The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-01-03
HOT OENUNC|AT|ON Of
|. ANY GUILTY Of LEAK"
Senator Stone Declares Amy Such an
Subscriptions Scoundrcr' should
BE Driven from Once.
CHAIRMAN HENRY HEARS
WHAT LAWSON HAS TO SAY
Then Declares Boston Mans Infor-
nation Is Too Indefinite to BE
Worthy of Investi cation ON Part OF
Gong rc&s.

Washington, Jan. 1.-The demand
for an official investigation OF the
leak" which precipitated the Wall
Street peace panic set Congres s
afsre today.
Senator Stone. of Missouri, de-
nounced Thomas w. Lawson and his
charges. but In sensational speech
to the Senate he declared that things
which concerned the honor of the
nation" had leaked" from the State
Department. Senator Stone declared
that any public official who used gov
eminent information for private gain
was an "unscrupulous scoundrel." and
ought to be dismissed from office.
Thomas w. Lawson himself laid
his leak" charges before Represent
alive Henry. of Texas. chairman of
the Rules Committee. which has be
fore II Representative Woods reso-
Chairman Henry. after comforting
with the Boston broker. declared he
saw no reason for calling his com
mfttee together to consider the reso-
luton He said that Lawson had not
supplied information sufficiently def
nite to support action by the commit
tee. lawson tonight promised fur
Their revelations. and Henrys decision
threatened to precipitate revolt in
Representative Campbell. a Repuh-
Hean member of the committed pro-
tested vigorously against what he
termed the star chamber" proceed
ings conducted by the chairman. He
declared fatty that all OF the men,
bers of the committee should hear
what Lawson had to offer. and Judge
as to whether an investigation was
necessary.
Stone Creates Sensation.
Senator stones speech created a
sensation in the Senate. He arose
originally to deny published state
ment that "U. s. Stone had contrib
nted" some hundreds OF thousands Of
shares to the raid in Wall Street, but
waived the denial when Senator Be-
rah pointed out that the ''U. 8. Stone"
referred to was undoubtedly q typo
graphical error for ~. s. Steel" The
administration Senator said:
III 1t Is true that any public official
aid use any secret information. a. has
been alleged. to further his own per-
sond interesta. he 10 IN interruptions
scoundrel. II any man In legislative
lie did It, which I beliece impossible,
no ought to be dismissed from office
I do not know II there Is any foun-
dalton under these sensational reports
But / do know things have occurred
In the State Department that ought
not be possible.
Il know that confidential communi-
cations to the Stete- Department and
foreign governments. which would
never have been made except in the
sense that the department would hold
them secret have by some means found
their way into the hands Of men not
authorised to receive them
Concerned Nati0n,. Honor
THE things to which l refer did not
concern stock market transactions.
but the honor OF the nation. How this
happened l do not know, but II could
only have happened through the inf
deity of. employees Of the state Do
partment."
Senator Stone said that the Lawson
charges "disgusted" him and declared
that the time has come when this
government does not have to consult
the Stock Exchange before communi-
eating with a foreign government"
While Chairman Henry and members
of his committee were squabbling over
the Lawson revelations. Representative
Emerson. of Ohio. introduced a resolu-
ton In the House which would author
ize joint committee of the House and
Senate to examine Lawson forthwith.
Representative Emerson sought to dis
cuss his resolution. but was shut of
by administration leaders. He sue
cesded in declaring. however. that the
charges made by Lawson while they
might not be true" were credited BY
ra"v people and ought to be invssti-
~ ! rs i ff ~ = n