The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-02-21
GREAT SCANDAL
IS LOOMING UP
Electric Boat Company of New
Jersey Has Influence
With Congress.
INVESTIGATION is ASKED
HOUSE NAVAL COMMITTEE UN-
DER SUSPICION.

Washington Feb. 20.-A resolution
was offered in the house today by Mr..
Lilley Of Connecticut, providing for the
appointment by the speaker of a spe-
cial committee of five members TO in
vestigate the conduct of the Electric
Boat company of New Jersey. and their
predecessors, the Holland Boat COM
pany, respecting the methods employed
by the said companies in connection
with past and proposed legislation be-
fore congress.
The proposal of a congressional in
vestigatiOn is an outgrOwth of the re-
fusal of the house committee on naval
affairs to support President Roosevelt
naval construction program. The pres
ident personally backed the navy de-
partment in its request for authorize
ton of the construction of four battle
ships, ten torpedo boat destroyers, four
submarines, etc.
Action of Committee.
The committee cut the battleships to
two and raised the submarines to eight,
and in connection with the latter craft,
adopted the Loudenslager amendment
providing that they should be of the
type of the Octopus unless superior
type should be offered and demon
strated by Oct. l. 1908. 1t was pointed
out by the friends of the presidents
program, among them Representative
Hobson of Alabama, that this provision
practically delivered the contract into
the hands of the Electric Boat company,
builders of the Octopus, because eight
cen months is the time required to build
submarine, and the time limit of Oc-
! tober 1 gave period of only eight
months in which to build a competitor
craft.
LiIey Sees Roosevelt.
The president sent for Representative
Lilley today and conferred with him
about naval construction matters, and
the action of the house committee on
naval affairs Immediately after COM
ing from the White house Lilley intro
duced his resolution of investigation;
but when asked whether it had the
presidents support or had been SUBJ
tect of discussion at the White house
conference, he refused to reply.
Enough has come under my per-
sonal observation" he said, ito con-
vince me that thorough and searching
investigation should be made of meth
DDS that have been employed to gain
committee support of the Octopus type
OF SuDIndTlile.
Only Two Battieships.
THE four battleships recommended
by the president were cut down to two
by the committee. The ammunition
ship and the mine laying vessels asked
for by the department were cut out of
the bill entirely. The four feet GOLFERS
were left for embodiment in a special
bill which has not yet been drawn.
The plans of Secretary Metcalf for i'm
proved submarines were voted down,
and in their place the committee voted
double the number asked for and prac-
ticaIly. stipulated that they shall be of
the Octopus type. The Octopus was
finished some months prior to the bat
tleship vermont, which was completed
a year iago and is now admitted to be
bsoles{ent-passing into desuetude as
a fighting machine, resultant on vast
improvements which have been per-
fected since her launching. A PROPOSE
ton now to build a battleship on the
out-of-date lines of the Vermont would
be as reasonable as this arbitrary pro-
posal to acquire eight more Octopuses.
"a thorough investigation after the
manner of the insurance Investigations
of the Hughes type in New York would
pile up a big benefit to the country.