Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1912-05-21
Majority of Committee De.
clares No New Evidence
Has Been Found and For
mer Acquittal Stands.
FUNK'S BRIBE STORY
HELD IMPOSSIBLE
Evidence of Detective Agen.
cy Stenographer is Also
Held Worthless Bribe is
Thought Liquor Money.

whose election was alleged to have
been brought about through corruption,
was placed before the senate today for
final action. Majority and minority
reports were made by the special In.
vestiEating committee, the former up.
holding and the latter condemning the
senator.
The majority reported:
! THAT all the rules Of law, Judicial
procedure and Justice required that
the senate's former Judgment in Sen.
ator Lorimer's favor be held final and
conclusive.
That there was absolutely no new
and substantial evidence discovered
on this reinvestigation, his election be.
',g the logical result of existing poll
tical conditions in Illinois,"
The minority reported:
THAT the evidence supported at the
second investigation was broader and
more far-reaching" than the previous
inquiry brought out.
That it conclusively established that
at least ten Of the votes cast for Lori
mer were corrupt and that his election
therefore was invalid
j The minority report was signed by
ffSenHrors Kern and Lea, democrats
and Kenyon, republican.
The Majority Report.
Why Lorimer should be permitted
to retain his seat In the senate was set
forth today by the majority Of the SEN
ate special Lorimer committee in their
report to the senate. 1t was submitted
by Chairman Dillingham; and had the
approval Of Senators Gamble and
Jones, republicans, and Fletcher and
Johnston, of Alabama, democrats.
The majority took the position that
the senate having once "solemnly and
deliberately passed upon the charges
against Senator Lorimer, he should be
permitted to retain his seat unless
new and convincing evidence had been
produced, establishing corruption in his
election. Absolutely no new and sub
I! stantial evidence" had been produced
at the reinvestigation, the majority
said, and consequently they declared
the rules of justice required the former
judgment OF the senate, upholding Mr.
Lorimer, to stand.
The report dealt at length with the
evidence In an endeavor to show
nothing substantial had been produced
against Senator Lorimer. 1t also re-
viewed the legal authorities to show
that the first investigation Of the sen
ate should be taken as final.
Funk Testimony Rejected.
! The controlling factor In the action
Of the senate in reopening the case, SO
the majority said, was reports that q
fund of 100000 was either raised by
or through the efforts of Edward Hines
the Chicago lumber man to secure the
election Of Senator Lorimer
The majority rejected the version OF
Clarence S. Funk, general manager Of
the International Harvester Co., gave
of conversation he held with Mr..
Hines in the Union League club at
Chicago just after Senator Lorimer's
election. 1t was during this conversa-
tion that Funk claims Hines asked for
a $4,000 contribution to a 100000
Lorimer fund. The majority said that
Mr. Funk's testimony stood uncorrob-
Grated either by other witnesses or
by any circumstances.
Harvester Co., lorimer Enemy.
"In view of the fact that it was
known to Mr.. Hines" said the COM
mittee, that the relations existing be-
tween the officers Of the Internationa
Harvester Co., and Mr.. Lorimer were
those of opponents rather than friends
it is improbable that he would see.
from Mr.. Funk. the representative
that corporation, contribution to aid
in the election Of Mr., Lorimer: and 1t
| Is inconceivable that Mr.. Hines ii
guilty of an Infamous crime would
have unreservedly revealed it under
the circumstances described by Mr..
Funk, and in any case to a person with
whom he had so slight an acquaintance
and at time when the election was so
fresh in the minds of the public. And
particularly when 1t appears that at
no previous time not even at that time
/ did Mr.. Hines know whom Mr.. Funk
preferred for a United States senator"
In discussing Mr.. Funk's testimony
that he had heard reports Of Mr. Hines
activities at Springfield, the majority
declared that "such reports must have
-lhad birth in Mr.. Funk's imagination"
Comment was passed on the fact
that for many months H. H. Kohlsaat,
|editor OF the Chicago Record Herald,
James Keeley, editor of the Chicago