The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-02-06
ATTEMPT TO BRIBE|
Charge Made by Representative Less
Ter Sustained by Committee.

Washington, Feb. 3.-The house
committee on naval affairs today re.
ported to the house it's findings in the
matter of the investigation of the
LESSER bribery charges.
A minority report, signed by Repre-
sentative Kitchen, democrat, North
Carolina; Vandiver, democrat, Mis-
souri,, and Roberts, republican, Massa-
chusetts, was also submitted.
The full committee on investigation
today also took up the report sub
mitted by the subcommittee, of which
Mr.. Foss was chairman, and which
had been charged with the prepare
ton of the findings for the committee.
Two hours were given to it's consid-
GRAFTON, during which time there vas
much discussion as to the form the
findings should take.
On the final vote on the adoption
of the report as a whole Representa-
tives Kitchen of North Carolina, Mudd
of Maryland and Roberts of Massa-
chusetts, voted present; Representa-
tive of Missouri voted in the negative,
he giving an explanation for SO vot-
ing.
There was a desire on the part of
some members to make the findings
more sweeping in some respects. The
majority report, after reciting the
resolutions from the naval affairs
committee to investigate the charges
of bribery, says:
cat a meeting Of the committee on
naval affairs, held January 20, 1903,
during the consideration of the navy
appropriation bill, Mr.. Lessler, a
member of the committee, charged
that he had been corruptly approach
ed for the purpose of influencing his
action respecting proposed legislation
providing for the purchase of Holland
submarine torpedo boats.
The committee Immediately ap-
pointed a subcommittee to make a
preliminary investigation of Mr.. Less
ler's charge. The following day
Philip Dublin of New York, appeared
before the subcommittee and O N
fessed that he had SO approached
Mr.. Lessler. The substance of this
statement having been reported the
following day to the full committee
the chairman was directed to pre-
SEM to the house and secure the adop-
ton of the above resolution.
''In compliance with the direction
and authority of said resolution your
committee proceeded at once to take
testimony and examine such witnesses
as were believed to have knowledge
of the subject of the inquiry. That
testimony is set out in full in the
appendix to this report and in view
of the fact that your committee in this
report makes an explicit finding of
llS CONCLUSIONS, IL USCOllGS ulluCCCS'
sary to quote from or to comment
upon the evidence"
The report briefly recites the alleg-
ed attempt of Doblin to %corruptly in
fluence Mr.. Lessler and then quotes
section $3.50 of the revised statutes,
which makes it an offense punishable
by fine and Imprisonment for any per.
son to make any corrupt proposal to
any member Of either house of con
gress; also section 1892 of the revis.
ed statutes relating to the giving OF
false Testimony. The report con.
tinues:
"a witness sworn by the chairman,
as in this Case, who states any ma
terial matter which he does not be
lieve to be true before the committee
OF the house conducting an investiga.
ton under direction of the house com