The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-06-30
NOT TAFT,S AGENT.

1t is evident from the dispatches
that Senator Lorimer is having his in.
nings IN the testimony being delivered
now before the Senate special commit
tee which is investigating his case. He
has staunch friends, and they are
standing by him staunchly; no evidence
damaging to him. is obtainable from
them. On the contrary, they deny
everything, and offer the fullest in.
spcction Of their bank books and ac-
counts to show that nothing of the
kind that has been charged with re-
spect to Lorimer s election is true, so
far as they are concerned.
The sensational feature of the evi.
dence brought out yesterday was when
Mr., Edward Hines of Chicago, who was
active in the election Of Mr.. Lorimer
to the Senate, explained how he came
to take the interest in that election
which he did. He stated that he un.
derstood that, in urging Mr.. Lorimer S
election, he was carrying out the wishes
Of President Taft. These wishes, he
said, were conveyed to him through
Senator Aldricb, who represented that
President Taft was especially inter
ested in having the vacancy filled. The
Rhode Island Senator, said Mr.. Hines,
also stated that both he and the Presi.
dent felt that Mr.. Lorimer, then a
Representative in Congress, could be
elected, and that Senator Aldrich de-
sired him TO 90 to the White House to
see the President about it. But Hines
thought il best for Mr.. Aldrich and
President Taft to talk the matter over
by themselves, and he didn Z go. Sena-
tor AIdrich did go, conferred with the
President, and reported President Taft
as favoring Mr.. Lorimer' s election,
Thereupon, Mr., Hines says, he got into
communication with Mr.. Lorimer, and
went to Illinois from Washington next
day, to carry out what he believed to
be a mission from the administration.
Senator Aldrich told him that if any
one doubted the desire of the admin
istration or his attitude, to have him
call up either Aldrich or President
Taft himself.
We consider that Mr.. Hines was en-
tirely justified on this state of facts,
granting them to be the truth, in rep.
resentlng that President Taft desired
the election of Mr.. Lorlmer to the Sen
ate. President Taft has himself ad-
mitted that he was desirous of seeing
the vacancy filled, but he disclaimed
utterly any preference or any eX.
pressed wish as to the person who
should fill that vacancy, We believe
that President Taft in this is entirely
candid. The explanation is perfectly
reasonable, and is exactly what one
would expect from him, Naturally, as
President, and as Republican, he de,
sired to have the vacancy filled, and
with a Republican. But that he Sc
lected Mr.. Lorimer as his choice to fill
the place is altogether unlikely. What
ever misunderstanding arose in this
respect undoubtedly came through the
misrepresentation Of Mr.. Hines of what
Senator Aldrich said. This, on the
other hand, seems curious, for Mr..
Aldrich would naturally have spoken q
good word for Mr.. Hopkins, the end Of
whose term created the vacancy, and
Mr.. Hopkins had always been under
stood to be entirely friendly with Mr.,
Aldrich, and in fact to consider Mr.
Aldrich his party leader in the Senate.
1t is curious story all through, but
from Mr.. Hines s standpoint it is easy
to see that he was fairly Justified in
his assumption that President Taft de
sired the election of Mr., Lorimer to the
Senate. And now it is in order to hear
from Mr.. Aldrich.