The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-01-18

| Washington Jan. 1S.-ReSumptiOl
! by the HOUSE committee on rules of it
inquiry into the alleged leak to Wal
street of the Presidents peace term
| note and it's wider investigation Of tn,
connection of Wall street banker
| with the recent smash in stocks, wa
| postponed yesterday until after tn
| committee decides on counsel to ait
| it. There will be no hearing today
anyway.
The House yesterday authorized TIT
employment of an attorney and al
expert accountant This action wa!
| preceded by lively debate, during
which several members declared tina
! neither Samuel Untermyer MOI
Charles Evans Hughes should b
named as counsel, as had been sug
gested unof1cially. The rest of the
day was taken up by the committee
in an unsuccessful effort to agree OF
a lawyer.
Mentioned AS Counsel
Among those considered, it was said
we're De Lancey Nicoll, James w
Osborne, Martin w. LittletQn an6
John B. StanchfieId of News York
Frederick Y. Lehman of st. Louis
James H. Pou Of North Carolina
Francis J. Heney of California ano
Sherman L. Whipple Of Boston.
Mrs. Ruth Thomson Visconti, the
woman who Thomas w. Lawson says
told him that William w. Price, q
newspaper man, received $4,000 fol
acting as go-between for Joseph P.
Tumulty and others. is at her apart
FIR. a n n.
portunity to tell what she knows
about t1eaks," Government officials
and others. She will be one of the
first witnesses to testify, and wash
inngton, official and otherwise, is in
terested and concerned to hear. what
she will say.
Frank A. Vanderbilt, president OF
the National City bank; Pliny Fisk
and Archibald S. White reported here
yesterday to Sergeant at Arms Gordon
of the House in response to their
subpoenas.
j. p Morgan told Mr.. Gordon over
the telephone yesterday afternoon
that. he would be here today if needed.
Fl. r. Dawson of J. P. Morgan & Co..
is in Thomasville, Ca, but will come
here to testify. John r. Rathom, editor
Of the Providence Journal, is already
here. The announcement that the
hearing yesterday had been called oft
disappointed a great crowd. =.
Ten minutes before the committee
was to have met, Mr.. Lawson arrived
at the House Office building and was
filmed by the movies. Incidentally.
he says, he has been offered $500 a
~. 10 droy hy1f
has turned it down. He, too, appear
ed disappointed at the postponement.
Chairman Henry Ill.
Chairman Henry did not go to the
Capitol yesterday. His friends an
nounced that he was threatened with
This was followed by a
report that he would remain away
from the committee hearings and per-
NIT Representative Pou to preside be-
cause his integrity had been brought
into question by Lawson. Later. dur
ing the debate in the House over the
extension of time and the employment
Of lawyer for the committee, Repre-.
sentative Greene Of Iowa asked:
do you think 1t proper for your
to proceed with an investi-
one Of it's members?"
II do not think the Rules Commit
tee will be subjected to criticism be-
cause of that" said Mr.. Pou.
Lively debate followed the intro
duction of the resolution by Repre-
sentative Pou to give the Rules Com
nittee power to employ counsel and
an accountant. Representative How
ard and Caldwell objected to the en-
ployment of Samuel Untermeyer as
counsel, though Mr.. Lenroot stated
that Untermeyer's name had never
been considered by the committee.
'This is the proposition" said Mr..
explaining the resolution.
The names Of certain prominent men
have been brought into the inquiry.
these men are innocent
and presumably they will testify. But
the country will not be satisfied Of
their innocence unless they are cross
examined by competent counsel. The
members of'the committee should not
be in the position of prosecuting at
torneys.
Il can safely say that the majority
members Of the committee will not
to the members Of the majority, be-
cause in so doing they will add to
the suspicion attaching to them
the country"
Would Limit Amount.
Representative Howard Of Georgia
offered an amendment, limiting the
OF money which the commit
tee could spend to $4,000 and forbid
ding the employment of Samuel I'm
lermeyer, but he subsequently with |
1rew the amendment. A thorough
Investigation was demanded by Min
ority Leader Mann.
IT believe" said he, that so far as
he remarks of the gentleman from !
Georgia are concerned, the employ
nent, as. counsel fer this committee of
either Samuel Untermeyer or Mr..
Hughes would be an act Of such |
gross improprietay that it will not be
considered for a moment by the COM
nittee."
IT do not favor the limitation of the |
mount which this committee may ex-
pend on counsel or expert fees. |
nope and believe that a thorough in
of this matter will show