The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-22
.LAIGy's Demand for InVsstiga- tOn of Certain Affairs
 Causes a Sensation
ELECTRIC BOAT CONCERN
 SPENT MONEY FREELY
Action of House Committee On Naval Affairs In Cutting Down Battle ships and Adding To Sub-
 marines Is Criticised.

Washington, February 21.-Representa-
 tive Lilley of Connecticut, whose intro duction yesterday of resolution calling for an investigation of methods said to have been employed by the Electric Boat company. in endeavoring to have it's sub marine boats chosen by the House com mittee on naval affairs, caused a sensa-
 tion, is to be called before the commit
 tee on rules to which the resolution was
 referred. Speaker Cannon is chairman of that committee. The other members
 are Representatives Dalzell of Pennsyl-
 vana Sherman of New York, John sharp
 Williams of Mississippi and De Armond of Missouri. It is unofficially understood
 that if Representative Lilley can show the committee on rules that there is sub
 stantial ground for his charges his reso- lution of investigation will be favorably reported to the House.
 Chairman Foss of the committee on
 naval affairs was unwilling today to mako
 for publication formal statement with
 regard to Representative Llley's reso-
 lution, and the charges back of It. MT.
 Foss attitude was that he preferred not
 to take official notice of the act. be-
 cause it was not in the hands of the
 committee on rules. But personally hs
 thought that a full Investigation ought to be made, provided Mr. Lllley could
 show that he has tTe hard ground of facts under his feet
 Mir. Foss has been on record for years ] as an uncompromislng opponent of the
 submarine torpedo boat as a fighting
 craft.
 Charge of Conspiracy.
 An examination of the charge that a conspiracy existed among certain mem bers of the naval committee to turn down President Roosevelts naval con- struction programme" shows that a ma jority of the committee expressed them selves at the meeting February 10
 as strongly In favor of authorizing the four battleships asked for by the Presi-
 dent, but they adopted the view of Chair
 man Floss that to report such recom- mendation would immediately cause the committee to be reversed on the floor of the House and that they, therefore, voted to recommend two battleships the limit of authorization that would be sup ported in the opinion of the chairman,
 who had consulted the leaders. Only five
 members of the committee-Lilley of Con- necticut Thomas of Ohio, Meyer of
 Louisiana, Talbot of Maryland and Hob-
 son of Alabama, voted in favor of four battleships.
 The vote to authorize eight sumba- rines instead of four asked for by the department and the President was 10 to '. the ayes being Butler of Pennsylva-
 mia. Roberts of Massachusetts. Loud of Michigan, Bates of Pennsylvania,
 Tn omas of Ohio, Dawson of Iowa. Ellis
 of Oregon, Gregg of Texas and Talbot of Maryland.
 The noes were Foss of Illinois, Mudd of Maryland, Lilley of Connecticut, El- liott of New York. Padgett of Tennes-
 see, Lamar of Missouri and Hobson of Alabama.
 The committee today declined to give the name of the member on whose mo-
 tion the authorization was doubled Nothing To Be Said.
 MT. Loudenslager, author of the com mittee amendment making it obliga- tory on the navy department to pur- chase eight submarines of the Octopus type unless superior submarine sh hould be obtained by October 1. 1908. refused to discuss the Lilley resolution or to reply publicly to MT. Lilleys charge that this amendment was in ef- feet delivery of the prospective con- tract into the hands of the Electric Boat company. Mir. Ioudenslager said, .'at the proper tmie," he would be pre- pared to refute all charges of favor- itism so far as his action in committee was concerned
 The resolution of investigation was today as yesterday chief topic Of dis cussion in the lobby and cloak rooms and other congregating places Of the capitol None of the representatives were willing to talk for publication, but many of them speculated 9rlvateiy on the liklihood of an investiS ttion be- ing ordered and on it's resucs That representatives of the Elef -ric Boat company have been .lavislL~ entertain erss in Washington appeared to be common knowledge, but mol one went so far as to impute to them the improper motives charged by RepresentatFe Lilley.