The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-01-08
TUMULTY ENTERS DENIAL
TO ALL LEAK CHARGES


that dorothy Arnold was at an or.
ange, N. j., hotel
Representative Campbell asked Mr..
Tumulty if he knew that Mr.. Wood
had asked for an executive session
in which to make his statement bring.
ing in Mr.. .Tumulty's. name last week.
II wish you wouldn't ask me any.
thing about Mr.. Wood" replied Mr..
Tumulty, heatedly.
Il would be ashamed to be a party
to anything that would blemish the
reputation of public man on a mere
letter written by man named Curtis.
If ! were guilty of such thing, l
would not be fit to hold the smallest
public Office
Lansing Called.
Secretary of State Lansing was call.
ed next.
POSSIBLY had better start" said
Secretary Lansing, "by stating that I
assume confidential communications
between the president and myself are
not part of the inquiry. / can give
you a physical history of the note.
The draft was received by me at
o'clock Monday afternoon. j discuss
ed it with MIR. Polk, counselor for the
department., and Mr., WOOlsey, law ad-
wiser attached to my Office, and the
three forms in which it had to be
prepared and set forth. then handed
1t to Mr.. Woolsey, enjoinihg him to
the strictest' secrecy that he might
take it to the three confidential stem.
ographers, there to be prepared and
delivered to Mr.. Salmon, chief of the
index bureau. ,. ....
THE index clerk said that 1t would
take so long to cipher the three notes
that he would have to have an assist
ant. I directed that he engage his
most confidential man for the work.
He did so, was given the copies, and
the room. They were given the cop
les at 8 o'clock and at 20 Tuesday
morning, December 10, the notes were
enciphered, delivered to the telegraph
room, and sent.
Discussed II With Wilson.
ION Tuesday afternoon I discussed
with the president the time when the
note was to be made public. The
reason for secrecy was courtesy due
to the nations who were to receive the
note that it was not to be published
here before they received it. We de.
cided it would take two days to reach
Austria and Rumania and we decided
it should be made public Thursday
morning. .r,,p
Tuesday evening about 6 o'clock a
copy Of the note was handed to Mr..
James, chief Of the Information bu.
reau. He at once took it up with
the printing Office. 49,
1t was read by one man and then
sent to the printing Office.
Received Reporters.
II received the newspaper CORE.
spondents and told them would have
an important communication for them
at 5 o'clock to be released the next
morning. told them it did not con.
Germ any proposal Of peace or offer of
mediation w
Thomas w. Lawson followed Mr..
Lansing. He was told BY Chairman
Henry that he might proceed in his
own way for the present" Mr.. Law
son asked if he were to be stopped
at any point in his talk: Mr.. Henry
said that would depend entirely on
whether he confined himself to the
subject before the committee. my
name is Tomas w. Lawson. MY home
Is in Boston. My occupation, you
might say, is that of a farmer"
The crowd laughed, and Lawson
fastened to explain.
Il don't say I am a farmer to be
facetious, he said. I'm way, l also
am connected with financial matters"
Il will give testimony he said, RE-
garding the damnable condition which
has existed for two years for the pur.
pose of finding a remedy for condi.
tions which have. caused hundreds of
thousands Of persons to be driven
to enormous losses.
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