New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-05-18
ROOT CALLS A HALT
Continued from first page.

regarded as offensive and which was
withdrawn with an apology. MIs Bran
deis asked a question which imputed 10
Mr.. Lawler a purpose to eVade the can
OF the committee for the memorandum
i prepared for the President and misrepre-
senting the facts.
That statement is an absolute laise-
! hood" declared Mr.. Lawler, with We
hemence. half rising in his chair anu
/ facing Mr.. Brandeis.
! Mr.. Brandeis, rapidly retreating 10
place behind the stenographers, repeater
the question in another form, and again
Mr.. Lawler, now thoroughly angry, oe-
! elared that ii was IAN absolute raise
hood" Mr.. Brandeis, in considerable eX-
element, asked Senator Nelson to exer-
else his authority over the witness. MT.
! LAWYER, with wave of his hand toward
his inauisitor, said he intended to pro-
tect himself against the insults Of TINS
.or> any other man.
Representative DENLY suggested that
| the remarks of Mr.. Lawler amounted TO
contempt of the committee. Senator
| Fletcher and Representatives Madison
James and Graham expressed the same
view.
At this point Senator Flint, who Is
fellow townsman OF Mr.. LAWYER, started
/ what was thought might prove an acri-
monious discussion with Representative
/ Madison. Fortunately this was pre-
vented when Mr.. Lawler said he meant
! no disrespect to the committee, and that
if his remarks were regarded as often-
sive to the committee he would With
draw them and apologize.
Pinchot Supporters Hiss.
Earlier in his testimony Mr.. LAWYER
made a remark which brought Kisses
from the partisans of MIR. Pinchot in the
audience. He told the committee that IN
! preparing the memorandum for the Pres-
ident he felt that he had been charged
with a task of great responsibility ana
he was very solicitous to preserve the
confidential character Of his work. He
said that for several months gum shoe
men" had been on his trail. He referred
to the alleged sleuths as 'despicable
scoundrels," and when asked to name the
| men, said they included Hapgood and
Connolly, of Golfers" and Mr.. Bran
deis, who was subsequent development.
He said he had directed the burning of
the first drafts of his memorandum and
had adopted his course ito prevent any
confidential employee from being corrupt
ed as Kerby was
| Asked by Representative James what
men he had in mind as corrupting kerby,
, Mr.. LAWYER replied that he meant Car
| field Pinchot and Brandeis. This was
/ followed by Kisses from the Pinchot sup
porters. and Mr.. Lawler remarked that
only geese and snakes make q noise like
that
Mr. LAWYER fatty contradicted several
statements made by Mr.. kerby. He said
that Kerby's charge that he had con-
suited with Secretary Ballinger, Assist
ant Secretary Pierce, Commissioner Den
nett Mr. F'inney and Mr. Schwartz re-
garding the preparation of his memoran-
dunn for the President was IAN absolute
Pand uneauivocal falsehood." He had pre-
pared it without consulting any man
under heaven" he asserted emphatically.
Mr. Lawler detailed the circumstances
of the finding of the memorandum in the
office of the Attorney General, and said
it had not been forced out by the publi-
cation of the Kerby- statement Several
hours before either he or the Attorney
General knew of the Kerby statement
Mr.. Wickersham had dictated and signed
in his presence the letter transmitting
the memorandum to the committee. Its
transmission was in no manner inspired
by any knowledge of treason on the part
of Kerby,," said Mr.. Lawler.
SCUM Shoe" Men on His Trail.
Mr.. LAWYER said he had been asked by
the President to prepare an opinion, and
he regarded it as a confidential trust.
He said he had furnished to the commit
!, tee all the information he had felt at
liberty to divulge and did not think he
had any right to inform the committee
that such memorandum existed.
Immediately after his return 10 Wash
ington from Beverly last September, Mr..
Lawler said he had begun preparation
of his memorandum. The original draft,
he said. was completed without consult
! ing anybody.
When the draft had been typewriter
by Kerby and Massey, he added, he had
called in Secretary Ballinger and others
one night to hear it read.
! II wanted to be absolutely correct in
every statement" explained Mr.. LAWYER.
He said no one made any suggestion ex-
cept for the purpose of verification. Mr..
Lawler said he had burned the original
draft of the memorandum.
81 was confident" he said, that gum
shoe men had been on my trail for
months, and 1 knew there were no
depths of degradation to which they
would not stoop. l was afraid some one
in the office might be corrupted, as
Kerby had been corrupted
Asked who he thought were behind the
"gumshoe men," Mr.. LAWYER declared
dramatically:
James r. Garfield Clifford Pinchot,
Norman Hapgood, man named Con-
molly and that man there"
you mean Mr.. Brandes?"