The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-13
Congressman Wants RaineI to Prove His Panama Ca-
 nal Charges
RAINEY SAYS HE WILL
 ANSWER IN GOOD TIME
Lowering Declares That the New York World Gets It's Information on the Panama Canal Matters From
 Convicts and BIackmaiIers.

i Washington. February 12.-That Repre- sentative Rainey of Illinois got from the New York World his Information re- garding the Panama canal affairs, which formed the subject of his recent speech, and that ex-convicts instigated the stories of fraud and corruption pertaining to the requirement of title by the United States to the property. was the charge made today in the House of Representa- i tives by Mir. Lowering of Massachusetts. Maybe" he said, "rhe World did not originate all the seandalous stories it published. but it's columns were public. and we do know that the World did give credence and circulation to them."
 MT. Lowering declared that '.the perpe- traitors of these false statements are known, and the story of their doings reveals a chapter in the history of black mailing that is rare in the annals of crime. These gentlemen" he said. "are known their names are known, their aliases are known, their haunts are known and their plans are known"
 Does the gentleman object to stating who they are?" inquired MT. Burleson of Texas.
 Hainey Is Absent.
 MT Lowering protested that he was laborng under great difficulty because of the absence of MT. Rainey from the chamber. He admitted that he did not notify the Illinois member that he was to speak on this subject. "I want to say" said he. that these men have been run down and brought to book, and it turns out that many of them are ex- convicts and they stand good chance of returning to the penitentiary,"
 He was pressed by MT. Shackelford of
 Missouri for Information as to who these
 convcts were, but MT. Lowering would
 go no further than to state that before long they would be produced in court.
 Their names. he said. had been brought
 before the grand juries. both at Washing
 ton and New York. and at the proper time
 would be known to the general public
 How do you happen to be familiar with
 the secrets of the grand juries?' Mr. Shackelford asked, but before he could | answer MT. Gaines of Tennessee inquired 1 if he was not a warm personal friend of 1 William Nelson Cromwell. MT. Lowering 1 admitted that he was.
 MT. Lowering said, referring to MT. Rainey
 This gentleman has been made vic | fair names those of Charles P. Taft, Douglas Robinson. William Nelson Crom- well, Roger Farnham and others" It 1 was, he said, "a shameless prostitution | of the privilege of free speech which members enjoyed on the floor of the House
 Lowering Called to Order. l For this utterance MT. Lowering was promptly called to order by MT. Law i renee of Massachusetts, his colleague, who was in the chair, and admonished i that he should observe the rules in re- gard to the use of personalities MT. Lowering protested that he had men, tioned names except that of MT i Rainey and those which had been spoken 1 of in the House and in the public press. Upon the suggestion of MT Gaines of 1 Tennessee that MT. Rainey had been sent | for and that the speech should proceed 1 no further until he had arrived. MT l Lowering yielded the floor temporarily , After waiting a reasonable time and MT. | Rainey not having returned to the chamber, MT. Lowering resumed his re- marks. He had not proceeded far when 1 he was told that the Illinois member, who was scheduled for a Lincoln speech in Baltimore, had been overtaken at the railroad station and was on his way to the House.
 MT. Lowering again suspended his re- marks.
 Rainey Returns.
 In a short time MT. Rainey entered the chamber and stated that his Baltimore engagement would prevent his remaining throughout MT. Lovering's remarks, but that he later would make answer, should he find it necessary. Continuing, MT. Lov- ering declared that the evidence was com plete enough ito convict the blackmailers who have tried to work their game, not only on the gentlemen that l have named but on both political parties" Last fall, he said, an effort was made to sell the stories to the democratic cam paign committee, and that certain leaders of that party took the matter under con sideraton but they were not used be- cause they could not be substantiated. He charged that for nearly two years prior to that time these same men had been pursuing Cromwell with the expectation that he would pay them large sum of money, varying from $5000 to s25, 900. They though he would pay to have these stories suppressed.
 MT. Lowering declared that those per sons were always met by MT. Cromwell with an indignant refusal, "and the reply that they might do what they pleased with their stories, for they were nothing but lies.' These same people, he said, finding Mir. Cromwell was deeply inter ested in MT. Tafts campaign, thought he would submit to pay something rather than have any publicity at that moment. | They said to him, MT. Lowering asserted: Even though there be no truth in this story, buy and bury it' It at this time, he said when they had failed in all their demands upon Mir. Cromwell that they took their nefarious wares to Mir. Mack chairman of the democratic na- tional committee and offered them for sale for campaign purposes.
 While they were not accepted, he said. members of the democratic party entered into agreement with MT. Rainey, Ito ex- pot the Abject on the floor of the House This he has attempted to do by introduce ing a resolution of inquiry"
 No Steps Taken.
 He charged however, that Mir. Rainey "singularly enough" had taken no steps