Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-04-24
Committee Continues to
Probe Li||ey's Charges
Trying Hard to Learn Author
shi , Of Anonymous Letters.
MANAGER Of Lake Cos. Washington
Office Gives Evidence.

WASHINGTON, April 23-The House
Electric Boat Co., special investigation
committee today probed deeply INTO
the authorship of several anonymous
letters which has figured in the inves-
tigation.
On Feb. 81 last Mr.. Lilley introduced
a resolution calling on the secretary
of the navy for information in regard
to the cost and the performance OF
submarines built by the Electric Co.
and asking to be informed whether the
government proposed to pay at least
S12S6 per ton for the submarines
against a reasonable price named by
Admiral Bowles of $745, OR $1,47G,296
more than the present builder said
they were worth when he testified be-
fore the committee in 1902"
Abner E. Neff, an official of the Lake
Torpedo Boat Co., who has charge Cf
the Washington office of that company,
testified that he had prepared the
resolution introduced by Mr. Lilley
at the suggestion Of Frederick E. Whit
ney, formerly clerk to the naval at
fairs committee of the House. Mr.. Neff
said he had obtained the figures he
used from a newspaper clipping. but
he could not account for their identity
with the figures occurring in the
anonymous communication received by
Frank Marlborough in Michigan.
Mr.. Neff said that Mr. Whitney had
access to the typewriters in his Of
flee.
Have yon any doubt that the anony-
nous communication to Marlborough
was written on your typewriter"
mo, have no doubt whatever. 1t is
as plain as day"
Mr.. Neff said he did not write the
letter to Mr.. Marlborough, and that
he did not know who did.
Mr.. Lilley was recalled and admitted
that Neff handed him the resolution
which he introduced. AS a preface
to the resolution, Lilley filed with the
committee a typewriter statement of
% pages incorporating in it clippings
from various newspapers in reference
to the value of torpedo boats and tor
pedo boat tests, and also the testimony
of Admiral Bowles on the subject of
cost. Lilley concluded this statement
as follows:
"'rhe foregoing facts and conditions
influenced me to introduce House res
olution 2G4 and 1t is believed that an
official statement of the facts asked for
| therein would sc Il great ways to dis
abuse the illusion in the minds of the
Electric Boat Co, and their agents
and representatives technical and nom
technical as to the practical merits Of
the boats they claim are so good"
! Lilley was asked by Olmsted what
he meant by that statement. He re-
piled that he did not read it: that it
had been presented by Mr.. Neff and
Mr.. Webster, Lilley's private secretary,
and that he had accepted it. He also
admitted that it was at Mr.. Ncns re-
quest that he introduced the resolution.
But you swore than the facts in
| the statement Influenced you in intro
| ducing the House resolution" persisted
| Olmsted.
"All the matters mentioned therein
| were Of common knowledge" replied
| Lilley.
Olmsted intimated that Lil!ey had
been guilty of false swearing. so the
| foregoing facts that you have sworn
to as having influenced you in intro
ducing that resolution did not influence
you?" he said.
| Lilley's only reply was that he did
not know what was in the state
ment.
Olmsted next took up the visit of
Lilley to the White House after the
committee had voted on the battleship
proposal and pressed him to admit that
he led the President to believe that in
some way the friends of certain sub
marine legislation were foes to the
| four battleship proposition. Lilley in
| sisted that he did not remember max
ing any such statement.
Did he seem to be under the i'm
preston that the submarine legisla-
ton had in any way affected the four
battleship proposition?' asked Ohm
sted.
1T is not impossible, but l do net
recollect it," replied Lilley.
Washington, April 23-Interestine
developments followed each other in
close succession today in the hearing
being conducted by the special COM
mittee of the House of the charges
preferred by Representative George l.
Lilley OF Connecticut, against the
Electric Boat Co. They ranged from
the participation of the Lake Torpedo
Boat Co. In the preparation of a reso-
luton of inquiry introduced in the
House by Lilley to matters of a per-
sonal nature in which criticism of the
committee played a prominent part
Incidentally Representative Lilley was
severely taken to task by members OF
the committee for allowing published
criticisms of it's actions over his sig
nature to stand for a month without
being contradicted. Lilley and the
committee locked horns over the ques.
ton of production of letters which he
contended are confidential and the
question whether they should be pro.
duced had not been decided when ad-
tournament was taken for the day.
The authorship of the two ANONYMOUS
letters which have played such an i'm.
portant part in the investigation was
also gone into and it is the belief OF
the committee that the identity of the
writer will be established within the
next d hours.
1t was at the afternoon session thai
the personal matters came to the sur.