Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-02-15 | Page 3 | 'Leak' Inquiry Strikes Snag in Wall Street

HEI' INQUIRY STIES SNAG INWALLSTREET Head of Hutton and Company Com-pany and H. J. Barrett, Member of the Firm, Now in the South. , i i XKW V(.)KK, Feb. H. After an ex-: pntive seion tonight of the congressional congres-sional committee investigating the 4 'leak'' on President Wilson's peace , note to the belligerent powers, it was announced that the committee expects i to close its public hearings tomorrow. Further work to be done by a sub-coin-ee, it was stated, will consist of the exarnimttion of brokers' statements r of busineb'3 done for customers during ' the period under investigation. This decision by the committee created creat-ed surprise, as it had been expected public hearings would be continued here uU week. In rase anything is discovered dis-covered by the sub-committee to warrant war-rant reopening of the public hearings, that will be done, it was stated for the committee. It is not expected, however, that further public hearings will be necessary. Broker after broker was put on "the s'and today and asked whether there were any persons in official life at Washington Wash-ington a niong their customers, and each one said there was none. Tate in the session Representative Philip Campbell asked I. V. .Sterling of Logan & Bryan whether the lists of customers would re-' re-' veal speculating- officials. "Yon mi'lit have the name of everv fii.stomer of every broker in the United Slate? and not discover such officials If they were dealing through a third party whose name alone appears as the customer," cus-tomer," Air. Sterling said. - Effectually Concealed. "Is thpie any way of finding out if any officials are dealing?" asked Mr. Campbell.. "No way that T know of unless such customers whose names do appear and who may be trading" fnr an unknown party come forward and divulge his name.' Mr. Sterling said. The name of Joseph p. Tumulty, President Pres-ident Wilson's secretary, was again brought into the inquiry when James B. Regan, hotel proprietor" here, was asked t tie direct question whether or not during a visit of Mr. Tumulty here December 17 and IS he gave Mr. Regan any hint as to a prospective peace note. "Positively not. I wish lie had.' replied re-plied Mr. Regan, who added that he had discussion with Mr. Tumulty regarding jTairs at Washington. Mr. Regan denied the rumor t,hat h himself sold- short heavily in United States Steel during the r "leak'' period. pmmittee Baffled. .e efforts of the committee to sift to the bottom the manner in which E. F. Hutton & Co., brokers, got their forecast fore-cast of the president's note were baffled through the absence of Mr. Hutton and 1 (. J. Barrett, members of the firm. George A. Kills, another member, said they were im the south. He testified that he was unable to find the telegrams sent from P. A. Connolly & Co., the firm's Washington correspondent, on which the Hutton forecast was based. It was pointed out by Sherman L. Whipple, counsel for the committee, that the testimony of" Mr. Hutton and Mr. Connolly as to that telegram was at', variance vari-ance and thjt the "conclusion was irresistible irre-sistible that'' Mr. Hutton knew that Mr. Connolty was making a misstatement." The motion was made by a member of the committee that Mr. Hutton and Mr. Barrett be compelled to a ppear before it, but after executive consideration of this proposal Mr. Whipple announced such ri step would not be taken. He added add-ed that Mr. Hutton and Mr. Barrett were the only persons who could straighten out the matter and that the responsibility rested with them as to whether their house could afford to leave the subject as it is. Unless they appeared, he said, the' committee com-mittee was free to make what deductions deduc-tions it could from all the circumstances and so report to congress. Mr. Ellis said! ho would attempt to get in touch with j his associates. ,