The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1917-01-16
SILE:NcER
Is TO BE APPLIED TO PREVENT
NAMING OF ANY FOREIGN
ENVOY WHEN "LEAK" QUIZ
is RESUMED TODAY.
House Also Prepares 10 Tie Lawson's
Hands Should He BE Cited on Con.
tempt Charge-WrIttcn Cues.
lions to BE Handed to Wit
ness, Asking Him to
Reveal Cabinet
Ofiiclal.

Washington, January 14-Refusal t
recognize writ of habeas corpus II
case Thomas w. Lawson should obtair
one in possible contempt proceedings
against him and great care to prevent
the name of any representative of Q
foreign Government being publicl,
dragged into the investigation of the
alleged "leak" on President Wilson's
recent peace note are among the plans
laid out today by the subcommittee
Of the House Rules Committee in pre-.
pairing for resumption tomorrow oil
the leak" inquiry. Committee of the
whole will pass on the plans at an ex-
ecutiye meeting before the hearings
begin.
Mr.. Lawson will be called before the
committee and presented with the list
of written questions a subcommittee
has drafted for his reply. Failure to
answer will be followed Immediately
by the Inauguration of contempt pro-
ceedings in the House
Dozen or More Queries
In substance the chief questions of
dozen or more more to be asked are
these
"Who is the Congressman that told
you he had heard a Cabinet officer, a
banker and member of Congress
were engaged in stock market part
nership and had profited by the leak?
What are the names of the Cabinet
member, the member of Congress and
the banker?
"If citizen of this country, who is
the high official whose name you for
merly testified might be brought into
the case If the name of the Cabinet
officer were mentioned?"
Committeeman have no clew to the
identity of the thigh Official but as
rumor and gossip have mentioned the
name of representative of foreign
Government with it they will take
no chances of involving him in a pub
lie hearing.
Precincts Are Studied
Representative Campbell, of Kan
sas, who was appointed to draft a res
olution touching on this possible
Eabeas corpus phase of the case made
a careful study of precedents today
and prepared tentative resolution to
charge that Lawson by his refusal to
answer has obstructed the business of
the House and therefore should be re-
manded to the custody of the Sergeant
at-Arms until he agrees to answer.
While Mr.. Campbell expects the
to adopt his resolution he
said tonight an adverse decision in
the contempt case of United States At
torney Marshall, of New York, which
may be decided by the Supreme Court
tomorrow, might change the situation.
A victory for the House in the Mar
shall case, however, he declared, GER
tainly would be followed by adoption
Of his resolution as he has prepared It. |
Two Cases Are Cited
Representative Campbell said he
mad found two cases which would war;
ant the House in following such q |
course as he plans. One was like
kilbourne case, in which man who |
declined to testify in the Jay Cooke |
allure was sent to Jail. Eventually |
<ilbourne sued and recovered dam
'ges from the Sergeant at Arms, but |
his, according to the records, was due
o treatment he received in Jail and in
10 way involved the right of Congress
. imprison him.
The other precedent is found, Mr..
campbell says, in the case of Henry
Vikoff, who declined to testify in the
amous 1873 leak" case when news of
lie contents of a Presidents message
ecame public prematurely through
Vikoff. He capitulated after a few
avs in jail and released
MIR. Lawson will be given twcj
hances to reply to the committees
uestions before he is turned over to
he Sergeant-at-Arms, if the case goes
hat far once before the committee
nd again before the bar of the House
over to punish him under the plan
be followed by the committee would
xpire with the Congress March 4.
Several other witnesses, including
hicago and New York bankers, are
be on hand tomorrow, and If Law
IN Unexpectedly should answer the
uestions asked him the entire hearing
Jay be closed before night. Then
'port on the Wood resolution to Gre
e a special congressional committee
investigate the leak" probably
ould be made Tuesday A report
ust be made not later than Wednes-
Nv nv the order nj tho Houca