Evening star., 1912-07-12
NOT Up WITH T|MESC CHALLENGE TO KERN
Speaker at E. A. Conven- Lorimer Offers to Quit Senate
ton Talks of Rural Schools. If Wrongdoing Is Proved
MENACE TO THE FARMERS ROOSEVELT FEELS WRATH
Educational Funds Traced Taft Bryan and Newspaper Trust"
to Farm Renting Are Included a Conspirators
CRITICISM OF COLLEGE LIFE MUST STAND"
Rest
Lake Opponents Predict
Meeting Friends ,
Lorimer Offers to Quit Senate
If Wrongdoing Is Proved. |
ROOSEVELT FEELS WRATH
Taft, Bryan and Newspaper Trust"
Are Included as Conspirators.
FIRST VERDICT MUST STAND"
Senate Recesses to Allow Him Rest
Opponents Predict His Defeat.
Friends Silent.

| Calling on Senator Kern of Indiana 70
point to anything in his private business
| or political life where he had been guilty
| OF wrongdoing, Senator Lorimer in the
midst of his speech this afternoon de-
| clared he would walk out OF yonder
door and never enter il again II nern
| made good
Come on now. Senator Kern" he cried,
| and make good.
| Senator Kern was not i'm his seat when
Lorlmer delivered the challenge. His dra-
matte statement came as the result of his
charges that Senator Kern had made
many misstatements about the Lorimer
| case and had tried to mislead the Senate
| Il have been charged BY this senator
from Indiara, on the floor OF the Sem
| ate. with political wrongdoing" he said
Here AMI now l challenge him to point
out to this Senate anything In this rec
ord anything he knows. anything he has
ever heard anything anybody has ever
| told him.
| Il will make 1t broader than that-iet
him point to anything. where | have been
| guilty o. wroncdcins in private. i'm COM
mercial. in financial or in political life,
and X he will do 1t here and now, I'll not
embarrass you by voting on my case.
| When he has done II I will walk out OF
yonder door ard never occupy my scat
| again in this chamber.
Come on. Senator Kern. YOU have
slimed and smeared all over with sus-
picion this record: come on now and
make good
There was craning of necks toward
Senator Kern's seat. but he not
visible in the chamber.
II Specific denial of all charges and init
nations of completely IN fraud i'm his
election were made by Senator Lorimer
today in the first three hours he occu-
pied the floor of the Senate.
His speech. resumed after the recess
from yesterday. combined again bitter
attack upon his enemies. charges of un.
fair treatment and lack OF knowledge on
the part of his critics in the Senate ana
detailed analysis of the confessions and
allegations upon which 1t is sought to
GUST him from the Senate.
At Ito o'clock the Senate gave Mr..
Lorimer rest until 2 O'Clock 1t was
expected that the case would be con-
sion
Well filled galleries and an attentive
audience Of senator's and House members
heard Mr.. Lorimer. Dramatic gestures
again characterized his delivery as he
strode back and forth i'm the center aisle
OF the Senate chamber.
Cites Cortelyou's Testimony.
The attack on Col Roosevelt with
which he opened his speech was based
on testimony given by George B. Cortel-
You yesterday before a Senate committee
regarding the sl,9O0OOO campaign fund
raised for the republican presidential
campaign in 1904. Mr.. Lorimer referred
to Col. Roosevelt as "the custodian OF all
the morals OF the country private and
public"
"Of course" he explained. mot a cent
or that $l,!O0.o00 could have been con-
trlDuted by the predatory wealth Of the
country. Surely all of it was the free gift
or the common people for whom this man
Is the great champion. No malefactor
contributed to that fund-only the common
people of whom he was the guardian.
The letter from President Taft to Col.
Roosevelt expressing the hope that Lori
mer would be ousted. which became pub
lie in the pre-convention campaign was
again taken up by Lorimer. He drew at
tention to President Taft's phrase empha-
sizing the necessity of winning" He
declared his enemies had tried to win
mot by free and fair fight" but by
"sneaking up behind like a thief in tho
night
surrounded by Intrigue"
Was ever mortal man ever more COM
pletely surrounded by conspiracy and in
ttrigue." exclaimed Lorimer. dramatically,
THE President of the United States, VIII
liam Taft: Theodore Roosevelt. the ex-
for the presidency. Williams Jennings
Bryan and the trust press of the country
all were in it-all Joined in the conspiracy
| to poison the minds of the citizenship in
order that one man might be destroyed to
satisfy the malice Of the most corrupt set
| OF newspaper owners known to the his
| tory OF the country
| Mr.. Lorimer claimed that the Helm
| committee Of the Illinois legislature was
a subterfuge to bring about a second in
quiry by the United States Senate. He
contended that the Helm inquiry had not
! been conducted by Illinois legislators. but
by Editor Kohlsaat-the priestly Kohl
| saat-John j. Healey and the Hearst
| newspapers He declared the hearing
had been neither impartial nor thorough.
and asserted 1t was conducted only for
the purpose of bringing the matter into
| the Senate again in order that 1t migns
be tried by new set Of judges.
Explains Failure to Testify.
Mr.. Lorimer explained his failure to
take the stand as a witness In the first
Lorimer investigation by the Senate. by
saying that even the Chicago Tribune
had not counted upon connecting him
with any corrupt practices.
/ You cannot strike out the former YER
| dict OF the Senate" he exclaimed. land
1 believe that have title that has been
declared valid"
| Lorimer charged Senator Kern with at
tempting to make il appear that Charles
| 8. Luke. a dead member of the Illinois
| legislature. had testified in the case
Luke had died. he said. before any OF the
hearings began.
Opponents Predict His Defeat.
| Senator Lorimer appeared to have re-
covered from the weakened condition in
which his vigorous speech yesterday had
| left him, and he continued through
spirited denunciation of his enemies with
| energy. Those opposed to him declared
| his fight a futile one, and that the final
vote would show a substantial majority
| against him.
| His friends, grave and silent for the
most part. made no predictions.
| Senator Lorimer took UP the criticisms
| made by Senator Reed in his speech yes
| terdey on Lorimer's contribution of So
600 to the defense of Lee ONeil Browne.
| charged with bribing White.
Mr.. Lorimer explained this act with
much display of feeling toward Senator
Reed. He intimated that the latter had
phrased his attack in terms calculated to
convey suspicion where the facts did not.
II know that Lee O'Neil Browne never
i paid out one dollar to influence a vote
| for Lorimer. l know that the states at
torney. the Tribune and the govNg0os were