The morning journal-courier. (New Haven, Conn.) 1907-1913, 1908-03-11
THE LILLEY INVESTIGATION.

1t is yet to be demonstrated that the
friends of Congressman Lilley of this
State have reason to be nervous over
the necessarily disagreeable position
In which he finds himself as a conse-
quence of having brought charges
against the integrity of a firm of sub
boat builders II of course goes
without saying that they would much
prefer that he be given by the COM
mittee OF investigation the latitude
usually given accusers of the congress
sional class, and not compel him to
assume inconsiderately the role of de-
PENDANT, but even so their faith in his
resources is such that they will not
believe that he will fail in his under
taking until he has played his last
card and lost.
The position in which Congressman
Lilley finds himself appeals to the cit
liens of the State of Connecticut from
the sympathetic point of view with
out regard to partisan affiliations. 1t |
is true that George f. Lilley. the Re- |
publican congressman at large and |
candidate for the Republican nominal
ton for governor, Is the individual |
who has brought these ugly charges
of political graft but he is none the
less on that account the representative
of a. proud people, which for the sake
of the good name of the State natural
ly wishes him to make good. What
ever satisfaction an extreme Demo-
cratic partisan might see in his dis
comfiture would appear insignificant
as compared with the discontinue the
commonwealth would feel in seeing
one of Its sons convicted in high posi-
ton of hasty elaboration and false
reasoning. And 1t is this situation
which warrants a word or two about
the inconceivable features of this
case. 1t is inconceivable, in the first
place, that man of Mr.. Lilley's sense
of personal responsibility should per-
NIT himself to be drawn into a con-
troversy without good reason In the
second place. It Is inconceivable that
his fellow citizens at home should
permit the departure of congresslon-
al committee of investigation from
conventional lines of inquiry, which
embarrasses Mr.. Lilley for obvious
reasons, to modify their faith in the
likelihood of his sound position. In
fact the informal disclosures thus far
made Justify the belief that if he be
given a fair chance to prove his case
protected, as he has the moral right
to be protected. by counsel, he will
prove it. The alternative belief is the
inconceivable one already spoken of.
that he is man of impulsive and
dangerous tendencies From the point
of view of The Journal-Courier Mr..
Lilley is In the right until ii has been
proved that he Is in the wrong, and
this is equally true of any other Con-
necticut official in like position.
This sympathetic attitude is fur
thermore strengthened by the attitude
of the investigating committee itself.
There may be reasons. which one at
this distance cannot understand and
appreciate, why he should be made
the defendant in the case instead of
the alleged offender, but in the alb
sence of a convincing explanation the
conclusion is at least temporarily war
ranted that MIR. Lilley has by his
charges so threatened the peace of
mind of others than those included in
his indictment, and has approached
SO near to a far-reaching congression-
al scandal as to justify the committee
in the risk it is mapifestly running
of leaning on the lesser of two evils.
Certainly the affair thus far proceeds
upon novel theories The man who
brings the charges. himself member
of congress, and who on that account
depended with reason upon a place on
the investigating committee If not its
chairman, is altogether ignored and
given to understand that before
the committee is ready to examine
other witnesses he must himself make
a clean breast of it, in order that if
may be determined to the satisfaction
of the committee hhat he knows what
he is talking about. Nor does the COM
course. express a willingness to hear
the story in executive session, in order
that the real defense may not be CIV
en- at the outset the advantage to
which it is plainly not entitled One
story says that even if the committee
finally allows Mr. Lilley's counsel to
appear the examination of witnesses
will have to be made through the
chairman of the investigating commit
tee. he and his colleagues to pass up
on the character and form of the
questions If there is any method of
procedure more likely to balk the eff
forts Of his counsel to get at the truth,
st is yet to be heard of, 10 other