Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-01-08

words OF tongue or pen, the SAuItSl '" W.
town at tho present moment are, 1T might
have been"
It might have been you.
II might have been I.
IL might have been Lawson or Baruel
II might have been says Representative
wood quoting the cvasivc a. Curtis-who
might have been anybody or uobodE-Mr
Tumulty. Mr. Boiling Mr. Kahn 1t mIEht
have been the Kaiser, who needs money Tor
shells, or 1t might have been your neNl-"oo'
neighbor who needs money FOR coal
Washington Is not at all certain who got
the dough" or Spilled the beans to use
the language Of the street, ana eNetNuouN
in the street Is talking about II. but WhaI
Washington, official and unofficial, is dead
sure about is that there was leak ana
that somebody made a big haul something
like $50, ,OO0. 900. according TO Lawson.
As Representative Gardner phrased H.
~when you stain on the ceiiinE you
know there's leak somewhere, even though
you don't know where it's coming from.
FOLKS ARE REAL IMPuDENT.
Washington has never suffered loss from
that obnoxious disease known as pride OF
purse" than at this present moment 70
have acquired suddcD fortune since the
portentous Wednesday, December 20 IS q"
put oneself in the class of the suSpcctcd
ones. To change your tlivcr for supnr-slN
or something is to invite tho question:
Have you got an eN-couain or an
uncle who's n stock broker who gets
his dope from the inside?
Any one fortunate enough to have
bank account recently swollen Is keeping
quiet about it--eSCcpt Of course, Lawson,
who has frenzied finance once more and
talks in terms Of millions.
In the lobbies of the hotels the atmos-
phere has assumed the aspect of kate-
klatch in n village town. Lawson is being
called everything from the saviour or ms
country to a sef-advertiscr Of the first
water. Speculation as to who cleaned up on
the leak is rife.
1T was a d outrage to carry the
thing into the President family" was the
terse comment Of one hardy Democrat
'"where there's smoke there's always
nre" was the bromidic rejoinder of his com
panion.
shifting of bank accounts" is a phrase
on every ones tongue. and Judging from
the comments the safest place to carry
ones roll at the present time would u" III
the first national bank, which is the stock
ing.
The corridors Of the Capitol seethc with
gossip about the leak" For once Sena-
tors and Representatives have dropped
their net schemes and unite on the common
ground of discussion OF one OF the biggest
scandals that washington has ever seen
All except Mr.. Hampy Moore. who Is
"chawing" on bone called the Chesapeake
and Delaware Canal and refuses to be dt-
verted TO juicicr one that has to do with
tips and stock markets
Perhaps the most distrait, the most Vi
tally concerned person of all. Is Repre-
sentative Wood Republican Congressman
from Indiana. who by precipitating con-
Eressiunal investigation drew aside the cur
tain of the scandal and revealed up to date
only rumor when a breathless audience had
been led to expect facts.
THE CHEwER WHO CAN'T CHEW
When I walked into the quarters Of Mr..
Wood in the office building Of the House
that gentleman was giving an excellent inn
itatlon of n person who has bitten of more
than he can chew. In one nervous hand
he held a newspaper, with the other he
alternately stroked his iron-gray hair and
raised his speCtacles feyerishiy
To be asked for a proof and To he able
to produce only an unyerded letter Is to
be put into a disaErocablc position, indeed
''why do so many persons write letters2'
Mr.. Wood pointed distractedly TO his desk
which was strewn with communications
concerning the leak, and sank wearily into
his chair.
1--WE had hundreds Of them" he contin-
ued. 81 know there was leak, as every
body does in Washington and throughout
the country. My sole purpose i'm getting
into this thing was 10 relieve Congress Of
the heinous accusations that We're being
made against it. i did it for the good Of
the country. / made no accusations, l told
only what / had heard.
us 1t true" / nteriected, that YOU
heard that more than half Of the S6oOo0,Ooo
which Lawson charges was cleaned up as
the result of the leak came to Washing
ton?"
piled carefully
GOOD OLD CARELESS L. s. A.
"Too many persons here have access 10
Government secrets" he continued. such
leaks as occur in the United States could
never happen IN Russia, or even i'm England
or France. We are careless. 1t behooves
us to be more careful.
"The rumors We're So rife and the charges
so plentiful that / felt il was up 10 Con-
gress, out Of respect TO itself to order an
Investigation. Greater care In the future,
/ am sure, will be exercised by those i'm
charge of state secrets.
THAT there was leak goes without
saying Everybody who has watched the
markets and the financial reports and edi-
torials in the leading metronolitan papers
knows there was a leak-Whether purp0sely
given out or the result OF carelessuess i'm
the State Department is question still 10
be ascertatned.'
Once more he stroked his hair after the
manner Of one who was thinking of the
constituents back home, and so / left him
with his sorrow.
"GUNIsHOE BILL" WARLIKE
Round at the headquarters Of the For
eign Relations Committee, Of which Senator
stone Is chairman, the boy who Is underlng
70 the Senator's secretary, Miss Simpson
his chest bombastcally when approached
on the subject OF a leak.
"sure th-r' was a Leak" he youchsafed
.sBut. then there's always leaks. 1t mean.
nothing in our young lives"
Air Stone. however, who Is sometimes re-
ferred 70 as the Gumshoe Senator from Mis-
nouri. took the belligerent attitude that mos
81 the Democrats have assumed toward th,
Investigation Mr. stone has a right 10 b,
beligeFent. You see his name was dragge,
in among the very first BY an Iowa paper
which published that he had contribute,
more than 100000 shares u stock 70 tn
December n trading.
The Senator was slightly pr0fane ana de
cIdedly cholerle He reiterated the denia
~ any speculation which he had made sew
erai days ago on the foor Of the Senate.
NOV i ana not any more interested 4
this leak business than ! am Ia whether h
moon Is going 10 be fun Or emp--I mea
Quarter tonight he said heatediy
Haf despite hls LACK % interest h Il
ahIeet be pulled himself up alleI lhe mar
Ai zrnrurta ~ tpa ate 34n4e- AAazA.
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