The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-03-07
INVESTIGATION IS ORDERED |0f Charges Against Naval Committee. INFLUENCING TIE LEGISLATION Electric Boat Company Affair to Be Aired. This I.yestiE.tioa Wa. Ordered As
 she Re.alt of rusii.hea sssts-
 ment. sy Mr. LiiIsy wks
 Charged Cerruptten-
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INFLUENCING THE LEGISLATION

Washington. March s--A resoiuxfon providing for an investigation into the charges made by Represent&tive Liiley. of Connecticut that members of the naval committee had been un- duly Influenced in recommending cer- tain torpedo boats. was reported to the House of Representatives by Mr. bal zeil. (Penn.) from the commtttea on rules and adopted by the House. The subject had been under consideration by the committee for two weeks. The resolution foilows:
 Whereas, Mir George L. Llliey. representative of the state of Con necticut. on his responaibility as member of this House, before the Com things, stated in substnnce that tho Electric Boat Company or New Jer- sey and their predecessors, the Holland Boat Company. have been engaged in efforts to exert a corrupting influences on certain members of Congress tn their legislative capacities and have in fact exerted such corrupting in fiuence:
 Therefore. be 1t resolved that committee of five members be ap- pointed to Investigate the changes made by said George L. Liliey Of cofe rupt practices on the part of sAld company and members of Congress with respect to iegislation. and that said committee shall have authority to send for persons and papers tn taka testimony tn Washington or alae~ where. either before the full commftkas or any eub-committee thereof Haiu committee shall report as speedily ae possible with such recommendation, fg any. as to the committee shall aeesn right.
 Accompanying the resolution waa report. declaring it to be the bslfef 6i the House and It's members that an ln vsstfgation should be madu
 Speaker Cannon announced che Fol. lowing as the committee to conduct enc invessiEatssH; MeaaFs Hontsll. Illinois skaxanas MinnesOta: Qimeteaa Rann8yl vansa: Howard. Georgia. and Brousaafa
 Without a aissantlnw voice the Fess 1ution wna adopted.
 Mr. Lilley waa present. hut made no r0marixa The committee report by Mfr. Dalzeii. accompanying the raaolli klon. says referring to the resolution of inquiry introduced by Mfr. Liiieys
 Quoted fn Newspapers
 There was nothing on the face Of the resolution that charged corrupt ot even improper methods on the part of the Electric Boat Company sn connee. ton with lsEislation or propossd lexisiation but that on the next and succeeding days. newspaper articlNe appeared in which Mir Iiliev was aupea ed as charging corrupt practiceB. and thereafter numerous alleged interviews with Mir. Eiiley appeared in certain newapapers of the country coupling tha names of members of the House with the Electric Boat Company and le9la- lation fin it's interest, Following upon these publications. Mfr Lii1ey, al his own instance appeared before the com nitte on rules and admitted the au- thentfcy of an interview in The Wash innton Post but repudiatad all okheres and made a abatement which Is sunsuik- ted herewith as . part of this report
 'sIn that statement charges are made of corrupt practices on the part qf fhe Electric Boat Company in influencing members of Congress and le8faiafipn, and of such character. taken as . whole as to lead your committee to conNlude that it ia due to the maintenance ox Che dignity and integrity of the Houaa and its members that an investigaSi0n tnko the charges be had"
 shortly before the adjournment of the House, Chairman Boutell got his conn mIttee together and partly organized It. He said afterward that the organ izakiouf would be completed ct meet ing to be held tomorrow. when ths question of whether to make the com mittee's session public or private would be decided.
 Report that Representatives Liliey was greatly incensed by the action of Speaker Cannon ln not making him a member of the committee and that ho had expected to be named as it's chair man. gained circulation and became a topic of discussion after the cammiftea assignment had been announced. Mw Liliey himself refused to discuss tho situation.