The sun., 1908-02-23

Never said That Certain COngFoSaUnen We're
On on the Submarine Graft.


WASHINGTON, Feb. 72.-Developments to-
day indicated that the House Of Repressn-
tatives viii not permit to pass unnoticed
the insinuatiOns against the integrity OF
members OF the Committee on Naval Az
fairs in connection with the recent action
of the committee in voting for the construo-
ton Of eight submarine torpedo boats
when the Navy Department had asked
officially for only four Of these vessels
The resolution Of Representative Lilley
Of Connecticut for an Investigation Of the
methods Of the Electric Boat Company
respecting legislation before Congress has
not been acted on by the Committee on
Rules, to which II was referred but in
view OF newspaper statements that Mr..
Lilley has been accusing members Of the
House Of having been improperly infu-
enced by tho Electric Boat Company the
matter will hardly be ignored.
In a Washington despatch printed in
THE SUN to-day it was said that Repre-
sentative Lilley had asserted that men,
bers OF the Naval Committee had been cor
rupted by the Electric Boat Company;
that he had accused Representative Sher-
man of New York Of being -in on the graft"
and that he had made similar charges orally
against Representative Griggs OF Georgia.
whom he accused Of having fixed Repre-
sentative Williams of Mississippi. the Demo-
cratic floor leader. and Representative Do
ArmOnd OF Missouri. MIR. Lilley declared
to-day to these fellow members, who sought
an explanation from him without loes Of
time. that he had never made any such
statements or insinuations and that their
author was liar. He made the following
statement this evening:
In reference to the purported inter-
view in this mornings Washington Herald
and The New YORK Sun. wherein l was
made to say that Representative Gnggs
had fixed John Sharp Williams and MIR.
De Armond and that MIR. Sherman was
in on the graft / want to say that have
given out no such interview. In fact, every
bona fde interview With me l have die
tAted and afterward had il submitted
to me in writing In any future inter-
view / shall follow the same course. l
not only made no such statement for pub
lication, but l have made no such state
ment confidentially.
Il certainly should not have told the
author of the particular interview my
thoughts on the question, for the reason
that ! had been warned that he had been
employed by the Electric Boat Company.
and everything might say to him probably
would be distorted. 1 was at the same
time warned against three other newspaper
writers connected with press ass Jciations
and New York newspaper.
II do not care 20 try this case IN the news
papers. but il the Committee on Rules will
pass my resolution shall produce sufficient
facts to substantiate all have said in a
general way"
Notwithstanding Mr.. Lilleys denial the
writer of the statements attributed TO Mr..
Lilley asserts that Mr.. Lilley did make the
statements attributed To- him in The Sun
and in the Washington Herald TO a repre-
sentative of THE ST-N and there ia flrthaT
COTToboTative evidence that Mr.. Lilley
made similar statement to other persons.
As for Mr.. Lilley's declaration that "he
had been warned" that the writer Of the
statements attributed 70 Mr.. Lllley had
been employed by the Electric Boat Com
pany. the writ er of these statements de-
Clares that he il not and never has been
employed by the Electric Boat Company.