The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-07-03

was reported to him upon very good
authority. / said: You cannot be too
sure Of those things He said: I
would not be likely to have erroneous
from the Speaker himself.
said: Did the Speaker inform you
that that was Mr.. Morgan's attitude?
He said: He did He said: I'm
greatly concerned at the doubt you
throw upon this. want to say to you
now that the situation which has re-
suited from the attacks upon the Nor
gan interests has come from the clear
Nv entertained belief of those in con-
troll of the Democratic party In this
attitude of defiance toward the gov
eminent. He said he was very anx-
iuos that the party should adopt a sane
and wise policy, but that 1t was hope
less to think that such policy could
be adopted without cooperation Of the
interests affected. He then said that
1 would hear from him again.
Called Up Again.
ION February Mr.. p. again called me
on the phone and said: DO you repre-
sent Mr.. Morgan? l said: 4 do not.
except that he is very intimate friend
of mine He said: Through him or
otherwise are you not in touch and In
confidential relations with the controlling
interests in the Steel Corporation Then
he said he wanted to inform me that
he had been very much disturbed about
what I had said about his being mis-
taken in relation to the defiant attitude
of Mr.. Morgan and others: that the
Speaker himself had been very much
surprised and disturbed at Ps. re-
ports: that I had thrown a doubt on
the accuracy of their information, and
that he was now prepared to state to
ha
Speaker had been made.
He said that Edward Lauterbach was
the man who had reported these matters
to the Speaker and that he now wished
me 10 put myself In communication with
Mr.. Lauterbach. / said to him: DO
you not know who was supposed to be
behind Lauterbach and the private inter-
ests that he was supposed to represent?
1 said: SMr. Lauterbach himself does
not enjoy u reputation for trustworthi-
ness in this community 1 said: I am
quite sure that these gentlemen never
dreamed that he represented anybody but
himself, and the selfish and Interior pur-
poses of his clients He said: You
mean a man whose initials are ID. L.?
and / said yes.
fold to See Lnuterback.
At a subsequent conversation Ledyard
asked the pseudo Palmer II he expected
him to see any member of the firm of j.
p. Morgan. NO" he said. Il would
rather you would see Lauterbach first
and make him tell you his complete
story" The following day Ledyard tele-
phoned Lauterbach to come to his office.
He came right over to my office. l
plunged right in with the first question,
and he did not seem to need any explana-
ton or to indicate lack of knowledge
of my previous conversations with
Palmer / told him / wished him TO
tell me the whole story OF any part he
had had in any approaches to j. p. Nor
gan or any of the firm in relation to the
steel investigation. Substantially. the
story was as follows:
He had had relations in a number of
matters with David Lamar, whom he de-
scribed as a man of genius. who would
be a wonderful man II he only had
brake. I asked him II he meant that he
would be wonderful man If he were
straight He said that was what he
meant. I said: You understand that the
practices he Is said to engage in are
those to which the law attaches a certain
opprobrious name He said: Yes, 1 I'M
derstand that / said: You mean black
mail, do you not? He said: Yes. do
He then reviewed his relations with
Lamar.
THE first thing he knew about the
Steel company investigation was when
Lamar showed him a resolution which he
had prepared to be introduced in the
House providing for an investigation. He
said that Lamar had insisted on having
the thing introduced and that he U-au-
terbach had gone at once to see Mr..
Morgan, who had referred him to Mr..
Steele. He said Mr.. Steele turned to cold
steel and refused to discuss the matter
with him. Mr.. Dawson took the same
attitude. He stated that his real object
in going was his regard for Mr.. Morgan
and not as the representative of Lamar"
Following a trip to Washington in
which he looked the situation over,
gan people, it was stated. but he found
that they still turned a deaf ear to
him.
He stated said Mr.. Ledyard. that
he never saw Speaker Clark on this sub
ject; that he never represented to Mr..
Steele or any one in the Morgan firm
that he came with any authority from
Speaker Clark or from any leader. or
from any member of the Democratic
party. and he did not at any time after
these interviews directly or indirectly,
communicate to any person the fact of
his application to the Morgan partnerf
or any OF them
In another and later interview with
Ledyard. Lauterbach, it was stated, de-
clared that he did represent Speaker
Clark, through Senator Stone.
Ashed to Speak Frankly.
II said Mr.. Lauterbach. information
about this matter has come to me in
such form that 1t seems to me to be
very serious for you. and beg that you
will be quite frank with me- He said
L will tell you the truth, the whole
truth He denied that he had any in
formation as to any previous interviews
had had or that he might expect to
have an interview with me. He again
denied that he had ever assumed to have
the authority OF Congressional leaders to
go to see the Morgan people, and that
he afterward reported to them of Nor
gan's defiant attitude"
All of this ii will be seen is in direct
to the statement made by
Lamar impersonating Palmer in his con-
with Ledyard.
Il then asked him IL he had ever
heard of any person having telephoned
Mr.. Steele about the steel investigation
with a suggestion of stopping ii. He
hesitated quite a while and then said he
had. Lauterbach identified this man AZ
Riordan. He said Riordan had discussed
these matters with Cram in his pres
ence.
Palmer at Stroudsburgs and detailed his /,
previous conversations with Lamar |
("Palmer.'D The next day Lamar again |
called up as Palmer" ]. p. Morgan. jr.. !
II. P. Davidson. and another member of |
the firm were present Davidson WAS MT