The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-09
S ENATOR WILL
BE EXONERA1ED
Stephenson, OF Wisconsin, Not
Guilty OF Buying His
Seat.
REPORT NEARLY READY
Investigating Committee Has
Found No Corruption
in Election.
REPORT NEARLY RI
READY

Washington, January s.--lsanc Ste-
pncnson, OF Wisconsin. the oldest
member Of the Senate, will be exon
Grated of the charS" OF corruption in
connection with his election to the
senate in the report of the senate
committee which visited Wisconsin
and made investigation. y report III
the case will be flied within two weeks.
The subcommittee that conducted
the investigation Will meet Thursday
Senator Hepburn. OF idaho. the chair
man. has already written Il report
which will be laid before mis- commit
tee colleagues at the meeting. Its
main features were generally COLI
CURED in before Chairman Hepburn
set about the task oil preparing it.
There may be - minority report by
senator Pomerenc. of Ohio CDemocrup,
but this will not be known until after
he has been permitted to read Sena
tor Heyburn's report; but even Ii a
minority reported is submitted II will
hardly contend that any specific
Charge OF corruption has been proved
Senator Paynter. the other Democrat
on the committee. will probably con-
cur IN the majority report.
The report Will not hold tho aged
Senator's campaign methods up Us AMI
spent slightly more than 100000 tol
gain popular nomination for n seat in
the Senate Will be disapprovcd as TEND
ing to corruption. But the committee
has been compelled TO find, on the evil
dence brought out, that none OF the
money was used TO corrupt any Of tho
currents of Wisconsin politics. The
expenditures were accounted for by
the men who mudo them In Mr. Stcph-
500 tt,fH no T.~,.
Autographs. newspaper advertising,
travelling expenses OF political agents,
rent and expenses for political head
quarters.
The members OF tbs Senate commit
tee decided that II Is an cNpensivcI
thing to finance a Statewide caupa Ign.
That Senator Stephenson. who is said
to be worth at least S?0.o00.ooO, spcut
more of 1t thnn was strictly necessary.
IS the Judgment of the committee
The worst that has been proved
against Senator Stephenson is that he
was an easy mark" said n member oil
the committee. lie realized that his
political cnemicS-the La Toilette mon
were numerous and active and Mr..
stephenson spared no expense for ad-
Nertising or organizing when his man
ayers told him that II was necessary"
The Senator's political enemies, who
made the specific charges of corrup-
ton that made the Senate invcstiga.
ton necessary. failed, it is said. to
prove their charges, anu they will
probably como In for condemnation
from the Senate investigators. Even
senator Pomcrenc, Democratic mem.
Der. showed disappointment ut the
weakness of ths case presented against
Senator Stephenson he is said to have
expressed disgust that the politicians
who were so ready to mako the charges
were so slow In producing proof to sus-
tain them.
II has been reported that the senate
committee would call attention in It's
report to the possibilities for the lavish
use OF money in senatorial Statc-wid.
primaries as shown by the Stephenson
paflson might be drawn between tho
Lorimer case and the Stephenson case
I" show that the eNtr3vagant use OF
money Is possible under the popular.
election OF Senators as well as In Il
case where the Legislature elects. Sem
ator Lorimcrs managers are accused
Of spending 100000 to elect him
, Senator Stephenson by his own sworn
statement of expenditures made in
conformity to law spent more than
100000 TO obtain a majority of the
Republican votes for United States
senator cast at the Wisconsin State
primary. bat the Senate committee will
not seek to draw any parallels or
comment on the possibilities Of cor
rupting popular election This fca-
ture may he discussed in the Senate
debate on the Stephenson report, but