The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-05-20
.LOR|MER IS
INNOCENT BABE
" Sly Report Of Committee Says
here ls no Evidence That He
Was Elected Crook
= edly.
CHARACTER UNAssAMED
After Ono Hundred Days Of Tcstl-
mony Nothing Could be Proven
Against the Illinois
Statesman.

UNITED Press Leased Wire Service. I
WASHINGTON, May 2O.-'Lori- |
mer, the immaculate" may be the
title bestowed on the blonde states
man from Illinois, If the majority re
port of the committee that investigated
him, submitted to the senate today, is
accepted by the senate, and citizens in
general.
Under the head mo corruption In
his election which ends the ninety
one page report, the Eve members that
sign It solemnly aver:
I'VE are convinced that no vote was
secured for him by bribery: that
whatever money White, Beckemeyer,
Link, Holtslaw, or any other person
received was not paid by anyone on
Mr.. Lorimer's behalf to secure such
vote or votes fer him; that neither
Edward Hines. nor anyone else rails
ed or contributed to fund to be used
to secure his election; that his cleo
ton was the logical result of existing
political conditions in the state Of
Illinois, and was free from any cor
rupt practice, and therefore we must
find, and we do find, that William Lori
mer's election was not brought about
Or influenced by corrupt methods and
practices"
mo person guilty. is the heading
of paragraph which reads:
There is absolutely no evidence in
all the testimony submitted intimat-
ing, suggesting, or charging that Will
liam Lorimer was personally guilty of
any corrupt practices In securing his
election, or that he had authorized
any one to employ corrupt practices
! in his election.
Counsel raised the contention that
| all issues relating to the election and
I qualifications Of William Lorimer as
! a senator from Illinois had been final
lly determined by the senate by its
action on March l, 1911,' the report
/ states, "and that such adjudication
and determination was In law and
Justice a bar to any further proceed
1 ings designed to call in question the
legality of Mr.. Lorimer's election and
his right to seat in the senate.
4 Your committee is of the opinion
that all issues we're finally adjudicat
ed by the senate March /, 19I.'
Public hearings occupied actually
1902 working days, according to the
report, one hundred and eighty wit
nesses testified, and the record con
tains SASS printed pages.
!. "The committee desires to call at
tention to the fact the report states
well known to the senate, but ap
parently unknown to large proper
, ton of the people, that the investiga
} ton was not complicated by an.
charge involving Mr.. Lorimer's privat
: character, the discharge of his pub
lie duties, or any other charge upo
which his expulsion from the senat
could be predicated.
> "The only issue involved was to iI
1 vestigate whether the election of Wi
l liam Lorimer was due to corrupt prat
tees"
The committees report devotes ele'
4 en- pages 10 uiSCuSSlou anu eAOnei
+ tion of Edward Hines, and the charge
d that he told Clarence S. Funk that
t "slush fund of 100000 had bee
raised to elect Lorimer. Page afte
S page is occupied in long account {
e the Importance of breaking the dea
T. lock in the Illinois legislature on til
senatorship in order to get vote ft
protective tariff. 1,orimer, the r
r. port proceeds, seemed to be the on
Y man who could break the deadloc
n and Hines, interested in the tariff c
n lumber, the senators say, procured Il
y approval of the president and Sen
/. tors Aldrich and Penrose to Lorimer
y selection.
If The report discards the testimony
VIM Burgess. who claimed c.
wiehe, secretary of the Hines Luz
p Der company, had admitted on ira
N that he contributed to '.slush fund
s, 1t holds that there was no evidence
of legislative jackpot in the legislator
~ Representative Charles White
charges OF corrupt methods in the sc
atorial election were denounced
T. unworthy of belief
ar The report is signed by Charm;
" Dillingham; (rep., New Hampshire
Senators Gamble, (rep., s. Da.). Jon
(rep., wash.), Johnston tdem, Ala
and Fletcher tdem., Florida).
. mi oio t,t, cf