Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-01-08

he SAID. My home is Boston. My
occupation, you might say, is that Of
a farmer
- The crowd burst into a roar of
laughter and Lawson fastened TO e%-
plain.
II don't say l am farmer to be
facetious." he said. In way l am
also connected with financial mat
ters.
II will give testimony" he said
regarding the damnable condition
which has existed for two years for
the purpose of finding q remedy for
conditions which caused hundreds of
thousands of persons to be driven to
enormous LOSSES"
Lawson flew into a rage after he
had proceeded for half an hour when
interrupted by Representative Clipper
field. He declared he proposed to say
all he had to say regardless of conse-
quences.
What's the penalty?" he shouted,
and III take 1t in advance"
Committee Room in Uproar
The committee room was in an up
roar, and Representative Henry
threatened to clear it and hold the
proceedings in executive session.
Lawson gesticulated, shook his
finger in Representative Chiperfield's S
face and loudly declared he, as an Am
erican citizen, would see to it that he
got his rights. Jerry South, Clerk of
the House, pulled Mr.. Lawson back
into his chair, until order had been
restored.
Lawson, pacing up and down before
the committee, declared that all he
had said in the public press regarding
the leak he believed to be true.
"Leaks" Common
II repeat it all now" he declared.
1T is one of the commonest things in
Wall street-advance information from
Washington about government affairs,
affairs of such importance that they
frequently affect the country's securi-
ties. l mean also leaks from the Su-
preme Court, advance information on
decisions, advance information on i'm
portant Senate matters, action of con-
gressional committees Cabinet officers
and advance information direct from
the White House itself"
From that he led into charges of a
"premeditated, deliberately figured out,
deliberately work out, robbery of the
American people through United States
stock gam blers."
He said he knew who was respon-
sible for the leak and reiterated he
was convinced the committee did not
want an investigation. He reviewed
his recent trip to Washington.
Lawson Stopped
Il came to Washington said he,
Ito air my opinion in an honest in
vestigation, only to have h lambasted
out of me as soon as Congress con-
vened. Promptly when the Senate met
q leather-lunged, sewer-mouthed old
blatherskite"--
The chairman stopped Lawson there
and then followed row between Law
son and Representative Chiperlield
which was unintelligible even to the
official stenographer.
Chairman Henry raped for order
"a | ~ t.nn rnI
to be bulldozed and l will not be in
undated
Finally. after more wrangling, by
an unanimous vote of the committee,
ell of Lawson's heated speech was
struck from the record. The chair
man then began to question him.
You stated that there was a leak.
Will you give the committee the name
of the person who carried the leak to
Wall street from Washington
Lawson replied that the only way
he could give the identity of the bearer
of the leak" would be to violate a
confidence, and he could not do SO.
DO you know any names?" de-
manded Chairman Henry.
Not in legal sense"
do you know of any in any sense?"
"Some Information"
"I know there was a leak" Law
son returned, and knowing there was
a leak, must have some information"
Asked If he refused to answer the
question, Lawson avoided a direct an
swer.
do you know any persons who
profited on the day of the leak?'
81 probably do" Lawson said. ~
probably proflted myself" He declined
to say how much.
man Henry drew from the witness
that he knew of no one at the White
House connected with a leak. Asked
If he knew of any leak in the Secre-
tary of States office. Mr.. Lawson said:
Il have no information regarding
anyone in the State Department which
/ would give in public. / would give
it to the chairman. But you don't need
any more information than you have
to warrant an investigation.
II cannot give the committee names
in q court knowledge way as having
been principals to the transaction"
said Lawson. 'I could give names
that were given to me by people con-
slider responsible. but l won't-not at
this time
"Wiu you give them to me?" asked
the chairman.
mo, 1 will not give them at all
unless 1t is absolutely necessary"
THE chair requests you now to give
me the Names" continued Mr.. Henry.
II started out with the determine
ton. and l say again that I will not
blunder up your record with names
to furnish headlines for the news
papers"
"Then you fatty decline?"
"Yes, / decline to furnish names
given to me by others-not now"
At this point the committee took q
recess until o'clock.
On the list of witnesses were Sec
retary of State Lansing, Joseph p.
Tumulty, secretary to the President;
Thomas w. Lawson, Boston financier;
Charles II. Sabin, president Guaranty
Trust Company, of New York; Ber-
nard Nj. Baruch, and Otto Kahn, New
York brokers; Washington represent
atives of the Wall Street Journal,
Financial America and the Central
News Association and the managers
of the local branches of the Western
Union and Postal Telegraph Com
panies.
All but Secretary Lansing and Sec
retary Tumulty had been subpenaed.
The newspapermen had been sum-
moned to testify regarding their knowl-
edge of the ticker service reports on
the day the Presidents peace note was
given out. The managers of the two
telegraph companies had been asked
to produce dispatches filed by the
newspapermen named bearing on the
subject of the peace note.
When the hearing opened Repre-
l III u