The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-16
WITNESS IS QUESTIONED

one firm making sS,000.OOO in the market on December. 2e, and he thought that it should be investigated.
 WITNESS IS QUESTIONED
 Chairman Henry took up list of cab inet officers and asked Lawson if he had connected" each of them with the leak Coming to the name of Secretary Lansing Lawson said he had not made sugges- ton of him in the affair In conenc- ton with the names the congressman had given of the parties to the leak"
 Do you refer to Secretary Lansing in any connecticut" MT. Henry asked.
 Yes Lawson replied.
 Henry then accused Lawson of drag ging the name of Lansing into the hear ing and Lawson fared up furiously.
 I have held the names of Lansing and the German ambassador out of this" he said. T have kept quiet when have been charged with withholding informa- ton which I have not, and have been libeled in the press of the country as A result. One of your own members has said on the floor that it was a matter of dispute as to whether should be in jail or a lunatic asylum. I will not have this thrown on me-"
 Lawson then related in detail how he had come to Washington at the re- quest of Chairman Henry and had called on him at his office: how Henry had told him that he wanted his help to run down the leak charges
 Lawson said he thanked Henry and urged that they talk freely and in con fidence. Congress wanted something tangible, he quoted Henry as saying and added that the chairman asked him to give him any information that he had about any individuals in volved.
 T told him that the only thing tc be done was to get first-hand informa- tion and to get it from other people," sald Lawson. T said that I would not give him hearsay information; that my principal reason was that I did not want to besmirch anyone unjustly, but declared that I could give him a formula for getting all the informa- tion through real Investigation
 SAYS HENRY TALKED
 T asked what the committee had heard He said the committee al- ready had heard that Secretary Lans- ing had gone to the Biltmore hotel in New York four times to meet Bernard Baruch The chairman also said that he believed Secretary Lansing abso- lutely innocent of giving any confi- dential information and he asked me what I thought about it.
 T said I will stake my head on 1t that Secretary Lansing will not do anything wrong I also said that thought Secretary Lansing might have been giving information that was per fectly fair for any man to give.
 Chairman Henry also told me that tfere had come to the committee a report that the German ambassador had profited over s2,O00000 but he said he did not think there was any truth in it."
 Lawson further declared that Henry pleaded with him at the end df their second conversation to cease urging an investigation of the leak charges It would be serious thing to the coun- try Lawson quoted Henry as saying, to have an inquiry at this time. It might be possible, however. Lawson said Henry pointed out, to inaugurate wide inquiry into the stock mar ket situation in the course of 30 days or so. Such an inquiry being to Law sons liking and as he had repeatedly stated that the Teak" now under fire held no interest for him. he said he readily agreed.
 At that point Lawson reiterated his statement that he never told Henry nor had he told anyone that he had direct information regarding a '1eak.' In the midst of Lawson's remarks Chairman Henry told Lawson that he would be excused temporarily sel'9presentativ Pou assumed the eha1rman's seat. and Henry taking the stand, began statement. He first re- viewed the introduction of the Teak" resolution of Representative Lea; told of seeing Lawson's charges in the newspapers that there was a 1eak,' and gradually led up to Lawson's visit to Washington to confer with him.
 Henry explained how he had begun a preliminary inquiry into the charges made by Lawson and the matters pre- sented in Representative Woods reso- lution. He first called Wood and he could not furnish "a single name or da te. oR fact" Then he reviewed the telegraphic correspondence with Law son leading up to their conference January ?.
 WHAT HE TOLD LAWSON