Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-22

This was Lorimer day in the Senate.
| When the session began it was with the
expectation that a number of speeches
| would be heard during the day. Chief
among these was that of Senator Lorimer
| himself. who began promptly upon the
| conclusion of the routine business.
| Senator Lorimer has been in almost
| constant attendance upon the sessions
| in witch members have contended for
and against his retaining his seat a:
| senator from Illinois His reply has bee
awaited with much interest, both by tic
Senate and by the public, as was ind
| Gated by the large attendance upon TIL.
| floor and the crowded galleries. Spec
| tators began gathering two hours before
the time for the Senate to convene, and
later many were turned from the doors.
Floor and Galleries Crowded.
| The session was begun with the usual
| custom on Washington's birthday Of
| reading his farewell address. The read
ing was by Senator Young Of Iowa. The
Lorimer case then came up after a brief
| interval devoted to ordinary business Of
| the body
1t Is not nkely tnat vote Oh Tue casc
will be reached today, unless trA. session
should extend into the night.
The fact that WashingteR,s birthday
| is legal holiday, on which all OF the
government departments are closed, TO-
gether with exceptionally alluring wealth
| er conditions after many days of lower
| ing skies, brought to both sides OF the
| Capitol hundreds of visitors.
Many Washingtonans, who seldom at
tend sessions OF Congress, took ad-
l 81 he and there
were more than the usual number of out
of-toWn spectators. An hour before the
session of the Senate began the gal
! leries were crowded, the corridors like
wise.
| J-pon the conclusion of Senator Young 8
reading of the farewell address, and OF
certain routine business, Senator Hale
| of Maine asked unanimous consent tnat
| Senator Lorimer be permitted to make
| his address to the Senate. This was ac-
| corded and at 1:27 o'clock Mr.. Lorimer
rose to speak. He spoke from Senator
| Taliaferro's seat near the center OF the
chamber. He did not speak from manu-
script, though frequently he consulted
notes.
| From the first he was given the
| closet attention. Many members OF
| the House stood against the walls or
the Senate chamber while Mr.. Lorimer
/ talked
! Senator Lorimer at the outset OF his
remarks indicated the general lines OF
his defense by allusion to questions
! (as given abOvc) concerning his elec-
| ton as senator from Illinois, which he
recognized as having been raised by
senators in the discussion Of his title to
| his seat and which he evidently felt
| called upon to answer.
MANY questions have been suggest
| ed by the statements of senators in the
| debate on this case, the senator said.
| .'These suggestions or questions con-
! Germ mostly the actual condition of my
| election to this body.
But One Kind of Answer.
..These are some of the questions sug-
| gested by statements of senator's in oppo-
| sition to the committee report or openly
| put by them in the course of the debate.
| .ro these questions many sorts of an
swers have been given by my opponents.
Some of these answers have been fanciful
/ theories: some mere guesseS and sur
misses.
"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 1t is this matter of fact,
this truth. that l purpose to lay before
the Senate today. The legal argument
and abstract deduction are beyond my
purpose.
| lived through it ALL exactly how my cleo
tion at Springfield was brought about-to
answer the foregoing questions with the
| facts that alone can answer them COR
rectly.'
''Veil of Suspicion
Having outlined the general course of
| his remarks, Mr.. Lorimer said there had
been an effort to cover the case with a
veil OF suspicion 1t had been charged
that some one person with u powerful
mind had organized the legislature TO de-
feat Senator Hopkins.
Some senators have intimated that the
man with the powerful mind and an or
| ganizing genius was myself 1t also had
been intimated, he asserted that he had
been guilty of corrupt practices in his
| own interest
Taking up one of Senator Crawford's
charges, Mr.. Lorimer declared that any
one who knew aught of the Illinois
legislature would not assert that he
against Gov Deneen. To organize a
legislature SO as to include democrats
and republicans requires effort. From
September Is to November he had
been confined to his home by illness
and had not been able to appear until
just before the election. In conse-
quence of that illness report had been
circulated that he was about to die. SO
that people had said that on that ac-
count he should not be elected senator
After the November election he had
made a tour Of the Pacific coast, and
after another illness had returned to
Washington. He was in the national
House of Representatives on the ye.y
day (January . that Shurtleff had been
elected speaker.
Speaker Shurtleff's Election.