Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-07
TRUST
QUIZ BOAST
A BLUFF
Lauterbach Admits to Lobby Com
mittee He Claimed He Could
Block Inquiry,

WASHINGTON. July Edward
Lauterbach. New York lawyer, to-
day confessed TO the Overman lobby
investigating committee he had told
Lewis Cass Ledyard he was able to
prevent or to head off the Congress
sional investigation of the Steel Trust.
Severely grilled, Lauterbach was
forced to admit that, when he had
told Ledyard Of coming to Washing
ton ito look over the situation" he
actually had seen no member Of the
House or Senate, nor any other Of
fetal. He had learned that Presi-
dent Taft was opposed to the investi-
cation from Henry B Martin, the
much talked about secretary of the
Anti Trust League"
Calls Claim Exaseeration.
Then your statement to Ledyard
that you had ben to Washington and
learned things that prompted you to
say the investigation could be stop
ped was a falsehood?" demanded Sen
ator Reed
1T was an exaggeration," replied
LauterbaCh.
Lauterbacu, when cornered as to
the source of his information about
inside matters" in Washington, each
time was forced TO admit that David
Lamar and Martin were his sole au-
thority for his statements that Presi-
dent Taft did not want the investiga-
ton to proceed or that other high
officials were opposed to the investi-
cation.
Denies Posing as Power.
The witness declared that in his
conversation with Ledyard February
6, 1912, he did not represent himself
either to have seen or to have been
In the confidence Of any member Of
the Democratic party.
Lauterbach declared he never had
known Lamar in seven years pur-
posely to do a wrong thing. He be-
came acquainted with Lamar in 1896
when litigation regarding the Man
haitian and marlborough railway
lines in New York was pending, at
which time Lamar represented the
interests of Russell Sage and H. H.
Rogers He detailed several tmpor-
tant lawsuits in which he was en-
gagged as the result of his introduce
ton to Rogers by Lamar.
Confirms Ledyard's Story.
LauterbaCh also denied he called
Lamar a blackma!ler during his talk
with Ledyard last year. Ledyard had
testified before the committee that
Lauterbach said he did not represent
himself at that meeting as a repre-
sentative of any member Of the Dem
ocratic party. Lauterbach asserted
this was correct and that his remark
covered all subjects.
The witness asserted he had never
discussed with Lamar the alleged for
gerry of $S2. 900 00O in the books Of the
Union Pacific He repeatedly assert
ed he knew nothing of Lamar's i'm
persona lions of congressman until ne
heard his testimony before the over
man committee.
Lauterbach explained he engineer
ed the purchase of a majority of the
stock of the Tennessee Coal and Iron
Company by J. p. Morgan during the
panic of 1907, and that this panic
was engineered by the men who were
seeking to buy the Tennessee Coal
and Iron Company and that they
bought it much cheaper as a result
of the financial cataClysm they pre-
cipitated"
Explains Wall Street pull"
Lauterbach explained that it was
on account of his knowledge of the
Tennessee Coal and Iron deal that he
felt that he could influence Wall
Street with regard to the steel inves-
tigation.
Lauterbach knew of the steel in
vestigation resolution before it was
introduced in the House Lamar
showed it to him Lauterbach pro-
tested and went at once to tell Nor
gan about IT,
Z