The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-04-13
HELM COMMITTEE
| TO RESUME LABOR
Further Political Scandals,
Involving Millionaires,
Are Expected.
american News Service)


sion of sensations that have been
sprung before the Helm investigating
which is probing the election of SEN
ator William Lorimer, the excitement
is expected to reach a crisis tomorrow
when the committee reconvenes for
the first session after it's adjournment
week ago today. Friends of the
principals in the drama, lawyers, poll
ticians and scandal seekers have
fiocked to Springfield by scores in
anticipation of further spectacular dis
closures.
No sensation in the memory of the
oldest resident has rocked the capital
as has the revelation of alleged graft
fraud and corruption in connection
with the present investigation. The
committee believes it is at last close
to the cource of the scandal which
has defied the court and the cunning
OF investigations for year. The
trial has led so far straight to the mil
llonaires at the head of the big cor
porations, which have whispered and
pulled the wires that have led every
previous investigation of the Lorim-
err scandal into blind trails. Sub
poenas are said to have been issued
during the last week for a half dozen
millionaires who are understood to
have been interested in having the
right sort of man in Washington"
The committee was surprised when
Edward Hines, millionaire president
of the Hines Lumber company, testi-
fed and named the president as being
indirectly responsible for Lorimer's
| election. They were amazed when
Herman II. kohlsaat, the Chicago pub
Usher, testified and intimated that he
had the key to the mystery. They
were astounded week ago when
Clarence S. Funk, manager of the In
ternational Harvester company, told
the first connected story of the alleged
100000 'slush fund.-" gave the lie to
Hines and brought in the name of
Edward Tilden, president of the Ma
| tional Packing company, as the man
to whom the "slush fund" money was
to have been sent
TunkS oenSdtIOn
Funk's statement duplicating Til
| den was probably the most unexpect-
ed of all the disclosures. When ask
ed point blank for the name of the
man to whom Hines had told him to
send the doodle money he was
startled and refused almost to reveal
his identity. He pleaded that the man
who had been referred to was man
of high standing. a man whose integ-
rity had never been impeached and
, that he had no proof that the charges
implied were true. The committee
Funk Strengthened in his chair as of
to answer, but his courage failed him.
THE committee is unanimous" said
Chairman Helm. 1t was probably the
most dramatic moment since the in
vestigation opened. Funk hesitated
again and then blurted out: well, l
will answer under protest He told
me to send the money to Ed Tilden."
| 1t was shortly after that that the
committee went into executive ses-
sion and then adjourned until tomor-
row, with it's work we'll under way
But the lid is supposed to be only
loosened, and the sensation that will
| follow the session that begins tomor-
row is expected to rock the nation
Developments have come thick and
fast of late, compared with the scant
results of former probes of the scan
dial. 1t was just eighteen days less
than year ago when the first public
intimation of corruption in connection
with the election of Lorimer was
made. Until dozen days ago, how
ever, practically no evidence had
been brought out in any of the inves-
LEGATIONS that pertained to the source
of the money which was used in the
alleged bribing of the Democratic
members of the Illinois legislature.
However. the Helm committee has
started out by striking directly at the
beginning of things and already has
made greater progress than any of
the previous investigations.
lorimer's Clear Sailing.
For eleven months after his election
Senator Lorimer's sailing was about
as smooth as that of any other men,
Der of the upper house of congress.
His tranquility was not disturbed by
any hint of graft until the morning of
April 80 last year, when a Chicago
newspaper printed an affidavit signed
by State Representative Charles A.
White. saying that he had been given
$1,000 by Representative Lee O'Neill
Browne. minority leader of the legis-
lature. and Representative Robert E.
Wilson to vote for Lorimer for sena-
tor. The accusation came like thun-
derbolt out of clear sky and the SEN
sation it created made Lorimey prob
ably the most talked-of-man in the
country.
Two days later. on May 2, a special
grand jury was impanneled in Chicago
under States Attorney Wayman to
probe the charges. Representative
White informed Wayman that he was
ready to 60 before the grand jury and
tell all On May 5. Representative II.
J. Beckemeyer made confession
similar to that of White, and Browne
was indicted the following day. He
was tried three times. The first re-
| od in a mis- ial no -,