Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 July 1911 — EDWARD HINES ON THE STAND [ARTICLE]

EDWARD HINES ON THE STAND

Chicago Man Tells of His Efforts to Elect Lorimer. PRESIDENT’S NAME BROUGHT IN Governor Deneen Is Also Mentioned— Lumberman Denies Saying He Had “All Money Necessary" to Put His Man Over. Washington, June 30. The senate committee which is investigating charges* or corruption in Senator Ixirimer’s election was told by Edward Hines of Chicago, president of the Edward Hines Lumber companj, that President Taft, through Nelson W. Aldrich, former senator from Rhode Island, bad favored Mr. Lorimer's candidacy and had practically forced the election upon Lorimer. At first, Mr. Hines testified. President Taft and Senator Aldrich were merely in favor of breaking the senatorial deadlock in th f e Illinois legislature for five months from January to May, 1909, by the election of a Republican senator. Later, he added, the president and Senator Aldrich must have obtained information that Lorimer was the only candidate upon whom the opposition could unite and" then they backed Senator Lorimer’s candidacy. In icply to a question, Mr Hines admitted that he had never seen President " aft personally, but that all his information in regard to the president’s attitude had come from Senator Aldrich, who went to the White House late one night in May, 1909, shortly before the senatorial election, to discuss the Illinois situation with Mr. Taft. The president himself has denied emphatically that he ever favored the election of Lorimer He has sail that efforts were made to draw him into the Illinois fight, but he had not gone further than to express tne desire that a Republican be chosen Senator Aldrich promised to go on the stand and answer Hines." It is charged that the unauthorized use of the president’s name was a political trick of the Lorimer forces to ensure Lorimer’s election. “Senator Aldrich,’’ said Mr. Hines, “told me that the president was anxious to have the deadlock in the Illinois legislature settled and a Re publican elected. Senator Aldrich asTTTr! me to telephone Mr. Lorimer, who was at Springfield and use my influence to persuade him to become a candidate for senator I did so." Mr. Hines said he went to Chicago and from a bank there called up Mr. Lorimer at Springfield again. At this conversation Mr. Lorimer asked him to call up Governor Deneen and explain to him President Taft’s attitude. About this time, Mr. Hines testified, he received a Telegram froFi his office that Wirt H. Cook of Duluth, and William O’Brien of St. Paul, wished to see him at the Grand Pacific hotel. Mr 1 lines instructed the telephone girl at his office to call Mr. Lorimer on a long distance at Springfield. Hines went to the Grand Pacific and talked with Mr. Lorimer from Cook's room. Hines said he told Lorimer that he had just had a phone conversation with Governor Deneen and that the governor had promised to assist him. Mr. Hines told Lorimer he would come to Springfield if necessary to aid his candidacy. This is the telephone conversation in which, according to Mr. Cook’s recent testimony, Hines said-ths t he would go to Springfield with all the morey required, to elect Lorimer. Hines denied Cook’s version of the teiepncne conversation.