The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1911-01-12
TLAYS LOR|MER
Beveridge and Owen Would
Gust Senator.
PLEAD FOR HIS EXPULSION
They Tell Senate Illinois Man Has
no Right to Seat as Evidence
Showed Ten Votes Were
Tainted.
PLEAD FOR HIS EXPULSION


Washington, Jan. l0.-The fight 10
prevent Senator William horimer. oil
Illinois. retaining his seat In the sen
ate of the United States opened with
contest between Senators Beverage
of Indiana, and owen. of Oklahoma
for the right to fire the first gun in the
same cause.
Senator Beveridge. by virtue OF be
ing a member of the committee on
privileges and elections, which inyes'i
gated the charges that bribery entered
into the election. gained a tactical VIC
tory by fling minority report AT
lacking the position Of his colleagues
on the committee who voted to exon
crate the Illinois senator.
Senator owen introduced a resolu'
ton TO declare the election of Lorimer
TO have been illegal and void.
severidse's Report
The conclusion of Mr.. Beverldge's
report was;
'That his election was invalid un-
der any possible view Of the law IL
the senate so concludes ii is our duty
so to declare. Therefore, | submit the
following resolution:
Resolved, That William Lorimer
was not duly and legally elected to
seat in the senate of the United states
by the legislature OF the state OF I'LL
nOis."
Before the report was filed Senator
Lorimer made a short speech, declar-
ing his innocence Of bribery and the
innocence OF his friends OF any par
ticipation in corrupt practices in con
nection with his election.
The Beveridge report reviews inc
alleged acceptance of brides BY four
members OF the Illinois legislature
and the testimony OF these men that
the brides had been paid by three 9th
er members. The report declares il an
undisputed fact, although the majority
ignores 1t, that the confessed bribe- I
takers were shown to have had in
their possession unusually large sums
Of money soon after the dates on
which they swore they had received
brides. This statement is in reply TO
the contention that the men who con.
fessed were not TO be believed
What the senate must determine
SAYS the Beverage report, lis whether
It believed that these men actually did
receive the money which they testified
TO having received. and large amounts
of which were found in their posses
sion in bills Of large denominations.
He said the conduct of officers OF
Justice in compelling" confessions
had nothing to do with the case.
Attacks Alleged Bride oivers.
OF the dismissal by the majority
report of charge that three members
had paid brides because the three had
denied the charges and The confessed !
bride takers were not to be believed.
Senator Beveridge asks:
What else did the majority expect
these alleged bride Pivers to do ex-
cept to deny that they gave the brides;
what else could they have done unless
they. too. confessed? Did the major.
lty expect everybody connected with
these corrupt proceedings to confess?'
The explanations Of the alleged
bride givers-Brown. BrodericlV and
Wilson-of their transactions with
other members of the legislature and
of their presence in St Louis at the
time the so-called Jackpot" fund is
said to have been distributed. are de-
clared by Senator Beverage to be "ab-
surd and grotesque.'
But these seven votes" the Bever-
idge report continues, which under
the statute and the presidents are
enough to invalidate this election.
we're not all of the tainted votes cast
in this putrid transaction. The testi-
mony shows that at least three add
tional votes were cast-those of Clark.
Sheppard and Luke"
Owen Accuses Ten Legislators.
A scathing arraignment of the man.
ner in which Mr.. Lorimer was elected
was made by Mr.. Owen, who asserted
that the testimony showed that at
least ten votes of the 108 received by
Mr.. Lorimer should not have been
counted. other senators opposing Lor-
inner have not asserted that more than
seven votes were tainted.
Mr.. owen contended that the tissue
OF substantial and circumstantial evil
dence surrounding the case made II
impossible to resist the belief that the
confessions were substantially true
II believe that there was wholesale
corruption and bribery used in pro
curing the election of Mr.. Lorimer,
said Mr.. Owen, land that it has been
abundantly proved and that the effort
to break down the corroborating mass
of interviewer evidence above cited by
rebuttal has failed.
Il believe II Mr.. Lorimer should re-
tain his seat under these painful cir
cumstances it would lower the United
States senate in the esteem of the
American people. | believe the time
has come when the American people
will approve stern measures In deal
ing with bribery and with corrupt con-
duct in public affairs. and think it
halter for all the nQonle that there