The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-01-10
.LOR|MER FACES
/. FOES IN SENATE
lllin0isan Denies Guilt and An
nOunces He Will Fight
for His Seat.
BEVERIDGE AND OWEN BOTH
EAGER TO BEGIN ATTACK
AoOsier Wins Because He Hap
pens to Be Member of
Subcommittee.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9.-The fight tc
prevent Senator Lorimer of Illinois re
tanning his seat in the United States
senate was opened today with a con
test between Senator Beveridge of In
diana and Owen of Oklahoma, both OF
whom contested for the right to fire
the first gun in the cause.
Senator Beveridge, by virtue of be
ing a member of the committee or
privileges and elections. which investi
gated charges of bribery against Mr.
Lorimer. gained a tactical victory by
filing a minority report attacking the
position of his colleagues on the com
mittee who voted to eXonerate the Hi.
nos senator. Senator Owen, however
introduced resolution to declare the
election of Mr.. Lorimer illegal and
void.
Mr.. Beveridge then submitted his re-
port, the conclusion of which was:
Election Invalid.
s'That this election was invalid un.
der any possible view of the law. +
the senate so concluded it is our duty to
so declare. Therefore / submit the fol"
lowing resolution:
- .fResolved. that William Lorimer
was not duly and legally elected to II
seat in the senate of the United States
by the legislature of the state of II
linois. -
Before the report was filed Senator
Lorimer made brief Speech declaring
his innocence of bribery and the inno-
cence of his friends of any participa-
tion in corrupt practices In connection
with his election. He announced his in,
teption to be present during the pre-
sentation of the case.
The parliamentary tangle in the sen,
ate as to which of the two senators de-
string to open the attack on Senator
Lorimer should have precedence was
not settled until after an appeal had
been taken from q ruling by Vice Presi-
dent ShermanS and he had been re-
versed
The Beveridge report reviews the
testimony bearing on the alleged ac-
the Illinois legislature and the test.
mony of these men that the bribes had
been paid by three other members.
The minority report declares it is an
undisputed fact of conclusive force, al
though the majority ignores it, that the
confessed bribe takers were shown to
have had in their possession, IN bills
OF large denominations, unusually large
sums of money soon after the dates
when they swore to having received
the alleged bribes. This statement is
made in reply to the contention of the
majority that the men who confessed
to having received bribes were not to
be believed
Point Senate Must Consider,
Senator Beveridge devoted consider
able attention to the claim of the ma
Jority that at least three of those
who confessed having received bribes
had been compelled or "driven - to
make these confessions because of
the treatment received from officers OF
Cook and Sangamon counties, Illinois.
In this connection the report says:
E'What the senate must determine is
whether it believes as a matter of fact
that these men actually did receive the
money which they testified to having
received. and large amounts of which
were found in their possession in bills
of large denominations,
Senator Owen followed with a scath-
ing arraignment in which he said that
ten OF the los votes given to Lorimer had
been purchased.