St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1911-04-05

Tribune published an article Wnlcn IL
purchased of one Charles A. White,
democratic member of the Illinois
legislature who voted for Mr.. Lori
mer charging that he, White, and
others had been bribed by J. O'Neill
Browne, one of the democratic lead
ers in the Illinois House of Represen-
tatives, to vote for Mr.. Lorimer. Fol-
lowing this publication, Mr.. Lori
mer made an extended speech IN the
senate in which he explicitly denied
the charge and allegeu long exist
ing animosity of the Chicago Tri-
bune toward HIM and concluded his
speech by asking for an investigation
by the senate of the circumstances
attending his election. This request
was granted and resolution adopt
ed directing the committee on privl-
leges and elections to make such IN
senate.
A subcommittee of the committee
on privileges and elections, consist
ing of its chairman, Senator Burrows,
Senators Gamble, Hepburn, Buckley,
republicans, and Senators Frazier,
Paynter and Johnston, democrats,
convened in Chicago, Sept. 20, 1910,
and at the request of the Chicago
Tribune permitted that paper to ap-
pear by counsel and present such
evidence as it had to support the
charges it had published. Mr.. Lori
mer was also represented by counsel
and thereafter the proceedings before
the committee were managed by the
respective counsel above named and
every witness suggested by either was
summoned and testified.
Two main questions were involved
in the controversy. The first went
directly to the personal integrity of
Senator Lorimer and his connection
with the alleged acts of corruption.
Almost at the opening of the investi-
cation, Mr.. Austrian, counsel for the
Chicago Tribune, in answer to an in
quiry as to whether he expected to
connect Senator Lorimer with the pay
ment of money to secure votes for
himself, or with any corrupt prac-
tees, stated to the committee that
he should say not; and when the
same question again arose later in
the proceedings, he again stated that
he did not contend that Mr.. LOrlmer
had anything to do with such trans
actions. The subcommittee also re-
ported that no evidence was submit
ted to it, or was obtainable so far as
known, inculpating Senator Lorimer
in bribery or attempted bribery, II
such there was, of any member of the
legislature; and that there was no
evidence that Senator Lorimer had
any knowledge whatever of bribery
or attempted bribery by anyone. And
after faithful examination of the evil
dence I am convinced of the correct
ness of that finding.
The second question involved the
integrity of the election itself and re-
ceived most careful consideration on
the part of the committee. In its
investigation of this question, its
members continued their labors in
Chicago for a period of three weeks,
hearing the testimony of about forty
witnesses whose evidence constitutes
a volume of about 500 printed pages.
The hearings were open to the press
and public.
The charge was that White, the
man who sold his so-called confession
to the Chicago Tribune, and two or
three of his associates in the legis-
lature had, sometime in the summer
following the adjournment of the leg
islature, received money from j. o.
Neill Browne and one Wilson in con-
or by reason of having
voted for Senator Lorimer. White
alone claimed that he voted for Lori
mer by reason of a promise made by
Browne prior to the election that he
should be paid S 900 therefor.
The evidence is clear that White
was conspirator from the day fol-
lowing Lorimer's election. His cry
ing need was money and it made no
difference to him how he got it. He
to his intimates that he had
no knowledge of any corruption in
connection with the election but on
three or four occasions, and to as
many different persons, he disclosed
his purpose to make Browne or Lori
mer "come over good and hard
when he said the word. On one of
these occasions he replied to the in
quiry, "Have you got anything on
them, White?" by saying: mo! +
amt. I got the worst of it down at
Springfield but that makes no differ
ence. 1 voted for Lorimer and / am
a democrat, and can say that I got
money for voting for Lorimer, and
do you suppose they can stand it for
a moment?" All through the sum-
mer he seems to have been Matching
schemes for gain, having for their
basis his own dishonor. He stated
that he was going to get something
on Congressman Rodenburg and put
him out of business, and that he,
White, would then run for Congress
and settle down and get married"
He abandoned the Rodenburg
scheme, however, but prepared the
article before mentioned, purporting
to give a true account of his expert
ence in the Illinois legislature in
which the protested instance of his
bribery by Browne was given. He
offered it to at least three publishers
who declined it. He then wrote Sen
ator Lorimer the following letter.
O'Fallon, ILL.,, 12-4-09.
Hon. VIM. Lorimer,
Washington, D. G.
My dear Sir: 1 am preparing to
place before the people of this coun-
try an article I have written giving
my true experience as a member of
the Illinois legislature. The article
will appear either in book form or
will be published in one of the largest
magazines in the United States.
I have just completed the manu-
script, which contains about 10000
words, giving in detail my absolutely
r. r.