Omaha daily bee., 1908-03-20
STATUS OF ARCHIBALD FIXED
President Says He Investigated With
out Executive Commission.
PHASE OF SUBMARINE INQUIRY
AmdRvit that Newspaper Man Went
About Country Claiming Author
ity for Opposing Lake
Boat.


tee 70 testify in relation to the charges
made by Representative Lilley Of Connec-
ticut, that wrongful methods had been used |
by the Electric Boat company to secure
legislation in congress. The committee had
planned, in consonence with the request |
of Representative Hobson, to call Mr.. Hob
sons secretary, Edgar Clarkson. as the |
first witness today, but the appearance Of |
the secretary of the navy and Admiral |
Capps in response to invitations from the
committee changed this plan.
Both Secretary Metcalf and Admiral |
Capps brought documents and records as
requested by the committee.
Investigations by Archibald.
Mr.. Lilley presented to the committee an |
affidavit. signed by Clement E. Adams and |
dated Bridgeport. Conn. March 1s, 1905 in !
which Mr.. Adams swears that while he |
was engaged in business in the city Of
Washington. curing the summer of 1906 |
J. F. ]. Archibald, represented to him that
he was a war correspondent for Golfers |
Weekly and that he had been appointed
by the president OF the United States to
visit certain cities and towns of the Pa |
cific coast and to report to the president
upon the condition of the coast defenses !
in that section. According to the deponent,
Mr.. Archibald said to him later, that he
had visited certain cities and towns on the
Pacific coast and had reported thereon to
the president; that he had appeared before
certain chambers of commerce, boards OF
! trade and other associations of business
men and citizens in various cities and
towns and states on the the Pacific coast,
had addressed them upon the advantages
| to be gained by the purchase by the United
! States government of submarine torpedo
boats wherein the Lake submarine boat
was criticised and Archibald Informed him
that he was the author of the article that
| he wrote the same and that the criticism
OF the Lake boat therein contained was
melted and caused by a request to him
by Lawrence Y. Spear, an officer of the
Electric Boat company and that the re-
quest was acceded to by Archibald because
he (Archlbald) was under obligations to
Spears and the Electric Boat company.
Letter from President.
| Accompanying the affidavit was the fol-
lowing letter from President Roosevelt
denying that Archibald was ever appointed
or employed by him or so far as he knew,
appointed or employed by any one con-
nected with the administration:
The White House, Washington. March IS.
1sOS-My Dear Mr.. Lilley: Referring to
\ our conversation of this morning, Mr.
1 Archibald never was appointed or employed
by me, nor so far as l know. was he ever
appointd or employed by any one else con-
nected with the administration. Some time
about year ago he came in and saw me
for about two minutes and said that he
was going to make an investigation of the
question of submarine defense on the Pa
cific. especially. l believe, in reference to
Puget sound, and that he was immensely
interested in the subject, having been a
war correspondent for various papers, and
that he would like to send me report of
vvh he found i'm Of
course I should be very glad to receive
such a report from him or any other man
who might investigate the subject. He
sent me a letter on the subject some weeks
later, which / transmitted to the secretary
of the navy. have transmitted dozens of
similar letters from men who have told
me OF Investigations that they have made
or of facts which they had found, or sug-
gestions which they believed were import
ant. 1t is the usual course 1t was followed
in this instance exactly as in all similar
cases Sincerely yours,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
George l.. Lilley, House Of Representa-
Competition for Contracts.
Secretary Metcalf stated to the Asso-
ciated Press that the contract for the Lake
company's boat was entered into by the
, department on certain guarantees. That
company's bid was $525,O0O and the depart
ment agreed to pay $4,000 for one of its
boats to approximate 500 tons, no money
TO be paid on this contract until after
, the boat had been fully tested and had
developed a speed equal to the speed of
, the best submarine boat owned by the gov
! ernment.
, How was It the contract was made for
a boat that was loser in the competitive
trial?" asked Mr.. Olmsted.
Some question raised as to the dis
cretion vested in the department and the
department referred certain questions to
the attorney general, who decided that the
secretary OF the navy had authority to, en-
ter into a contract with the Lake COM
pany. The contracts for submarine boats
were made under the act of congress au-
thorizing the expenditures of a certain
: amount Of money for submarines
Advice from ThurstOn.
''who was 1t that asked you to submit
l the questions to the attorney general2"
Former Senator Thurston. the represen-
tative of the Lake Boat company"
Did any member of congress ask you to
. submit the questions?'
, 'I think not"
: do you remember whether any member
: OF congress called upon you in favor OF
Q or In opposition to the letting Of the con-
o tract TO the Lake company"
q "A number of congressman called on me
n not with reference to letting the contract
= but regarding the opinion OF the attorney
s general and the question of the discretion
d that was vested in me under the act"
who called upon your
"Of course, I am speaking from memory
j think Representatives Butler Roberts
Loudenslager, Liley, Hughes and sperrS
n and Senators Bulkeley and Brandegee
think Representative Butler and Louden
slayer called after the awarding Of the con
s tract and the others before the contrac
,: was signed"
. In the interest of whom?'
n Attitude of Department.
) They asked me about the attitude of tn,
Is department. / told them what had don,
IS and what proposed TO do. No suggestion
n were made by them to me in any way
J. They simply felt. they said. 1t was to tn
e interest OF the government TO have tw,
companies building boats"
Mr.. Metealf and Chief Constructor Capp
both declared they knew OF no excessive
= profits being realized on the submarines
y and the former held that the Navy depart
n ment should be allowed 10 arrange fh