Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-04-18
LILLEY AGAIN
Submarine Committee Had Him Before Them For 2 Second
 Time Yesterday
THURSTON HELPS OUT

dal is about over. The house con-
 mittee has been engaged during the
 last few days and yesterday picking
 up the flag ends. All the officers of
 the Electric Boat Co and all the off,
 cers of the Lake Torpedo Boat Co,
 employees and outside witnesses have
 been examined. Some of the books
 of each company are to be exam
 ined by the committee in executive
 session. Both companies expressed
 willingness to hand their books and
 records to the committee, though
 the committee was not certain de-
 mand should be made for them. No
 foundation for it seemed to have
 been laid..
 Questions put by MT Howard for
 the committee and answered by MT
 Lilley indicate about what has de- Veloped and what has not been
 brought out in the evidence. MT
 Towards first question almost summed up the case and other ques- tions indicated what might be lack ing.
 @. It is material to my mind that the charge or charges are essentially of fraudulent methods on the part of the Electric Boat Co that tended to corrupt congress to legislate in their favor, and while you have said sev- eral times that you charge no par ticular member of congress of being corrupted, your insistence has proved that you believe that cor rupting methods were employed. I have been unable in my mind to sup pose an active agency of corruption directed to the members of congress and still further specialized toward the committee on naval affairs. It has been to me inconceivable that this active agency of corruption could have been in operation and nobody toward whom it Was directed affected. Therefore I would like for you to explain to the committee when you made those charges before the rules ommittee-whether you had tho proofs then in your posses sion and at your command to SUD- port them. Also what you had of your own knowledge and you had from other sources of information distinct from what you expected to get from the Lake Boat Co. would like to know what you depended on to prove your charges, independent of the Lake Boat Co, and how much you expected to SC from the Lake Boat Co ,at the time the charges were made.
 A. did not expect to get any thing from the Lake Boat Co that time. thought had sufficient evi- dence in my possession or could pro- cure it to substantiate my charges.
 c. You have testified that you in- troduced your resolution of investi- gation without suggestion from any one, but after you introduced it did you not utilize all the resources of the Lake Torpedo Boat Go in the | of your case to this con- mittee and in order to substantiate | your charges?
 A. drew from every source avail ible in order to give light to the 
 c. Did you not know that it was he policy of the Lake Boat Co to ! ,ring about such an investigation as 'ou procured, and did it not occur to 'ou that you might become the un- conscious agent of the Lake company n permitting them to act with you? | \. I knew there had been a feeling Imong the Lake boat people that they lave not had fair deal here, but ] | lave never personally expressed the opinion that they were not having a quare deal.
 c. At the very outset the charges themselves were drawn by the Lake Boat Company, were they not? A i great many of the charges were | by me. Mir Thurston pu hem into shape.
 Q. Is there anything now that you Fish to add, any testimony you can uggest that will aid the committee n reaching conclusion and making Is report on the evidence before it? |. can only say that I think il unfortunate that I was compelled to iscloSe my case at the start. thus nabling the witnesses to cut their 10th accordingly.
 Mr Howard then asked If Mir LII. sy would point to a single instance iherc he believed the fact that he ad disclosed his case. as he said. or he committee had examined wit. esses in the order followed. had en- outraged false swearing, or whether ny lack of vigil on the part of the ommittee had permitted conceal lent of the truth.
 Mr Lilley did not reply. There is
 general impression that the case 5 practically closed.
 Representative Stevens tried to si Mir Lilley tn admit that h. harged the board of construction 1 the navy department with being heated or fooled by the Electric bat company into making contracts hat had lost the government more han a million dollars. Mir LiIIey nfused to adopt that language. but aid he believed the board was moi , apable of driving a close bargain nd that the letting of navy con -acts ought to be turned over to experienced business men. He re- Ised io admit that the secretaries of avy should Dc charged with the re- because they signed !. leir names in a perfunetory man ' er at the suggestion of the board 1 [ construction t
 He vas reminded that Paul Nor- n Wzs once secretary of the navy sd vas asked if he recalled what asiness Mr Morton vas engaged ia sfore he beczrne secretary of the ( arw r