Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1911-05-26
SEEKS NEW PROBE
IN LOR|MER CASE
Dillingham; Wants inquiry by
Senate Elections Committee.
DEMOCRATS DECIDE ON PLAN
La Toilette, In Speech, Delves Into
Alleged Bribery in Connection
With Election of Illinois
Junior Senator.

Junior Senator.
Washington. - A resolution call
| ing for prompt inquiry into the
! charges against Senator Lorimer of
Illinois, was introduced in the senate
| by Senator Dillingham;, chairman Of
the committee on privileges and cleo
! tons. The Democratic senators will
support the resolution, which is in
tended to be substitute to that in
| troduced by Senator La Toilette.
The resolution was offered by Mr..
Dillingham; in recognition of the res
olution adopted by the state senate of
Illinois calling upon the federal SEN
ate to take action
After quoting the request of the IL
l1no1s upper house in full the Dilling-
| ham resolution provides for full in
vestigation by the committee on priv
ileges and elections or a subcommit-
tee, with special instructions to ascer-
tain whether corrupt practices or
methods were adopted by any person,
firm or corporation with reference to
the election.
Senator Dillingham; announced that
| he proposed to press his resolution as
a substitute. Senator La Toilette
then said he would offer amendments
to his own resolution. He then under
| took brief review of the Lorimer
case which, he said, disclosed the fol-
| lowing undisputed facts:
That Charles A. White confessed he
was br1bed to vote for Lorimer, re-
ceiving $1,000 therefor.
That grand juries investigated the
confession and that during their work
two other members of the legislature
confessed receiving "Lorimer money"
leaving no doubt as to their guilt
That another member, since de-
ceased, was proved present at distribu-
tons of "Lorimer money"
Senator La Toilette first discussed
| representative government He said
the government was representative as
long as senators obeyed the popular
will and were elected without the in
| terposition of any outside power. He
asked senators to conceive a man
holding such trust sitting silently by
with his title tainted. He said the de-
lay by Senator Lorimer had brought
great opprobrium on the senate itself
Senate La Toilette attacked the SEN
ate system of courtesy as helping to
veil and undermine representative
government. He said the system ex-
cused and palliated violations of the
high principles which senators brought
from home. He said there was some
purpose behind it, and that, moreover,
| he could not understand how Senator
Lorimer could rest under the charges
against him
FINALLY said Senator La Toilette,
things came to such a pass that 9TH
ers threatened to speak for Senator
LOrimer in defense Of the senate Then
on May %, Senator Lorimer spoke the
vindication of himself, Senator Hoist
law having confessed in Illinois that
| he had also been bribed to vote for
Lorimer. The previous delay" said
the SENATOR burned the brand into
| this case
Senator La Toilette said he believed
he paid compliment to Senator Gull
lom by saying that he was certain he
had demanded that Senator Lorimer
| should explain the charges against
him. He said Senator Cullom had
served "a generation in the public in
terests with clean hands," and he
could not conceive his acting other
wise. Senator La Toilette said the
senate owed something to itself In the
Lorimer case, but owed more to the
country.
LAS long as l live l am going to
cherish the idea that no other member
{ of this body would have waited so
! long to make his protest of innocence
as did the sitting member In this
case said Senator La Toilette
Senator La Toilette then reviewed
the successive steps of the Lorimer in
vestigation In the last congress. The
speaker said that at the outset of the
Lorimer case he had brought to it so
unbiased mind as any other member,
and that he considered himself a
juror with the right to prosecute in
vestigations wherever they might lead
| Now, he said, he based his judgme nt
on the evidence in the case.