Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1912-07-12
HE SPOKE Three HOURS
WORN OUT BN liIs ENERTIONS
IIE WILL CONCLUDE his
SPEECH TODAY.
Was A bitter ATTACK
His Newspaper Enemies, Roosevelt,
Taft and others Were Bitterly
Arraigncd by the Senator

WASHINGTON, July Flor tho
second time in eighteen months VIII
liam Lorimer took the floor In the
senate today to defend his title TO a
seat in that body as the junior senator
from Illinois For three hours he
weighed against his newspaper ano
political enemies; dissected influences
that had been eNerted against him and
dealt with the attitude of President
Taft and Colonel Roosevelt toward
him and his ssociates In Illinois poll
tics. The senate did not force him to
conclusion Of his speech His em-
phatic delivery of the denunciatlon or
J Is opponents weakened him physically
and at-3:30 o'clock in the afternoon
the senate recessed until 10 o'clock to-
morrow morning, when Mr.. Lorimer
will resume. II is said he will con-
clude his defensive speech in few
hours tomorrow and before the end
OF the session the senate will take It's
final vote upon Senator Luke Lea
resolution OF expulsion.
Chamber Was crowded.
Before Mr.. Lorimer had spoken an
hour the galleries, which We're hair
empty when he began, had filled TO
overflow; the senate floor was well
filled with members giving close at
tention to him, and around the walls
OF the senate stood scores of members
of the house. From a position at the
rear OF the chamber In the middle
aisle he delivered his speech with
dramatic gesture and In voice that
frequently rose to flights of passion
that carried far through the capitol
corridors.
Contrasted to the picturesque appeal
of February. 1911, when Senator Lor-
inner gave in detail the circumstances
which he claimed had influenced the
votes of SO democrats for him In the
Illinois legislature, his speech today
was an attack, rather than defense.
He scarcely touched upon the
charges of bribery in the Illinois leg
islature when he held the floor.
Attacks the Newspapers.
Chicago newspaper owners and pub
fishers, Governor Deneen, States At
torney Wyman and others who have
been active in the prosecution of the
Lorimer case in Illinois were the chief
objects of his shafts, and he sought
to show that back of the prosecution
was conspiracy of newspaper and
corporate forces to punish him be-
cause he could not be controlled"
At the close of the afternoon he
furnished a sensation by introducing
affidavits made by delegates to the
recent republican convention at Chi
cago to the effect that they had been
offered money to vote In support OF
the Roosevelt forces in the convention.
The names attached to the affidaVits
INCLUDED j. M. Shumphirt, Buckley
Dwight Sherrod, A. r. Butts and Will
liam Jones of Georgia and other south
ern delegates.
These affidavits came after Mr..
Lorimer had dwelt in detail with the
letter of President Taft to Colonel
Roosevelt, made public with the Inter
national Harvester company cores
pondence during the preconvention
campaign. In this letter President
Taft had stated his desire to see Mr..
Lorimer ousted from the senate.
Teddy Gets His Also.
Senator Lorimer declared he did
not seek to prove anything in his case
by the affidavits. but that he wanted
to show the high process running
rampant through the country" Colo
mel Roosevelt's friends, he declared
would have secured his nomination II
possible by the corrupt use of money
while Colonel Roosevelt himself was
declaring he would destroy every po-
litical corsuptionist."
AS to his support of President Taft,
Mr.. Lorimer said he had supported
the principles of constitution govern
ment for which the president stood.
He declared the president would not
have received as many votes in I'LL
nois as he did in North Dakota In the
primary campaign IF the men with
whom / am associated in politics" had
not voted for him.
Senator Lorimer today began his
speech, defending his right to his seat
He followed Senator Reed, of Mis-
souri, who had made a bitter attack
upon him and his election by the IL
linois legislature.
"It is true that the senate has the
right to deny me a seat In this body"
he began, ION the fllmsiest pretext,
or on no pretNtt at ALL I intend to
show that no vote cast for me was
influenced by fraud.
"Mr. president" he said in meas
ured tones, this is no Joke. This is
solemn and serious question. If the
senate decides to follow the views of
the minority of this investigating COM
mittee, Il will be a travesty on civil !
ized Jurisprudence q mockery on JUS !
tice. 1t will be q declaration that the |
senate has decided to follow the red
flag; that II has become the advocate |
Of anarchy; has adopted the doctrine