The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-07-02
HOT AFTER LOBBYISTS.
PALMER TELLS
OF MORE CROOKED WORK.
New York Financiers Approached by
Men Who Claimed To Have Pull
with congressman One Man Rep
resented Himself to BE Mr.. Palmer.

WuSHinbtoil, June IO.-Ine STORY
of an effort to sell a gold brick to
Wall street and how it was foiled was
told in part the senate lobby" in
vestigating committee tonight at one
of the most sensation producing ses-
sions it has held in it's stormy career.
II was tale of how influence was to
be exerted in the seats of the mighty
In Washington To prevent unfavora-
BILE Investigations into the doings of
the street, of how lawsuits that the
financial interests i'm New York would
not like were to be prevented, and of
how the gold brick seller was finally
to protect the interests OF the client
he sought i'm the political game in the
capital.
Representative A. Mitchell Palmer
OF Pennsylvania, one of the prominent
Democrats in the house, once men
toned for secretary of war told the
story and Edward Lauterbach, a New
York lawyer, and Representative
Daniel j. Riordan of New York gave
the committee some light on its de-
tails.
According to Mr.. Palmer Lewis
Cass Ledyard, another New York
lawyer, was the man who was largely
instrumental in foiling the plot. The
name of the man who proposed TO do
all these things in Washington was
not given TO the committee, although
Mr.. Palmer acknowledged that he had
strong suspicious of his identity.
Mr.. Palmer told the committee
that the report of influence had gone
so far as to bring in the Names of the
speaker, of the majority leader i'm the
house and of at least two other prom
inent members whose names he did
not give. He said that after Mr.. Led
yard had engaged i'm many telephone
conversations with the man who had
all these goods for sale i'm Washington
he had met Edward Lauterbach. a
New York attorney, under the suppo
sitiOn that Lauterbach was represent
ing the user of the telephone.
room and listened to all the testi-
mony of Mr.. Palmer who spent nearly
two hours on the stand. Later he de-
MED that he had tried to secure en-
ployment with big interests in New
York on the strength of supposed
power i'm the capital. He swore that
his only effort was To restore the en-
tente cordiale" he had previously en-
joyed with Morgan x Co, and which
he thought had been broken because
of his friendly relations with David
Lamar, whom he described as a Wall
street operator" who usually operated
on the bear side OF the street"
AS result OF Mr.. Lauterbach's
testimony the committee probably will
call Lamar, George +. Baker of the
First National bank of New York,
Paul ID. Crava,h, Francis Lynde Stet-
son and Mr.. Ledyard, all New York
attorneys, and Chas Steele of Nor
gan x Co. To several Of these men,
Lauterbach maintained, he had talked
about his reinstatement in the good
graces Of the house of Morgan. His
only reference to anything i'm Wash
ington. he said, was as to the general
situation here, the tendency to investi-
gate things and the apparent desire
for suits against big concerns. The
committee adjourned, subject to the
call Of the chairman, but it reserved
the right to summons Lauterbach to
the stand again after ii had heard
from the other New Workers. Both
Mr.. Lauterbach and Representative
Daniel j. Riordan of New York APP
peared before the committee To tell
what they knew about the charges
made by Judge Robert scott Loveett
Of the Union Pacific railroad that an
attempt had been made through the
use of RiOrdan's name to secure the
employment Of i.autcrbaCh as coun-
sci for the road i'm the Union Pacific
Southern Pacific dissolution suit.
Judge LOvctt told of telephone con
vcrsations between himself. Maxwell
Evarts, counsel of the Southern Pa
ciflce, and II man purport'ng To be
Riordan, about the employment Of
I.auterbaCh. Both the congressman
and the lawyer denied any effort t.
secure such employment and acknowl-
edged only slight acquaintan' with
each other.