Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-14
/ GRAF1ERS ARE GUILTY GIVE UP THEIR TASK
Jury at Harrisburg ConVcts LIeys Counsel Throw Up
Every One on Trial. Their Undertaking.
VERDICT HEARD IN Sill ENCE CHAIRMAN BOUTELL'S VIEW
Ca Next One Gives Reasons for the Procedure
8 Prosecuted. Adopted
MOTIONS FOR NEW TRIAL INVESTIGATION WILL GO ON
4 in After Two Ballots mittee
LiIIey's Counsel Throw Up
Their Undertaking.
CHAIRMAN BOUTELL'S VIEW
Gives Reasons for the Procedure
Adopted.
INVESTIGATION WILL GO ON
Inquiry Into Methods of Submarine
Boat Companies-Hobson's Com
mittee Assignment.

When the Boutell special committee
meets next Monday to continue its In
quiry into the submarine scandal al
legged by Representative Lilley of Con-
necticut that gentleman will have to go
1t alone. Frank T. Brown and stiles
Judson, the Connecticut lawyers retained
by Mr.. Lilley, threw up their jobs In
disgust last night and started for home,
stating that the refusal of the ommittee
to permit either direct or cross eXamlna-
ton of witnesses by persons other than
members of the committee had drawn
their fangs.
In a statement issued yesterday Chair
man Boutel of the committee said:
1.-The apparent misunderstanding on the
part of the public as to the attitude OF
the investigating committee toward MI.
Lilley-a misunderstanding which APP
pears to have sprung from public state
ments in which MIR. Lilley has beer
quoted as dissatisfied with the prospective
course of the committee toward himself
as the originator OF the resolution OF IN
quiry-is unfortunate. 1t should be clear
ly understood that the committee is pro-
ceeding not only within the narrow lines
laid down by the law, but also with
view and purpose to protect Mr.. L1lley
and to prevent this investigation from
deteriorating into laughing stock and
q farce"
Legal Questions Involved.
Chairman Boutell goes on to discuss
in detail the legal questions involved
which prevented the granting Of Mr..
Lilley's requests. He continued:
II wish to state very clearly as chair
man of the investigating committee that
l.,s fyrf.
to the very bottom, and in doing SO we
propose to proceed within the law and
with due regard for the protection OF
Mr.. Lilley as member of the House OF
Representatives.
Mr.. Lilley issued a statement taking
issue with Chairman Boutells position
regarding the legality of the procedure
proposed
: Chairman Boutell will issue ordinary
subpoenas for former United States Sen
ator Marion C. Butler of North Carolina
and s. s. McNeir Of this city. both men
toned by Mr. Lilley as attorneys for the
Electric Boat Company: C.. B. Creecy, II.
W. Creecy and B. F. Sands. all OF this
city, and Frank B. Lord and Angus Erly,
newspaper men. The names of all or these
men were mentioned by Mr.. Lilley in his
sworn statement to the investigating COM
mittee Thursday morning.
An important development of the stu
alton is that Secretary of the Navy Met
calf. the members of last years navy
board which sat in trial on submarine
tests off Newport and other high omclals
of the Navy Department will be called on
by the committee to testify and to pro-
duce government records Of plans, speci-
fcations and contracts
Boutell's Second Statement.
Iniia supplemental statement last night
Chairman Boutell said:
.l.l- L.. t., <tn
light of criticising Mr.. Lilley. for the
committee and all of it's members are as
friendly to him as to any other member
Of the House. but I will say that if Mr..
Lilley now proposes to step aside and no
longer cooperate with the committee The
investigation of the charges he has made
will 60 on nevertheless. These charges
involve the honor and the dignity of the
whole House of Representatives. and they
will be sifted to the bottom with his aid
or without"
Chairman Boutell also declared that Mr..
Lilley in his sworn statement to the COM
mittee Thursday retracted practically
everything he had said before the COM
mittee on rules. He told that committee
that he expected to prove that large sums
of money were contributed to the cam
paign funds of certain representatives,
but under oath before the investigating
committee he declared with emphasis that
he never had charged the corruption of
any member of the House. nor did he
propose to make such a charge. He told
the. rules committee that 1t would not be
surprising to find some dishonest persons
in a membership SO large as that of the
House of Representatives.. and he spoke
Of the necessity of wedding out "scabbes
and rot" if such moral diseases existed
In the House. Those were very strong
words, very vigorous expressions. They
do not seem to have been backed up by
Mr.. Lilley in that part of his sworn state
ment to the investigating committee in
which he specifically disavowed any
charge of corruption against his col
leagues in the House.
Hobson's Committee Appointment.
Regarding the appointment of Capt.
Richmond p. Hobson Of Alabama on the
committee on naval affairs. which has
been referred to in the conduct of the in
vestigation of the charges of Representa-
tive Lilley in connection with the pur-
chase by the government of submarine
torpedo boats. White Busbey. secretary to
Speaker Cannon, said last night: Capt.
Hobson was recommended for assignment
to the naval committee by John Sharp
Williams, the minority leader of the House.
and Mr.. Cannon accepted Mr.. Williams
slate There was no discussion, and only
one change made in Mr.. Williams recon-
mendations. That was not on the naval
committee"
WAS Mr. Williams recommendation of
Mr.. Hobson the only one that came be-
fore the Speaker
"Yes, with the exception that on March
2. 1907, two days before the Fifty-ninth
Congress adjourned, Mr. Hobson. as a
member-eIect of the Sixtieth Congress,
left with me a letter addressed to The
Speaker expressing desire for assign
ment to the naval committee. That let
ter was Endorsed by the members-elect of
the Alabama delegation"
THE MARYLAND LEGISLATURE.