The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-03
ROOT ON LITTAUER'S TRACK.
WAR DEPARTMENT BEGINS TO
INVESTIGATE CONTRACTS.
Glove Contracts and Others. Too, tncIud-
Ing Some for HcadstOnes which Scna-
tor ProctOr's Marble Works Got-The
Secretary Orders a Thorough Sitting
OF the WhSIo supply Question.

OF the WheIo supply Question.
f, WASHINGTON, July 2.-Secretary Root
has determined upon thorough investi-
CATION Of War Department contracts and
the methods followed in the purchase Of
supplies for the army An immediate
inquiry will be made into the & love and
gauntlet contracts made by the Quarter
mast er's Department, and at the Same
time an investigation will be made Of other
contracts for the purpose Of finding out
if any members Of Congress are Interested.
The case of Lyon and Representative
Littausr was taken up this morning and
there were frequent consultations between
Secretary Root and Quartermaster- Gen.
eral Humphrey regarding the line Of in
vestigation to be pursued.
Late this afternoon Secretary Root
called Judge Advocate General Davis
into consultation and turned over to him
copies of THE Sun of Wednesday and Thurs
day with instructions to look into the
legal aspects of the disclosures concerning
Representative Littauer.
An important discovery was made new
eral days ago by officers Of the War Depart
ment in connection with the purchases Of
headstones for the army, and this matter
Is now under investigation by Quarter
master General Humphreys. 1t is said
! that this investigation was also ordered by
the Secretary Of War, who has determined
to inquire very closely into a number Of
complaints and accusations in regard to
the way certain contracts have been
4 awarded.
The records Of contracts for headstones
| show that the Vermont Marble Works OF
| Proctor, VT, has for several years sue
| ceeded in securing the business. The
understanding of officers of the Quarter
master Generals Department Ia that Sena-
tor Redfeld Proctor of Vermont is largely
interested in this company, and in a num-
Der Of instances Senator Proctor's son has
called at the War Department in connection
with the bids Of his fathers company for
supplying thousands of headstones to the
| army
A contract for several Thousand head
stones was awarded last year to the Yer
mont Marble Works and another COM
pany, both of their bids being about the
same. This year Senator Proctor's COM
panies failed to secure the contract, because
Col. Patten believed the bids too high and
had them all rejected. New proposals
were invited, with the result that the Lee
Marble Works CT Lee, Mass, secured the
order for 10000 headstones at $3.50 each.
In this case the bid of the Vermont Marble
Works was $3.4s euch.
The officials Of the War Department ran
against snag to-day in their investi CATION
Of Senator Prootor's company, and are Of
| the opinion that no legal steps can be taken
to prevent his continuing to derive benefit
from the sale Of headstones to the army
One section OF the Revised Statutes, it is
/ said, expressly exempts members of Con-
! gress holding shares in incorporated COM
! panies from the operation of the law pro-
! hibting Congressman from having an
| interest in Government contracts. and it Is
believed that the Vermont Marble Works
! Company Is an Incorporated concern.
| The firm of Lttauer Brothers is not in
! corporated.
! The inquiry into statements in connection
with tho contracts held in 1893 by Lyon
was begun soon after Secretary Root reached
the War Department this morning. He
had short conference with Assistant
Secretary of War Sanger, and later Quar-
terrnaster- General Humphrey was called
! into consultation.
After Gen. Humphrey left him Secretary
Root sent for Col William s. Patton. who
was the head OF the division that bought
the gloves and gauntlets.
| At the hearing this morning between Qen.
| Humphrey and the Secretary OF War 1t
was said that Lyon has had no contract for
! gloves or gauntlets since December, 1893.
| This fact, 1t is said, will not prevent an In
vestigation, and every effort Is to be made
! to ascertain II at any time Representative
| IIittauer appeared before the officers In
the interest of Lyon or any glove contract
The officers attach considerable i'm
| portance to Representative Littauer's own
| declaration that officers OF the Government
knew that his firm was making gloves
and gauntlets for Lyon, and that an In
spector of tho army visited the Lttauer
| factory in Gloversville
I While it is thought that this might not
show in any way that the officers Of the
| Quartemasters Department knew that Lit
| tauer was a party to Lyons contracts it ID
! believed to indicate that Littauer did not
sell the gauntlets to Lyon without n knowi-
edge that they were intended for the
army. Even more importance, however, is
placed upon the statement in Mr., Littauer's
letter referring to Gen Ludington, and In
the course Of the inquiry Gen. Ludington
| will be asked if Mr. Iitaucr ever called
| upon him here and discussed the question
| Of gloves and gauntlets for the army.
! 1t is thought the papers and records In
/ the Philadelphia office may throw some
| light on the connection between Repre-
sentative Littauer and Lyon. rs in nearly
| all cases the bids were opened at the Depot
! Quartermasters office in Philadelphia and
contracts placed from there. Col. Fursy,
| who was in charge of this Office when the
! contracts were made with Lyon, Is now on
! the retired list Of the army. but If neces-
sary he will he summoned to the War De-
pnrtment for examination
Secretary Roots attention has been
called to the provision of theReviGsd Statutes
providing for the repayment 10 the
Government by the contractor of all moneys
received by him on contracts that may have
become void by reason of a violation Of the
law prohibiting members of Congress from
sharing in the benefits of contracts with the
Government
In the opinion of the Secretary Of War,
\ 4 II.