The Washington times., 1917-02-28
LEAK PROBERS GIVE
CLEAR BILL TO ALL
Committee Report, Filed Today,
CriticiseS T. w. Lawson,
However.
ALL OFFICIALS CLEARED
New Rules Will Regulate Con-
duct of Press Gallery
Members.

The leak" investigation, which for
several weeks conjured the popular
imagination and paraded before the
public the names of men high in Of
fetal life and the world of finance
came to an end today when the report
of the House Committee on Rules
went on the calendar.
This report, exonerating practically
every person named during the in
Quiry, was presented to the House and
made public by Chairman Henry last
night. No extended debate in the
House on the report is expected and
the leak" inquiry will soon occupy
a permanent niche in the history of
Congressional Investigations. There
port was unanimous.
parting shot is taken by the
Rules Committee at Thomas W. Law
son, of Boston, spectacular financier
and wholesale author OF leak
charges. The committee finds that the
Lawson allegations were founded on
pure imagination, or idle, irrespon-
sible or malicious gossip"
Criticises HShort SeuIng.p
Except for this criticism of Mr..
Lawson and a statement that certain
testimony delivered before the COM
mittee by F. A. Connolly, a Washing
ton stock broker, was false" the
committee report Is not a caustic
document. short selling" and the
lending of stocks on the stock mar
- kets is guardedly criticised, and, by
inference, the committee suggests
legislation to remedy such conditions.
No specific bill; however, is recon-
mended.
The only advance information re-
garding the Presidents peace note
Of December 20, the committee finds,
was that furnished by two Washing
ton newspaper correspondents who
sent telegraphic forecasts Of the note
to brokerage connections.
However, these two correspondents
the report says, obtained informa-
tion from their fellow-workers and
then sent their forecasts. The inves-
tigators find that J. Fred Essary,
one of the news writer's mentioned,
did not benefit financially by such
action. The other, w. w. Price, was
regularly employed, at a nominal
salary, to give information to two
stock brokers.
TumuIty Ii Cleared.
Correspondents who attended the
Lansing conference, whereat it was
said an important announcement"
would be- made by the State Depart
ment on the afternoon of December
20, were absolved of violating a con-
fidence. The various persons who
saw and handled the peace note are
also found guiItless
That newspapermen as a class dis
approved of employment by brokers
as set out in the report
The committee briefly reviews that
portion of the Lawson charges which
the Boston financier said he based
on information furnished by Mrs.
Ruth Thomson Visconti to the gen.
eral effect that the newspaper cor
respondent, Price, was a White House
go-between for Secretary TumuIty
and others in speculation and that
Mr.. Price had received $1,000 and Mr..
Tumulty a larger sum. So far as
Mr.. Tumulty is concerned, the COM
mittee says, there was no evidence
whatsoever to sustain any such
charge" As to Price, the committee
reports that II found only that he
had received S25 a month each from
two brokerage concerns for his Wash
AA6NOh NOlitSpOuueHSe-
Lawson Is Scored.
Mrs. viscontis Informant, the COM
mittee says, proved to be "a young
daughter of the newspaperman, Price
who had examined her fathers bank
account in his absence, and had based
thereon an inference which the facts
did not justify" The committee thus
dismisses the story OF Mrs. Visconti
and its anti-climax.
In a general discussion of the Law
son charges the committee says:
THE committee has examined under
oath and by aid of counsel every per
son named or suggested oy Mr.. Law
son. Not one of them supported or
corroborated these charges. On the
contrary. every one OF them contra
dicted him. Furthermore, as a result
of a careful examination of the Gus
toners accounts of New York brok-
ers, no such account as was described
by the witness was disclosed or even
indicated.
Not one of these charges OF the
witness, Lawson, therefore, was sus-
tained by the evidence. His every
statement in support of them proved
10 be founded either upon pure imag-
inatiOn or idle. irresponsible, or ma
HclouS gossip.
Only Two TeIeErama.
The report refers at length to the |
testimony regarding the telegram
sent by J. Fred Essary. Washington |
correspondent Of the BaItipofe Sun,
over the wires of F. A. Connolly & Co, |
to Hutton & Co, of New York, and |
finds that "the Information furnished |
by Mr.. Essary was without financial |
gain or recompense to him" TestI- |
mony OF Mr.. Essary is quoted to the |
Neffect that his forecast on the note |
was a matter of deduction.
However, the committee refers dis
approvingly to the employment Of |
newspapermen by stock brokers, and
says that this practice was condemned
by numerous correspondents appear
ing before the leak" investigators.
revision OF the press gallerey rules,
the committee says, is in progress
lSuch a revision has already been Of
dered bV the WashinPto, corragno.a