The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-10
PREMIUMS ON WARSHIPS.
The House Committee Finds SypheT'S
CHARGES UnfOunded.

The Designers Unable to Tell in Ad-
vance Exactly What Ships Speed
will Be-Sypher's Motives in Max
ing His Charges ImpuEned-His
veracity Put in a Bad Light by Quo
tations from His Own Testimony.
washington, Feb. 9.-Chairman Cum.
rninps. of the House naval committee, has
completed the report upon the Holman
resolution declaring that the premiums
maid for speed of naval vessels are exces-
sive and seeking to restrain further pay
ments on that score
Mr.. Cummings prefaces his report by
calling attention to the fact that Mr..
Holman sought to secure the imme'
date adoption of the resolution
without reference to the committee
He saws a patient effort has been
made 10 unearth facts to warrant an in
vestigation. MIR. Holman had introduced
Mr.. J. Hale Sypher, as a gentleman of ex
cellent reputation, who had furnished the
facts upon which the charges were based,
but when the committee, accepting Mr..
Holman's estimate of the gentleman.
called for facts, none was presented. The
witness did not believe that any naval
officer had been party to corrupt com
hination. but believed that the premium
law was unwise, and that reckless extra.
yagance had been shown.
CALCULATIONS ON SPEED.
II appeared that Mr.. Sypher knew
nothing of any fraud, or of naval con
structlon or engineering, but relied upon
newspaper reports. He named experts
who would support his statements that
the designing engineers could calculate
the speed of a vessel within a quarter of
a knot, but when one of them was called
he denied the possibility of predicting
the speed within knot or a knot and a
half. Chief Engineer Melville had de-
MED that the prediction could be made
within half a knot, and so had other naval
experts.
The committee found that the Charge
that the designs were purposely drawn
10 secure more than the contract speed
was not borne out, and the same was true
of the allegation that unusual and i'm
proper means were used to force the YES
sells on trial trips, damaging the ma
chinery
SYPGRR's MOTIVES,
The report next takes up the question
o. MIR. Sypher's motives in pressing the
charges. 1t quotes the testimony tc
show that he declared that he appeared
pro bono publico patriot, and that he
had denied any concern in the introduc.
tion of the Blair esolution preceding
Mr.. Holman's resolution on the same
subject Then it quotes Mr.. Syphers
letter to the Cramps of Sept. % last
saying that he had important
information at their service, and, contin
uing, cites the evidence of exRepresent-
alive Hazelton, who drew up the Blair
resolution, where he says it was prepared
in Mr.. Sypher's Office, on information
furnished by Mr.. Sypher,
sYPHER's vERAc iMPEAcHED.
In further attack upon the character of
the witness the report says: THE Hol-
man preamb BILE and resolution were intro
duced into the House on Dec. 10. On his
first appearance before the committee
Mr.. Sypher was asked. Did YOU prepare
a copy of that resolution His reply was
No sir
HE was then asked whether he had
knowledge Of the resolution before its in
PRODUCTION. His reply was Yes, sir; !
had knowledge, and that resolution
probably originated from suggestions
made by me based upon these newspaper
articles
Further along he was asked: Did you
father the resolutiou2' He replied: Why
is my child
He was asked: You did not prepare
or cause it to be preparedl'
His reply was: i did not prepare it
but had talk with Judge Holman sew
eral times and showed him these newspa-
per articles and gave him this informa-
ton"
Mr. Holman afterward appeared before
the committee and testified that the
preamble and resolution were revised by
him, but were written by MIR. Sypher.
sYPHER's PACT HISTORY.
The report goes into Mr.. Sypher's past
history in Louisiana, its deductions there
from being to Mr.. Sypher's serious de,
spite, and then charges that in the
present case, under cover of permission tc
revise his statement before the COM
mlttee, he carried away the official
record before any member had seen it
garbled and mutilated it to such an ex.
tent that it was necessary to prepare new
record, and printed this garbled state
ment without authority, changing and
strlklng out questions and answers.
And" says the report. "a printed
copy of this garbled statement
was taken to the room of the
committee on Indian affairs, OF
which Mr.. Holman is chairman, and
atterward circulated by the clerk of that
committee, with paster on the
outside, headed premiums on warships.
a million dollar steal on four ships, u
giving the premium figures, and winding
up: Will somebody who defends this
extravaganza and pernicious system of
premiums inform the country what bene-
III or value the people get for this large
expenditure. Is it not monstrous steal
and fraudP"
Before concluding the report with de-
Jailed statement of the law and contracts
applicable to the ships since 1882, the
committee says that Mr., Sypher should
De eliminated as factor in the investiga-
ton that his charges are unfounded
that there is not the slightest evidence
mat any premium paid was not fairly
earned ; that Mr.. Sypher produced false
Lgures and newspaper articles; that the
law has been observed; and that the
naval experts examined agree that the
premium plan has been productive of the
most satisfactory results.