Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-01-04
Rules Committee Told to Re port Within Ten Days on
 Wood Resolution.
ALLEGED ONE MAN
 SOLD, STEEL SHORT
Congressman Bennett Says RumOr in Now York That Bernard Baruch Is Man Who Carried Information on
 Peace Note to Wall Street.

Washington, Jan. 3.-Congressional agitation over charges that there was a "leak" of advance information on President Wilson's peace note on which somebody made money in the stock market eliminated today in the house ordering the rules committee to make report within ten days on Representative Woods resolution for an investigation, and an open state ment on the floor of the house by Reprseentative Bennett of New 4ork that Bernard Baruch, a New York stock operator, was reported to have sold short 15000 shares of steel on the "tip
 Over objections by Representative Henry of Texas, chairman of the rules committee, who. after cohler- ences yesterday with Thomas w. Law son. announced that the Boston finan- cier's charges were mirage Repre- sentative Wood succeeded in haVlng the house hold privileged his resolu- ton providing for an inquiry into Lawson's allegations by a committee of five. The resolution was then re-
  structions to report within ten days.
 Will Call Lawson, Wood. Et Al. MT. Henry immediately called a meeting of his committee for tomor- row morning to consider the matter, and tonight both Republican and Dem ocratic members of the committee were demanding that MT. Lawson, Representative Wood and others be called to testify.
 Oratorical pyrotechnics marked Representative Woods fight to obtan the privileged recognition. Thanked bv Representative Gardner of Massa- chusetts and half dozen other Re- publicans, MT. Wood insisted that MT. Henry had no intention of call | ing his committee together to con- sider the original Wood "leak" reso- lution, introduced on December 22. MT. Henry denied this, but said neith- CT MT. Lawson nor Representative Wood had presented any evidence or promised to present any evidence that would warrant such action.
 Representative Gardner asserted positively there had been a "leak,' v and would favor calling the president. his stenographers and others who might have been able to furnish in formation of the forthcoming mes sage.
 Sold Steel Short?
 A demand by Representative Gar rett of Tennessee, opposing the reso- lution, for a concrete statement con cerning the rumors of "leaks, brought this statement from Repre- sentative Bennett:
 "The rumor is that Mir. Barney Baruch a member of the Conference for National Defense, was the man re- sponsible for this information getting to Wall street, and that 30 minutes be- fore the presidents message was made public he sold, on a rising mar ket in Steel, by the way, 15,00O shares of Steel common short. That is the rumor in New York City, if the gentle man wants names."
 Speaker Clark. in holding the reso- aution privileged, dismissed all save TWO statements attributed to Lawson. These are to the effect that members pf congress had been "wallowing in Wall street leak graft for 40 years, Pnd that Inauguration of a leak in- Testigation would see less than a quorum present in the two houses, and speedy shifting of hank accounts"