Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-27
PLOT To BUY
THEN SELL
CONGRESS
B A R { D

WASHINGTON. June 27.-All
Washington is gasping to-day over
the remarkable story told to the Sen
ate Lobby Investigating Committee
by Representative Mitchell Palmer, OF
Pennsylvania. of an attempt to sell
Congress to the money kings of Wall
Street. Senators and Representatives
are trying vigorously to determine the
identity of the man who. according
to the story, had represented himself
as Mr.. Palmer and offered to sell al
legged control over Congress.
Lewis Cass Ledyard, a prominent
New York lawyer, was the man 20
whom the bogus Representative Pal
mer offered the control, and many
telephone conversations were held be-
/ tween the two. The man who claimed
to hold the power refused to meet Mr..
Ledyard Cor a personal interview, but
| said he would send a Representative
| to talk over with Mr.. Ledyard the de-
tails of the sale.
Then. according to the story Attor-
ney Edward Lauterbach appeared and
told Mr. Ledyard that he spoke for
several important gentlemen of the
House who were able to do the things
which the person who had been tele-
phoning to Mr.. Ledyard had said
could be done.
Speaker Clark Named.
When Mr.. Ledyard expressed
doubts, Mr.. Lauterbach. 1t is said,
urged him to come to Washington and
meet the important gentlemen in
question. In this connection, it was
asserted by Representative Palmer on
the witness stand that Mr.. Lauterbach
named Speaker Clark and the House
floor leader and several other noted
Congressman.
Mr.. Lauterbach followed Repre-
sentative Palmer on the witness
stand. He denied that he had been
connected with the alleged attempt
to sell control over Congress to the
money interests, or that he had tried
to secure employment with New York
interests through his supposed power
at the National Capital. Mr.. Lauter
bach testified that he had never met
Representative Palmer, but admitted
holding a conference with Ledyard.
He said he had taken up the political
situation with Mr. Ledyard, and that
he had told Mr.. Ledyard he thought
he could be of service in certain mat
ters pending in the Capital.
He was actuated in Offering his
services, he declared, by the sole
fact that he wished again to repre-
sent Morgan & Co. and restore the
entente cordiale" he had enjoyed
with Morgan & Co. prior to his as
ISOLATION with David Lamar, whom
he described as a Wall Street opera
tor of bear tendencies.
Morgan Interests Mentioned.
Mr.. Lauterbach told of his eonnec-
ton with Morgan & Co, and declared
that he had been told by the bank
ing house, after Mr. Lamar had got
into disfavor with Mr. Morgan, that
his relations with Mr. Lamar must
cease or his connections with the
house of Morgan would suffer.
AS a result Of Mr.. Lauterbach's
testimony of his Morgan affiliations,
the committee plans to call Mr.. La
mar. George F. Baker, of the First
National Bank Of New York; Paul
D. Cravath, Francis Lynn Stetson,
all New York attorneys. Mr.. Led
yard probably will be called to give
his testimony about the telephone
conversation and his conference with
Mr. Lauterbach,
Mr.. Lauterbach and Representative
Daniel J Riordan, of New York, de-
MED charges made by Judge Rober
Scott Lovett, Of the Union Pacific
Railroad Company, that efforts had
been made. by the use of Mr.. Rior-
dams name, to get Lauterbach APP
pointed as attorney for the railroad
In the Union Pacific Southern Pa