The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-01-08
SECRECY IN ALL
IMPORTANT MATTERS
(Continued from page l.!

ligerents state their peace terms.
have never breakfasted, lunched, DIN
ed or taken any meals Win MI
Baruch. / have met him only at sew
erai Danauets and large dinners peI
many other persons were present.
have never discussed any peace OF
other note. either when it was IA
prospect or afterwards, with MT.
Bar,lch or any other persons engaged
in the purchase or sale of securities
of any kind in the stock market.
while this is a complete denlai
of the only insinuation which mas
been made, wish to go further ana
say that l have never engaged III
stock market sales or purchases my
self nor through brokers, friends or
agents.
az discussed the presidents note
with no one. first because my oatn
of service requires make no private
use of official information. ana sec
ondly and specifically, because as l
have stated. l had not seen the pres
ident's note and I did not know that
it was in preparation or even con-
| templated.
"As l have already said, in a pub
lie statement, 1 have frequently re-
uuested the president to keep me
free from any knowledge of impend-
ing international moves, so that l
might not be embarrassed by re-
quests for information from the news
paper correspondents who appeal to
me in my Office constantly for 1nfor>
nation.
THE insinuations which have been
made, whether conceived in political
malice or merely through mfstnforma-
ton, are wholly false and without
even the flimsiest basis.
II have not at any time since act
ing as Mr. Wilson's secretary, first
when he was governor OF New Jersey
and later when he became president,
been interested IN any stock transac-
tons OF any kind, or given any infor-
nation to any other person upon
which purchases or sales might be
made. I wish to make this state
ment as sweeping and complete as
know how.
81 am still waiting for Mr.. Woods
apology"
Declaring IT am authorized by the
president to quote him as follows,
Tumulty read the presidents state.
ment
Pressed as to whether he had any
iuIOl Hdllpu " duy pei sui Ill VA LAG
leak, Tumulty said:
II have not. I might have suspicion
built on rumor. but when regulations
thing"
Tumulty's first knowledge of the
note. he said. came from a press as
sociation correspondent" in the mid
rle Of the afternoon who told him "the
peace note has been given out"
Tumulty asked to be excused from
discussing Representative Wood and
the subject was pressed.
Il would be ashamed to be party
to an investigation which might tarnish
the reputation OF any one on such
flimsy evidence as this cited here"
Tumulty flashed. "If were guilty OF
this I would not be fit to hold the
smallest office In the land. II gave
out all the unconfirmed information
coming in my mail concerning candi-
dates and of11ce-holders, we'd be inves-
tigatine somebody or something all the
time"
Tumuhy explained that the usual
procedure when the president wrote a
note was for him to send 1t direct TO
the state department.
Secretary OF State Lansing was
called and gave . history OF the prep
aration and publication Of the note.
"A draft of the note was received
from the white house about four
o'clock Monday" said Lansing. Il
called on Frank Boil. tthe counseiior)
and Mr.. Woolsey, law adviser In my
office, to discuss the form in which 1t
should go, MIR. Woolsey took 1t to
three confidential stenographers. 1t
was prepared and delivered to the
chief OF the index bureau. An as
sistant, his most confidential man,
was selected and they locked them
selves in a room about eight O'Clock
that night for ciphering.
THAT night I discussed with the
president, the time for its publication.
We decided to make 1t public Wednes-
day morning.
TUESDAY evening copies were
handed to the chief of our fnforma-
ton bureau They were sent to the
public printer. The next morning we
received the galley proof. 1t was read
by one man named Duncan and sent
back to the printer.
II told newspaper men that morn.
ing that q ndQ d Hotc dbout. h'O
O'Clock that afternoon for release the
following morning.
81 explained I was telling them be-
cause l feared it might come back
from some foreign country In garbled
form. told them It did not contain
movement for peace or offer OF media
ton
THAT night I saw Ambassador VIII
lard who told me he had been ad-
vised of the contents Of the note by
the president.
I'VE discussed the advisability OF
addressing Spain on the subject The
next day the note was made public.
Lansing said there were no signs
that any Of the department employees
had div1llged the information they
had. nor did he know of any leaks in
the newspapers
Lansing said there never had been
any violations of his confidence by
uewSpaDer men-"at least, not until