New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-21
Whipple Accepts Post of
Counsel--Morgan and
Fisk To Be Called
MRS. VISCONTI PUTS
500 MEN IN FEAR
Capital Residents Said to
Believe She May Mention
Them in Testimony
From The Tribune Bureau

Washington, Jan. 2O.-Wall street
is 10 have a closeup view Of the leak
investigation. The next hearing in the
inquiry to determine the truth OF
Thomas W. Lawson's charge that he
was told that Secretary Of the Treasury
McAdoo. II. Pliny Fisk and Senator
40" made millions out Of McAdoo's
advance information with regard TO
the Presidents peace note is to be held
in the New York Custom House, Just
few blocks from where the stocks
were, according to Lawson, sold snort
before the public discovered about the
Presidential peace move.
After a long conference to-day with
the members Of the House Rules Com
mittee, Sherman l.. Whipple, of Boston
was formally retained as cross-eNam-
iner for the committee, and 1T was an
nounced that hearings would be de-
layed until Tuesday morning, to give
Mr.. Whipple a chance to work up his
case.
For the time being the much-herald-
ed sensations TO be revealed by MIS-
Ruth Thomaston Visconti, the Wash
ington woman who told Lawson a story
about Secretary Tumulty's use OF W.
W. Price, Washington newspaper man.
as a "eo between" in making prohts
on the advance information, Will re-
main merely rumors. Already they
have grown beyond the point Of pos
sibility, almost, and no fewer than 900
men in various walks OF life in the
capital arc trembling in their boots
lest they be drawn into the big net
And Just about 500 more men are de-
nouncing Thomas w. Lawson as a
muckraker than were doing so before
Mrs. Visconti's name was brought into
the affair
To Trace Market Actions
The first step of the investigation IN
New York. unless Mr.. Whipple should
change his tactics before Tuesday
morning, will be 10 question the big
bankers. with a view to showing the
.public that there were causes for the
market movements just prior TO the
making public Of the Presidents note,
entirely exclusive Of any advance in
formation of that note which may nave
filtered or been surreptitlously gwen
10 Wall Street.
Administration members OF the COM
mittec arc hoping 10 prove from tho
testimony Of j. p. Morgan, Frank A:
Vanderlp. Henry P. Dawson and
others they have subp9naed that the
real cause of the tumblng down or
prices was the decision of this group
of big bankers that the market was
topheavy. They expect to bring out
that these bankers urged a curtail-
ment of loans on all industrials, es-
pecially war babies, and this really
caused the weakness.
It is partly in Difference to these
bankers, against whom nothing is
charged, and whom the Administration
IS now very anxious to please since
Il expects them to prove an abb for
the leak charges-that the committee
IS moving to New York, where these
bankers will be Inconvenience as
little as possible by being compelled
to testify.
Think Tipster Will BE Revealed
Members OF the committee not so
eager 10 provide 81 abb point out
that this has nothing to do with the
case; that, while the tumble IN the
market was bound TO come, some one
obviously had advance information as
TO the Presidents peace note. Just
who. they believe, can be shown II
the investigation is properly pressed
and this some one, with his partners
! in Wall Street, made a killing.
If this line of strategy should be
pursued the committee will press on
with crOss-examinstion Of Archibald
s. White, who Lawson says told him
of the McAdoo- Senator co." com
bination, and Of Pliny Fisk, and OF
McAdoo.
These members feel that the abb
can be established any time, but a
hot trail should be pursued until it
demonstrates either the guilt or in
nocence of the parties named. They
urge that this should be done not only
from a standpoint Of common sense,
but also in Justice to McAdoo, Fisk
White and the six Senators whose
names begin with "O."-0wen, OF
Oklahoma; Overman. of North Caro-
lima; O'Gorman, of New York; Oliver
of Pennsylvania; Oscar Underwood. OF
Alabama. and Ollie James, Of Ken
lucky.