Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-10-29

cratic board Of seleetmen, ana every
 body else knew he couldn't do it lf
 he got the chance. won't say that
 he knew 1t. because 1t might be mud slinging. MT Lilley might Just as
 we'll have offered to be president of
 the United States without salary and
 70 save the country @60,000 . year
 as to mako the offer he did make. It
 was also characteristic of Mir Lilley,
 Indeed we would have known that
 he would do exactly what he did do
 tho mud-slinging intended), 60 be-
 fore the committee on rules In con
 gress and insist that he "knew his
 ground" in the matter of charges he
 made. that he was mot depending
 upon hearsay" in making those
 charges. and that he could provs
 them before proper committee. we
 know now that he didn't have the
 slightest thing in the way of proof
 against either individual members of
 congress or against the Electric Boat Go. We know 1t because afterwards
 under oath he said he didn't. Hav-
 ing made specific charges. how could
 he expect to be made member ot the committee to hear those charges?
 He would have been biased. q pre-. judiced member, wouldn't he? NO,
 a man can't be a complainant In . case and a judge of the same case.
 There isn't a lawyer anywhere who
 doesn't know that the committee was right in insisting that MT Liliey should testify first. In order to lay a foundation for any evidence that
 might be disclosed from an exam
 ination of the books of the Electric
 Boat Co. And what tommyrot 1t is
 for MT Sherwood to say that the com-
 mittee refused to allow MT Lilley to
 be represented by counsel. Now
 here Is exactly what was shown, and,
 indeed, 1t is not denied: The charges were framed by ex-6enator Thurston. one of the ablest lawyers
 in the country. employed by the Lake Boat Co, who, assisted by two other attorneys of this state. advised
 Mir Lilley from start to finish. Every
 witness MT Lilley desired to have
 present was summoned, and every
 question he desired to have asked, over 200 in all, was duly propound- ed. Not a particle of discriminating evidence was offered against either the Electric Boat Co or individual
 members of congress. no "foot-rot or scabbies" was shown, the charge that the cost of submarine boats
 was excessive was totally disproved, | it was proved that in making these charges MT Lilley, member of con- gress, was acting as the agent of rival boat company, and that he of fered to withdraw those charges if the Lake company could once more
 be allowed to compete. Along these lines many other facts were found highly discreditable to Mir Lilley
 which the report discloses, more so
 than anything herein specifically
 mentioned. It is dificult to see how
 this committee could have avoided finding that MT Lilley had acted in
 bad faith in the matter or, from review of the testimony. that he was discreditably inaccurate. It was q republican committee. and its action
 was endorsed by a republican con- gress by large majority. Mir Sher-
 wood has no more right to say that
 the charges against the Electric Boat
 Go were true than Mir Lilley had. His assertion that MT Lilley's speech on navy yards is convincing of the guilt of the Electric Boat Co Is absurd be- cause the subjects are In no way con- nected. Now, MT Sherwood. be hon. est with yourself. What do you know to-day, or what does Mir Lilley know about the Electric Boat Co, or about
 any members of congress referred to in the investigation that is to the dis credit of either company, or mem- bers. You may have heard that the
 man in the moon holds his nose
 while passing over Washington, but
 this ig not definite enough upon which to base specific charges. You
 may think you know, as I do myself, that money is wrongly used to pro. cure legislation in congress, but be. cause of this belief we wouldn't wan tonly attack innocent men or make particular, specific charges, would we? And If we did, wouldn't it be right to kick us out of congress, right that our fellow members should pass to the other side of the street to avoid us? It isn't pleasant to talk about these things, bat Mir Lilley's | political pedigree Is in issue and the truth should be told. One word in closing-whisper: Was there ever bigger mud-slinger from Mudville, from the head waters of Mudville creek, than Lilley showed himself to be in Washington? You know there never was. The man isn't born who can throw mud faster and in bigger junks than George L. Lilley. Just l now he is attacking the capitalists.
 Satan rebuking sin! Bosh! Two boshes and a stomach pump! The Waterbury Republican is shouting itself crazy. Why shouldn't 1t:
 Busted tires and blown out fuses all the time in defense of Mr Lilley. Well, he needs 1t.
 It has been campaign of explana- tion and defense from the beginning, all because of the imperial, dicto- torial power of the machine. The god in the machine, Boss Fyler, told the manufacturers that he would line up their men against them. Met republican doctrine. isn't 1t? Ma tional issues in Connecticut are for gotten. All the guns of oratory and
 rhetoric, broadsides. fore and aft
 poop-deck and mizzen-top, all trained upon the enemy, to save the dis