Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-01-07
EMPHATIC LANGUAGE
sYPHER, OF LANG SYNE, CHARGED
WITH PERTURBATION.
He Rouscs Amos Cummings to the Point
Of Indignstion--spcsd Premiums
In the Navy.

WASHINGTON. January e.-"Youre a
l.. and you know itr' was the start
ling exclamation which fell from the lips
OF Representative Amos J. CumminSs.
OF New York, at the Capitol to-day.
The renal was Addressed 10 J. Eais
Sypher. a former representative IN Con-
gress from Louisiana. and now prac-
ticing attorney Of this city. The scene
was tho room OF the Naval Affairs Conn
mlttee The subject before the commit
tee was resolution introduced In the
House by Mr.. Holman, OF Indiana, on
December 18th last, which set forth ths
fact that more than 100000 had been
paid out to contractors engaged In the
building OF war-ships for premiums; mat
the ships were 80 built as to secure q
higher speed than was required by the
contract. thereby permitting the con-
tractors to earn these extraordinary ana
unjusti1able premiums. and. therefore,
that the Committee on Naval Analrs
should be instructed TO investigate 'he
whole matter thoroughly. and TO iearh'
especially, whether through the colluslon
Of any officer Of tho government THESE
premiums were secured.
Mr.. Sypher appeared before the com
mittee IN support OF the resolution. III
the course Of his argument he openly
charged that the committee had been
formed for the express purpose OF alulns
the contractors in securing these Iarbe
premiums. a..
Mr.. Hulick. of Ohio reminded MT.
sypher that his accusation was Nery
grave one, and asked him II he dld nor
know that Speaker Crisp himseh ap'
pointed the committee. Mr.. Sypher ie
piled that he did. and added that speaker
Crisp was also in the ring"
And 90 you mean to inslnuate
oueried Mr.. Hulick, that l am heie ID
O paid attorney OF the contractors!
sYPHER RESPONSIBLE
'T DO" bluntIy," replied Mr. Sypher'
az think YOU are all paid attorneys. Ahu,
he added, CHANGING around the room"
am RESPONSIBLE for my utterahceS. A.
At a later point in the discussion ~.
Cummings, the chairman or the coiIi l,,,,
tee. read a letter that was persona
handed TO him yesterday by oiat
Cramp. the Philadelphia ship-puiiuei .
I1is letter bore the date Of the 2otn' IL
was alleged to have been written by eypner
to Cramp II contained newspaper enP-
nlngs and other data 10 show thHt Nii'
matter of premiums was one that was
likely 10 be investigated by Congress uil /,
ing the present session. The writer sta'eu
that the cruiser New York was n Irau0'
and that 1t was not unlikely tna' INC
prernhirns that had been paid the con-
tractors for excess of speed would nave
10 be refunded TO the government
The suggestion was made TO Sypher py
eeveral members of the committee theI ''ie
letter might have been written WIN
view 10 securing his retention by Tramp
in n professional way TO prevent INC III
vestigation. Sypher holly denied 'hat SUI
WAS his purpose. He was aotuated' BIC
cid bv considerations motives only, ana
ba then proceeded again TO charge that
Secretary Herbert, eK-Secrstary Tracy
and other prominent officials OF the Navy
Denartment were In COLLISION with the
contractors
Sypher went on TO say that Cramp had
not answered his letter, but That a ie"
days later no came down TO WahhlBloh
with Mr.. Griscomb the president OF tho
American Steamship Line; that the TWO
invited Secretary Herbert to luncheon.
and I'm that way secured his friendly In
terest In their affairs.
WHAT MADE THE TROUBLE.
Sypher also insinuated that Cummings.
the chairman OF tho committee. was also
under the influence Of the shIp-builders'
1t was at this point that the chairman
Indignantly raid that sypher was an EN-
phadc prevaIioator, and CURLY requested
the attorney TO oonfine his future utter
ances TO answering the queries which
the committee propOunded TO him This
practically closed the session Of the COM
mittee to-day. which will be continued
again on Monday.
At yesterdays session OF the commit
tee, Philip Hishborn, the Assistant Chief
Constructor Of the Navy, appeared and
addressed the committee for some time
regarding the question OF premiums. lie
ridiculed the suggestion Of collision be-
tween the naval officials and the contrac-
tors, and said that such q conspiracy
could only exist where 1t included every
man from the Secretary clear through TO
the members OF tho trial board. He eX-
planned the benefits OF the premium sys-
TEN. and showed that in many cases the
government did not lose n dollar. mas
much as the contract price was usually
far below the amount that would be paid
if the contract were made on the basis
OF the maximum rate of speed.