Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-02-03
Strongly Criticises Com
mittee for Lorimer
Finding.
EXCEEDED ITS POWER
Should Not Have Attempted to
Interpret Significance of
Evidence.

Washington, Feb. 3.-That Sena-
tor Lorimer holds his seat as the
result of bribery and on that account
Should not be permitted to continue
in the senate. is the conclusion reach
ed by Senator Root and announced
by him in an argument on the floor
of the senate today. Root spoke
without notes and in the main his
address consisted of careful anal
ysis of the testimony taken by the
committee. The argument was al
most entirely legal.
WASTES No WORDS.
The speaker lost little time in in
dicating the conclusion he had reach
ed which was entirely antagonistic
to Lorimer. He took the position
the investigating committee had been
at fault in permitting either an at
torney for Lorimer or an attorney
for the Chicago Tribune to direct
its course in the matter Of connect
ing Lorimer with the corruption of
members of the Illinois Legislature.
but agreed that. even in the face of
its fault in this respect, the commit
tee had obtained sufficient evidence
effectually to taint and invalidate the
election.
DISACREES WITH COMMITTEE.
1T is fair to infer said Root,
the committee was of the opinion
that corrupt methods and practices
were resorted TO, but that their le-
gal effect was not such as to invali-
date Lorimer's election. This view
IS sustained by the testimony before
us. And I regret to say that, after
of I
am constrained to disagree with
members of the committee"
REGRETs COSCLUSION.
Saving he had been forced to this
conclusion with deep regret. both on
account of his respect for members
of the committee and regard for LOr-
inner. Root said he had been impelled
to reach an adverse view in the in
terest of the state of Illinois and the
country at large u cannot he
said most earnestly. come 10 any
different conclusion.
COUNTRY DISGRACED.
He expressed opinion both state
and country had been disgraced by
the methods of Lorimer's election.
He did not believe the committee
had properly interpreted the scope
gone too far in the interpreting of
the charges as private complaint
by the Chicago Tribune. The com
mittee should, he thought. have
borne in mind that the reputation.
honor. purity and authority Of the
senate were involved.
MISTAKEN TRUST.
when" he asked earnestly, did
we eutrust the guardianship of our
honor and integrity 10 any newspa-
per or any man? II was the duty
OF the committee to investigate
whether corrupt methods and prac-
ficesy had been resorted to as directed
by the senate and not TO decide
whether the Tribune had established
a case"
NEGLECTED OPPORTJ MITES.
1t was clearly shown, Root con
tinued, that in following the leader
ship of the Tribune the committee
failed TO take advantage of many op-
portunities TO obtain testimony. Ave
nue. after avenue had been voluntar-
lily closed. One effort of the commit
tees course had been to create a
feeling that this was a persecution
rather than n prosecution. And the
speaker himself confessed TO shar-
ing the view that the work was not
one in which a newspaper might
properly engage
JUSTICE SUFFERS.
II do not believe" he said. that
combination OF the tremendous
power OF great newspaper should 4
be combined with the work of a
prosecutor. because ! do not think
such 4 combination makes for JUS
tice.
But this case is not a case Of the .
Tribune; il is 4 case of this govern (
ment. the government of the United T
States, that is involved"
PAINTER INTERRUPTS.
At this juncture the first inter
ruption occurred Ii came from .
Paynter of Kentucky, member of the +
committee and supporter of its views. .
lie asked Root TO specify some OF
the witnesses he would have called .
that were not summoned at the in
stance of the Tribune Root. said .
he would have compelled the at
tendance OF the cashier OF the Hoist
law bank TO show the financial oper-
ations conducted there in connection
with the alleged bribery. the Var