Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-01-10
TOM LAWSON "TALI1s SOME"
Loses Temper, But Says Some Things
Quite Interesting.


session Of the House rules commit
tee hearing on the alleged stock
market leak Oh President Wilson'S
peace note, with a running row with
the committee. which ended in much
Of his statements being expunged
from the record, and concluded with
the declaration that he could tell
where the leak was, but would not.
At the outset Of the hearing Sec
retary Tumulty read a statement, ell
dorsed by President Wilson, that he
had no knowledge whatever OF the
Presidents note before it was an
nounced to the newspapers, and Sec
rctary Lansing gave testimony about
the handling of the document after
it got to the State Department. Both
denied they had been able to find any
leak"
Lawson began his statement to the
committee with general declarations
which soon led into an uproar. 1t
ended by the clerk Of the House fore
ing him to his chair and the commit
tee voting unanimously to eXpunge
the whole exchange from the record.
The stenographer had missed much
of it In the confusion.
Finally, when Chairman Henry got
Lawson down to a crosS-eXamination,
the Boston financier said in effect he
could toll but wouldn't, and at that
point the committee recessed.
Before the afternoon session began!
the committee issued subpoenas for
i. NJ. Lockwood, New York stock
broker, and Alfred H. Curtis. 4s
Lawson TeStiies. ~
After number of persons had
been Questioned and from whose,
statements nothing definite was OBJ
tanned, Thomas w. Lawson, y who
charged a leak" to officials, p was
called to the stand. ~ E$
Chairman Henry. told Lawson that,
he might proceed in his own way
for the present" Lawson asked IL.
he might be stopped at any point I'M
his discourse. ".s @ FSS
Mr. Henry said that would depend
entirely on whether he conffnedshinl-:
self to the subject before the commit:
ma it ss M 20 #
Flssssaifdd 6e said. my home IS Boston. nv
occupation, you might say, Is that Of
farmer
The crowd laughed.
| 81 don't say ! am a farmer to be
| facetiOus," Lawson said. "In a way
| | also am connected with financial
matters.
81 will give testimony" said Law
son, "regarding the damnable condi.
ton which has existed for two years
for the purpose Of finding 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 Chip
erfield. He declared he proposed to
say all he had to say regardless Of
consequences.
whats the penalty?" he shouted,
land I'll take it in advance" The
committee room was in an uproar
and Representative Henry threaten
ed to clear 1t and hold the proceed
ings in executive session.
Lawson gesticulated, shook his
pointed finger in Chiperfield's face
and loudly declared he. as an Ameri-
can 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 could be
restored.
Lawson declared that al, he had
said in the press regarding the leak
he believed to be true.
81 repeat it all now" declared
Lawson. at is one OF the common
est things in Wall street-advance
information from Washington about
government affairs. affairs Of such
| Importance that they frequently af-
feet the country's securities. I mean
also leaks from the Supreme Court,
advance Information on decisions, adj,
vance information on important Sen
ate matters. action Of Congressional
committees, cabinet affairs and adj
vance information direct from the
White House itself"
People Robbed OF Billions. ,
Lawson declared that in two years
bed of thirty or forty billions.
Referring to the day the leak oc-
cured, he said, the fraud inflated
market was ready to burst. He said
he knew who was responsible for the
leak, and that when they saw the
havoc they had caused they tried to
make him the goat. He said that he
was convinced the committee did not
want an investigation.
After had been bombarding the
country with my kilograms and had
offered to do what could to aid the
committee I was told to put up or
shut up, said Lawson. What diff
ference did it make to this commit
tee or this Congress whether the lit
tie private citizen from Boston put up
or shut up about matter almost as
important as the European war Is to
England or Germany or France?
"Then I came to Washington to
| aid in an honest Investigation, only
to have hell lambasted out OF me az
soon as Con gress convened. Promnt-