The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-26
LOVETT TELLS OF AN
EFFORT TO PREVENT
AGITATION AGAINST
DISSOLUTION PLAN
CONTINUED from Page One)

said Judge Lovett, ito try to force us to
employ some one we did not want to en-
ploy and that the conspirators after try
ing various methods were about to so
into the newspapers and create opposition
in Congress to the plan for dissolution
that was about to be carried out
Judge Lovett was asked who he be-
lieved the conspirators were. He named
Mr.. Lauterbach and the man who repre-
sented himself to be Congressman Rior-
dan. II believe, and my associates on
the executive committee believe, that
there was another individual in New
York who was the most active agent in
| K, but / did not come in contact with
| him nor did any other of the executive
committee
| Mr.. Lovett did not give this man S
name and the committee did not ask for
| it. Judge Lovett told the committee that
| he made public his charges against al
| legged lobbyists because he was convinced
| that "these conspirators'' were securing
| the publication of inspired statements
| designed to show that the Hartman roads
were seeking to bring about an improper
control through certain banking interests
| of not only the Pacifics, but the Penn
| sylvania and Baltimore and OHIO sys-
| TENS
| After mentioning Representative Rior-
dams name. Mr.. Lovett said:
II mentioning this congressman
name | want to make this statement.
had never met the gentleman; did not
know his voice. do not know whether
| he was a congressman or not but he
represented himself as Congressman Rior-
dan of New York I was told on the
telephone that Congressman Riordan
wanted to speak to me. He men
toned the name of Edward Lauterbach,
one of the members of the New YORK
bar, and 1 terminated the conversation
rather shortly, told him that we had all
the counsel we needed and was rather
abrupt, 1 think, in closing the interview.
That is the last communication that l
had with Congressman Riordan. If it was
Congressman Riordan.'
Prepared to Obstruct Plan
Otto H. Kahn, partner in Kuhn, Loeb
&, Co., came to him later, Mr.. Lovett
said. and told him that Mr.. Lauterbach
had. called on him, assured him that
the radical element in Congress was
prepared to obstruct the dissolution, in
vestigate the Chicago and Alton rehnanc-
ing of several years ago and take up
several other matters. Mr.. Lauterbach
proposed employment according to MT.
Kahns statement, but was refused.
Maxwell Evarts. general counsel for the
Judge Lovett, of telephone application
also purporting to come from Congress-
man Riordan for the employment of Lau-
terbach. The witness added that Paul ~.
Cravath of New York, one OF the al
torneys for Kuhn, Loeb & Co., also was
mysteriously called by telephone by
man who wanted to talk with him ABOUT
employing counsel who would be very
helpful at Washington" Cravath nad
another call of the same character, said
Judge Lovett and in that case he him-
self believed the name of Mr.. Lauter-
bach had been mentioned.
Judge Lovett said the first publication
which convinced him that efforts were
being made to misrepresent the Hartman
roads in the dissolution case was IN a
financial news sheet of high standing IN
New York. He said the character of the
article convinced that a systematic ef-
fort was being made to inspire articles