South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-01-17
Committee Calls Off Today'S
Hearing in Order to Make
Preparations For Thor
ough Investigation.
ALL CHARGES WILL BE
SIFTEO TO THE BOTTOM
Mrs. ViSconti Will be Import
ant Witness Tomorrow.
Spectators Bid High
For Chairs.
International News Service.

International News Service.
WASHINGTON. Jan. Il. - De-
termined TO bring 10 the light of day
every possible scrap of information
having any remote connection with
possible information leak from
Washington to Wall St, the house
rules committee conducting the in
ouiry into the Lawson charges, call
ed off todays hearing in order to
secure congressional permission 10
obtain counsel for the examination
of witnesses.
Every witness who was TO testify
today was warned TO remain in the
city, ready to appear before the
committee tomorrow morning.
The hundreds of people Jammed
into the big hearing room. prepared
10 hear dramatic disclosures from
the lips of Mrs Ruth Thompson Wis
CONT. the woman named by Lawson
as his authority for bringing the
white house into the investigation.
evidenced their displeasure when the
hearing was called off by Rep. Car
rett. on behalf of the committee.
Need Legal Counsel.
The committee members, regard
less Of politics. believe little can be
accomplished unless legal counsel is
obtained to examine witnesses. To
date the investigation has been con
Quoted in a haphazard way 10 the
Of oil
earlier attitude of the democratic
members Of the committee was that
the inquiry was not worthy OF Sc
rlous attention. while republican
members have been accused of play
ing politics.
The net result has been that there
has been little concentration upon
the essentials Of the evidence ad-
duced by Thomas w. Lawson. Sec'y
Lansing. Joseph F. Tumulty, secre-
tary TO Pres't Wilson, the Wall st.
bankers and brokers. and others
who have appeared.
The postponement today indicated
that every detail of the charges will
be sifted 10 the bottom, and that the
procedure will exactly follow the
lines Of an exhaustive legal inquiry.
Rumors were current that Mrs
Nisconti had been hidden 10 keep
her from testifying. She was said
bv Lawson to have told him that w.
W. Price. a Washington newspaper
man. stationed at the white house.
had acted as gO-between the leak
machinery. Mrs. NiscOnu is main
tanning still her mysterious silence.
She was also cited by Lawson as
authority for the statement that
Price received $4,000 for his services
and Tumulty considerably more.
Ready To Take Stand.
Now that Mrs Nisconti is ready 10
take the stand i'm an effort 10 sub
stantiate her sensational charges
against Price and Tumulty il is
realized that the committee must
get right down TO cases.
In ali law son's specific charges
are based upon something somebody
else has told him. He has furnished
little or nothing based upon his per
sOnal knowledge Hereafter the
questioning viii he conducted with
q view 10 marShalling facts and
events i'm something like logical Sc
quenCe-
Negro janitOrS about the house Of
nee building reaped q rich harvest
OF tips today for seats IN the big
show Chairs sold for almost any
price that spectators were willing 70
pay for them after the early stam-
pede had taken everything but
standing room.
Charles Evans Hughes. late repuo-
lican candidate for president. Sam
uel Untermever and Frederick ".
Lehman. who was one OF the NfeNl-
can commissioner at the Niagara
Falls conference in 1914. are men
toned as under consideration for
committee counsel i'm the leak in
Quiry