Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-07-15
Lorimer Tale One of
Bossism and Trusts

There is significant coincidence n
the fact that tile expulsion of Lorm
from the senate came on the eve If
the victory for popular election u
United States senators. for which the
Hearst newspapers have battgl
through almost a score of years Win
the people selecting THEW own sena
tors Loyimer cases will be impossibls
1t is the general belief that the Lot
mer scandal, and the use which tas
Hearst newspapers have made Of il la
point to the necessity of popular o'e
lions. were most powerful factors 4
assuring the success of the proposed
constitutional amendment.
All of inordinate ambition, crimiucl
greed. reckless wealth and drunken
power are illustrated in the LoHmor
shame 1t is the perfect embodiment
of bossism.
Betrayal Begins It.
1t began in a betrayal OF the ex-
pressed wishes of the people Illinois
Republicans, at the primary Of 1905
explicitly declared preference for AZ
bert Hopkins to succeed himself in the
senate When the legislature cor
vened the mandate was disregarded
deadlock ensued. and after severe
months of fruitless balloting Lodme'
was suddenly elected to succeed Hos
kins. largely through Democratic vote
The explosion came when forma
Representative Charles T. White Of
the Illinois legislature. confessed that
he had been paid $1,000 to vote fog
Lorimer and gave the names of othe
that had received similar compensa-
ton
Lorimer at first tried TO ignore tpe
issue But at length a demand u
made in the senate for an invesuga-
ton a committee was appointed anil
an exhaustive investigation was made.
But powerful influences were
work Edward Hines. one Of the pc
tent factors of the lumber trust 79'
busy. as did the agents Of bis bushes
The senate committee reported In ~
vor of Lorimer.
By such methods Lormer's down
fall was temporarily STAYED off B'
scant eight votes Lorimer va white
washed.
But the blow was only temporarily
stayed The popular storm increased
in fury The election of 1910 came
along and the Republican party whiea
had made Lorimer's cause its own, Nas
buried beneath an avalanche of ballots
Aldrich was forced to quit; Hale to
lowed, and half a dozen more-all Lot-
inner men-went down to defeat The
Illinois legislature began an invest-
cation of the charges against Lorim
Funk Accuses Hines.
Clarence S Funk. general manas
OF the International Harvester Corr
pany. swore that Edward Hines hal
approached him. and with the remalh
that he had put Lorimer over. thong
it cost 100000" requested Funk
help make up that sum from the funas
Of the Harvester Company.
Edward Tilden. president of the Na-
tional Packing Company-beef trust
who was said to have acted Is tre4s-
urer of the 100000 fund, refused
produce his books before the Illinois
islature, and was upheld in ms
stand by the courts
After a sharp fight the senate
dered another investigation. Hines
peared. but only to make a denla
while Tilden declared that he ne'
kept any memorandum of his eXpena
lures outside OF his business Tha
blocked the effort to get a. the cha
that he had acted as treasurer ~ N
fund
Hines let loose the fact that AID
and Taft both favored Lorimer. ~
Lorimer himself again entered q ger
eral denial There was mass Of e't-
hence tendir~ to corroborate tuna
story. and the other testimony Wh'o
had been introduced at the first hear
ing.
But again the senate committee a3-
cided in favor of Lorimer. This was
the final effort of the machine how
ever. A change has come over afta
i'm the senate 1t had been demo
strated conclusively that this time
whitewashing committee would moi of
upheld Wherefore. Vice Presidea
sherman turning the gavel Of the
ate over to another. rushed madly
Chicago recently to break the news
Lorimer and beg him to resign BH'
Lorimer would not quit and so can
his election 10y the senate.