The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1911-01-13
.OKLAHOMAN SCORES
SENATOR LOR|MER
Senator owen siezes Opportunity or
fered In Lorlner to Urge Election
Of Senator by Popular Vote.

Washington, Jan. 10-The first gun
IN what is expected to be heated fight
to reject the report Of the senate com
mittee on privileges and elections and
declare the election Of William Lori
mer as a senator of the state Of Hi
nojg to be illegal and void, was fired
Yesterday by Senator Robert l. Owen
of Oklahoma. He seized upon the op-
portunity offered to make an argu-
ment in favor Of his resolution for
constitutional amendment so as to pro-
vide for the election Of United States
senators by popular vote. M.
A scathing arraignment of the man
ner in which Mr. Lorimer was elected
was made by Mr. Owen, who asserted
that testimony taken by the commit
tee which investigated the case show
ed that at least ten vote Of the los
received by Mr.. Lorimer should not
have been counted. Other senators
who are known to oppose the reten-
ton by Mr.. Lorimer Of his seat have
not claimed that more than seven
votes were tainted. The ten votes
condemned by Mr. Owen and the rea-
son assigned by him for his belief
that they should not have been count
ed were as follows:
Senator D. w. Holtslaw, who con-
fessed that he received money from
Senator John Broderick; John Brod-
erick, because Of his refusal to testify
in the investigation on the ground
that his testimony might incriminate
him; Representative H. ]. G. Becke-
meyer, who confessed to an alleged
corrupt agreement with minority lead
er Lee O'Neill Browne and to reeeiy-
ing money from Representative Rob
ert E. Wilson; Representatives
Michael S. Link and c. A. White, be-
cause of confessions that they had re-
lceived money from Browne, and Will
son; Messrs. Browne and Wilson, be-
Icause of the testimony of others that
they had handled the alleged corrup
tion fund; the late representative
Charles S. Luke, because of his pres
ence in st. Louis at the time the cor
Eruption fund was said to have been
distributed and the fact that he was
known to have received an unusual
lsum of money at about that time for
(which his wife was unable to account;
Representative Joseph B. Clark who
was also at ST. Louis at about the
same time, and because of conserva-
Itions with others about the alleged
corruption fund, and Representative
Henry A. Shepherd, who is said to
have agreed to vote for Mr.. Lorimer
because of the latter's promise to pre-
vent the appointment of certain men
as postmasters at Jerseyville, ILL.,
The testimony of these men or that
others in relation to their conduct was
analyzed by Mr. Owen at great length,
and he said that in his opinion the
record of bribery and corruption set
forth by him could not be broken
down "on the theory that the men who
received the bribes, were unworthy
of belief on their confessions and their
, testimony against the bribe giyers was
unworthy of credit. He contended that
the tissue of substantial and circum-
stantial evidence surrounding the case
. made it impossible to resist the belief
: that the confessions were substantial
. ly true.
Under the circumstances attending
t the election of Mr. Lorimer by the
0 legislature of Illinois, Mr. Owen said
J. that he believed it to be his duty to
0 the people of Oklahoma, to the senate
Q of the United States and to the Ameri-
can people to move the senate to a.
) clare the "so-called election Of Mr..
r Lorimer void on account of the cor
n rupt practices above set forth"
q In conclusion Mr. Owen said:
r Il believe if Mr.. Lorimer should re
? tain his seat under these circumstances
It 1t would lCwer the United States sen
: ate in the esteem of the American peo
n pie.
t II believe the time has come when
G. the American people will approve
4. stern measures in dealing with brib
cry and with corrupt conduct in pub
a lie affairs and I think it better for al
II the people that there should be al
d end made to the election of senators
q by the sinister commercial forces q
% the republic"
Re Re FIVE MEN BURN WITH