Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-04-24

| the two anonymous letters that have l played an important part in the in vestigation also was gone into to- committee that the identity of the writer would be established within AS hours.
 | Abner E. Neff, an official of the Lake Torpedo Boat company, who has charge of the Washing on office of the company, testified that he had prepared resolution introduced by MT Lilley attacking the Electric Boat company, at the suggestion of Frederick B. Whitney, formerly clerk to the naval affairs commit tee of the house. MT Neff said he had obtained the figures he used from a newspaper clipping, but he could not account for ther identity with the figures occurring in the anonymous communication received l by Frank EdiDborough, in Michi- gan.
 MT Neff said that MT Whitney had access to the typewriter in his of- fee. Have you any doubt that the anonymous communication to Edin- borough was written on your type | writer?"
 No, I have no doubt whatever. It is as plain as day" Mir Neff said he did not write the letter to MT Edinborough, and that he had no knowledge as to who did.
 MT Olmsted next took up the visit of MT Lilley to the White House af- ter the naval committee had voted On the battleship proposition, and pressed hard to get MT Lilley to admit that he had led the president to believe that the friends of cer- tain submarine legislation were foes to the four battleship proposition. Mir Lilley insisted that he did not remember making any such state ment.
 Did he seem to be under the impression that the submarine leg islation had in any way affected the four battleship proposition?" asked MT Olmsted.
 Tt is not impossible, but do not recollect it," replied MT Lilley.
 This letter cas.s a reflection on every member of the house of rep resentatives," said Chairman Bou- tell. You have known of the ex- istence of the letter for months (ad- dressing MT Lilley), have you re- called it, have you repudiated 1t, either to this committee or on the floor of the house?"
 Mir Lilley said he would with draw it. It was not a question of withdrawal the members of the com mittee seemed to conclude with one accord.
 'I disclaim 1t, then,' said MT Lilley. ..a.
 MT Lilley asked permission to cor rect statements that appeared in newspapers saying that in reports of proceedings before the committee he had voted for four submarines in the naval committee to cost s3,. 500, ,O00. ts:s
 The word Four" was an error, but the examination of the official record disclosed the safne error there. It should have been For" submarines. The record was so cor rected.
 On the point of Mir Neif's testi- mony of his authorship of the Lilley resolution of February 27, the com mittee was severe in questioning MT Lilley.
 Mir olmsted called his attention to long statement prepared for the committee at the conclusion of which Mir Lilley had said: "The forego- ing facts and conditions influenced me in introducing house resolution 264."
 When you made that sworn statement" pursued Mir Olmsted, what did you mean?"
 "I did not read the statement" was Mir Lilley explanation.
 Yet you swore that the forego- ing fac;s influenced you in introduc- ing the house resolution"
 All the matters mentioned there were of common knowledge" an- swered Mr Lilley. Mir Lilley ac- knowledged that he had introduced the house resolution "by request"
 So the foregoing facts that you have sworn as having influenced you in introducing the resolution did not influence you?" persisted NIT Olm- sted.
 Mir Lilley would only answer that he did not know what was in the statements nor the superscription.
 Mir Olmsted exhibited a newspa- per interview with Mir Lilley. in which it was said that his resolu- tion calling for an investigation Of submarine legislation was intro- duced by him after conference with the president at the White House. Mir Lilley was asked by Nh Olmsted if he had not encouraged the president to believe that the friends of submarine legislation had defeated the four-battleship proposi- ton in the naval committee.
 Mir Lilley denied having said SO to the president or anybody else. Mir 0lmsted told him that he had ac. knowledged the interview as correct before the committee on rules.
 Do you wish to repudiafe if now?" Inquired Mir Olmsted.
 No: but l will say that did not dictate that part referring to a visit to the White House"
 Did you no. the substance of
 ''I do not remember" uas the re-