Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-07-26
KNOCKOUT BY MAIL | DETAILED BY LEWIS FINISHING BLOW BY GOVEKN- | NEWT CAME AFTER CORTEL.
 YOU RELENTED.
DECLARES 1T REVENGE
Tells Investigators He Believes Ofii- ciaIs Thought He Inspired
 Newspaper Story.


 George B. Cortelyou relented in his position towards the Lewis Publish ing Company and how, nevertheless, a finishing blow was dealt Lewis by the Government, formed a story told by E. G. Lewis with wealth of de- tail before the Ashbrook Investigat- ing Committee of the House today.
 This part of Lewis experience hith- erto had not become of public record and hence seemed of intense interest to the investigating Congressmen. It has to do with events of September 1907, when, after his publications had been excluded from the mails in March of that year, Lewis believed his magazines would be restored to the unhampered use of the second-clasa mail rights.
 During the summer publication had been suspended and his business came to standstill.
 "In the latter part of September, 19O7," said Lewis, in substance, '1 went to New York. l happened to cross over from the Belmont Hotel to the Manhattan one night. 1 went in and saw MT. Cortelyou seated at a table with several other gentlemen" !"
 COrtely0u Expresses Regret.
 Upon leaving the postmaster gen. eralship, March {. 1907, the date when he issued the disbarment order against Lewis, Cortelyou became sec retary of the Treasury, and held this position in September of that year, when the panic was coming on.
 q suppose Cortelyou was in New York in connection with some phase of tn epanic. cortelyou nodded to me and I nodded to him. A little while after Cortelyou left the gentle men he was with and came over to me. He expressed his regret at all that had happened between the Post Office Department and myself. He then said that if I would go down to Washington everything would be strengthened out.
 '.I told him if there was a chance of strengthening things out and re- storing me my business, that chance depended on quick action. This was because October is a month when ad- vertising contracts are made. I felt that if l could get out my October is- sue I might be able to hold my ad- vertisers, and, in short, get good start at re-establishing the business.
 Well l went down to Washington immediately saw the then Third Assistant Postmaster General, MT. Lawshe. This gentleman was very cordial and said he was not responsi- ble for the past and did not want that responsibility carried over onto his shoulders. He assured me all feel ing had gone out of the matter.
 Lawshe Helped Him, He Says.
 Il prepared my application for re- entry to the second-class mail priv ilege by and with his careful advice He positively assured me that would be granted the publishers mail rate again. Upon that assurance l telegraphed orders to St. Louis for getting out the October issue and started for home.
 When I got to Cincinnati I picked up the morning papers and found long account on the first page to the effect Lewis wins out against the Government and so on. I call at tention to this, for l believe it is the sole explanation of what happened af- terwards-that the Government peo- pie thought 1 had inspired such a story and in revenge used their pow CT against me again.
 Arriving in St. Louis, l filed the application for re-entry and fully supposed it would be recognized. h. stead, another company of Post-Of- flee Inspectors descended upon my plant Their Investigations lasted sev- eral weeks. My October issue did not go out and was sold for waste paper. Nor did the November or December issuse go out.
 Late in December decision was issued reopening the mails to me and my January number was the first to circulate. Then it was too late.
 Competitors Get Business,
 Competitors had gotten my busi- ness. Advertisers had dropped away from me. Among the public the idea existed that the hand of the govern ment was raised against me. When an old subscriber was approached he would say: .Oh. that's the paper put out of business by a fraud order It