The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-06-21
BOWLES, NOT COWLES'
FORMER WAS EMPLoYE OF THE
 SHIPPING TRUST.
Charges That Presidents Brother-in law Neglected Governments Busi- ness to Work for Corporation
 Have No Foundation

Washington, June 2o.-(special)-In ad- dition to President Roosevelt's anxiety over the rottenness in the Postofice De partment, he is consideraly exercised py an article printed recently in prominent newspaper connecting the name or ms brother-in-law, Commander Cowies, o' s. N, with the shipbuilding trust.
 This particu1ar story set forth as fact that an appraisal of the value ana prop- able results of the shipbuilding trust was made in 1901 by Commander Cowies' .ne story is absolutely a canard. Inns iaCo. was performed by a naval omcer ~ stands much higher in rank than mander Cowles, viz, Francis os,,a the time of the appraisement Cohs'i tor in the Navy and now a Rear Ao miraI and Chief of the Board oI Soi struction of the Navy Department. was he and not the President in-law who figured as an eihP.us ~ the shipbuilding trust. At the ene this appraisement, Bowles was m cna,se of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, ana leit ms labors there to devote his time 10 the business of the shipbuilding trust, no" in a very anaemic condition as was evinc- ed by a. shrinkage in it's values ie" days ago to the etxent or $SS.VoV.VW.
 Rear Admiral Bowles Is said to have been maid many thousands of dollars by the trust for this work and it Is insin- mated that the connection of his name with what promised to be gigantic mo- nopolv was worth a great deal more to 'the incorporators than the technlcai knowledge and experience he gave m esli- mating the tangible value of the different properties he was called upon 10 con sider- The name of a high Government official in the Navy Department as their appraiser meant much to the shipDuhd- ing trust in floating stock, especially when the tip was given out to prospect
 
 but very short time when Bowies would be Chief Naval Constructor and exert a powerful influence in awarding contracts for the building of war vessels. In naval circles 1t is a subject of much discussion that a year before the ship building trust was formed Bowles ap- peared before Congressional committee and argued earnestly for the building of war vessels in government navy yards. Later, however, he changed his mind. That was after he had acted for the ship trust, for 1t is a matter of incontrovertible record that he testified before the naval committees of the Senate and House that it would be very bad financial arrange ment to construct war vessels in govern mt yards as from 20 to 30 per cent u!d be saved by letting them out by ( rtract
 ear Admiral Bowles had this acrobatic cllnge of ideas all within two years. His very inconsistent attitude fin the mat ter has subjected him to severe criu- cism in the Navy Department and from what could be learned today he may be called upon to explain his connection with the shipbuilding trust, as it is without precedent and an unheard of thing for a naval officer while in the active service of the government, to deliberately leave his duties and give his time and abili- ties to a private concern. It is interesting hat fhn chi time advertised Rear Admiral Bowles as it's future President at a salary of $5O,0o0 year. But some of the Admirals critics are unkind enough to say that the trust in reconsidering the matter found that Bowles could be of more service to, them in his present position than as their nign- est executive officer.
 Some authorities state that the story connecting Commander Cowles with the trust arose from a confusion Of names, while the wind from another quarter blows the news that it was a deliberate intention to cast astignaa ons President Roosevelt and his brother-in-law. No mat ter what the circumstance causing this may have been, it may be interesting to note that the government of the United States has made contracts with num- ber of concerns as individual companies but since absorbed by the trust for the building of the following war vessels:
 
 Cleveland, Nevada, on which 2,74O,ylO has been paid; balance due g, S52, ,739. Lew is Nixon, four vessels, Chattanooga, Flor ida, Nicholson. OBrien, S,9S2925 paid; due S26204O. Harlan & Holhngsworths three vessels, Hopkins, Hull, Stringham. paid $754.532; due $63,040. Union. Iron Works six vessels, Ohio, California, South Dakota Tacoma, Milwaukee, Wy oming, paid $5,91660O; due $9,36O 4sO, mak- ing a grand total due on all these vessels of $12, ,63S, 300.
 It should be remembered in connection with these contracts that Admiral BoWles passes on the imposition and remission of penalties and the extension of time, and also that he has made the following statement regarding the ship trust. and the most careful man estimating these statements could not summarize them but as enthusiastic. He is on record as saying:
 The commercial success of shipbuild- ing depends upon a thorough organiza- tion and co-ordinat ton of all the various industries and trades which together pro- duce a completed ship ready to steam away" He also points out that the effect of the shipbuiding trust will be to cheap en the cost of the Government vessels not only in the initial construction, hut afterward both in maintenance and re- pair. Continuing. he said:
 Tt will be possible to effect great econ ornies by the separation of war ships and merchant construction into different es- establishments. thus avoiding the difficult ties of organization and increased cost of carrying out radically different types of construction upon adjoining ships
 It can be seen by this remark of Rear Admiral Bowles that he contemplated the shipbuilding trust getting all the con tracts for war vessels to the exclusion of the shipbuilders outside of the trust The condition of the shipbuildlng trust as it stands today does not bear out Bowles' S rather Utopian ideas.