO. but that their legal effect was not
such as to nvalidate Mr.. Lorimer's efec-
ton / regret to say that I am con-
strained to disagree with the members OF
the committee"
state and Country Disgraced
Mr. Root expressed the opinion that
both the state and country had been dis
graced by the methods of the lSorimer
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 had properly inter-
preted the scope of it's instructions, but
felt that it had gone too far in inter-
preting the charges as private COM
plant by the Chicago Tribune. The COM
mittee should, he thought. have borne
in mind that the reputation, the honor,
the purity and the authority or the SEN
ate were involved.
Mr.. Root said that he had not In
tended to really criticise the commit
tee, but merely point out the result
of the conception of its duties-a view
with which he did not agree.
Turning then to the testimony be-
fore the Senate, Mr.. Root undertook
r1<, . h. ,ct, iyan O q
1t did not justify the committees
conclusions.
Entering upon an analysis of the
testimony supplied he told of the
difficulty and delay which had marked
the election of successor to Senator
Hopkins in 1909
Lee O'NeiI Brownies Case
Mr.. Root told of democratic mem
Der of the Illinois legislature who ad-
mittedIy had gone to rooms occupied
by Mr. Lorimer to arrange about fed
eral patronage and rapidly passed to
the connection OF Lee ONeill Browne
with the case.
This man was declared to be Mr..
Lorimer's agent, "a fact which rests on
the testimony of Browne himself and
Is not the subject of dispute he said.
The senat or then undertook to show
that Browne had been instrumental in
for Mr. Lorimer. Picturing Brownies
control of a certain large number Of
the Illinois legislature and the rela-
tionship. of Browne to Lorimer, which
he declared as that of a campaign man
ager, Senator Root wanted to know
how this control was secured and
maintained.
THE answer" he said, furnish ed
the background against which all of
the testimony in this case must be
mustered and weighed"
Speaking again of the action of the
democrats who followed the leadership
of Browne and voted for Lorimer, SEN
ator Root said that If motives of pa
were locked in the bosoms of these
democrats and were not apparent to
his party colleagues.
The use. by Browne of the term,
ready necessary" in seeking democ-
Gratis to vote in the legislature for
Lorimer was made the most of by Mr..
Root He said the testimony showed
that Mr.. Browne had recourse to this
term In office for offering cash for
Lorimer votes.
Two Meetings Described
Describing the two meetings in st.
Louis of Brownies followers in south
ern Illinois about which 1t was testi-
fed at the first each member partic-
ipating was paid $1,000 and at the sec
ond meeting, held on July Is. each
was paid 5000, Mr.. Root said that the
testimony of witnesses differed.
The New York senator showed that
three witnesses testified to receiving
5000 each and one Witness Represen-
tatiye Wilson, who was charged with
oil N 10 no N