Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-01-16

w. Lawson in yesterdays bewildering
hearing, the committee sought some
man among the dozen or more men
toned by Lawson who had first hand
information.
: The investigators were after sub
that ii was Chairman Henry of the
Rules Committee, who told him Sec
retary McAdoo, II. Pliny Fisk, New
York banker, and Senator 20" were
reported to have operated a stock
gambling pool or of Henry's categor-
those or other names to Lawson in n
previous confidential conference. Law
sons testimony was unfinished when
the story session closed yesterday.
You stated" questioned Represen-
tative Campbell. that when you left
Washington after talking with Chair
man Henry that you went to New
York and talked with several publish
ers. Will YOU state the substance of
what YOU told them?"
lawson Starts Testimony
'I asked them their opinion of
what had happened in Washington"
Lawson began slowly. "and told them
would like to set their advice on
whether l should so further or drop
the entire matter. 1 said much more
than 1 related here yesterday. / laid
before them Henry's statement in the
press that morning and called their
attention to what appeared to be an
unfair slant that il took.
After l left Henry's office I went
to New York and first called on John
O'Hara Cosgrave in his editorial
rooms in the New York World on the
following morning"
When was the interview with Err
man ]. Ridgway?"
Tuesday. January 81
Where did you see him?"
AT my rooms in the Belmont Ho-
tel, New York
You spoke of seeing Donald Nc
Donald?"
Tells of Mcdonald
I'm the early morning of January 8.
came right from the train and sat
down in the Belmont Hotel breakfast
room when Mr.. Mcdonald came in
and sat at a table across the aisle. He
spoke to me. 1 hadn't spoken to Mr..
Mcdonald for probably fifteen years.
But he spoke to me and asked me
what was going on in Washington. I
told him of these things that hap
pened in New York and said 1 would
like to see an investigation but that
there would be none. l told him what
your chairman had said and he, being
an old newspaperman and publicity
expert, l asked him his advice. 1 i'm
pressed on him the confidence which
your chairman had imposed in me,
everything being perfectly friendly be-
tween Mr.. Henry and myself at that
time
Unless your chairman said what I
say. he said l am guilty of foul per-
jury Lawson dramatically declared
TO the committee; I'm guilty of foul
perjury and unfit to be anywhere out
side the bars of a prison."
I was very much worked up about
tinued. we had agreed on one. He
had said, you word it, I did and he
said il was fair and gave both sides
and we shook hands on it. When I
read his statement ii appeared un-
fair. 1t looked as though in the three
hours and quarter he had asked me
over and over again to give him
names and that I had failed"
Garrett Objects
He wanted Cosgrave and Ridgway
to hear his story, he said, because they
were men of long experience in hand
ling investigations and he desired to
know whether they thought he should
drop the entire affair, or if he owed it
to the public to go further.
Representative Garrett objected to
Lawson repeating his conversation
with those men, on the ground that
they did not tend to cast any light on
the case.
Representative Campbell then
changed the form of questioning
slightly and Lawson continued to re-
peat his conversation with Henry.
Il will say in view of all that has
occurred here" Lawson declared.
that it is right that you should hear
all 1 have to say. When there is a
direct difference of opinion-stronger
than veracity-raised. it is perfectly
obvious that one or the other of us is
committing perjury. deliberate rank
perjury. This is no syndicate or ma
uonal bank meeting. This is a meet
ing of high committee of Congress.
In my opinion there is nothing of
greater importance than for your
committee to arrive at a fair and hon
est decision and to do that you must
hear what l have to say"
Give Lawson Opportunity
Representatives Garrett Foster and
others objected to Lawson's argument
and there was a stormy wrangle dur
ing which Lawson shouted his insist
ence that he should be heard fully.
Chairman Henry ruled that he
would be given an opportunity to say
all he wanted.
Lawson reiteratering that the chair
man told him the leak" was too So
rious for an investigation at this time
but that he favored a general inquiry
later into the stock market. Lawson