Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-03-13
erection in awarding contracts for sub

an impartial committee VIII show that
large SUMS of money have been by the
| Electric Loaf Company, it's officers or
agents. contributed to capaign funds of
members of Congress who favor and
| have favored the Electric Boat monop-
| DIV of submarine construction: also
| that large sums of money have been
| spent to accomplish the defeat of MEM
bers Of the naval committee who did
not favor the Electric Boat Co.
That an examination of the books
! and records of the Electric Boat Co,
and OF its predecessor, the Holland Boat
Co, will show that large sums of mon
eY have been paid from their trCasur-
les for the above purposes.
That continuous and repeated eff
| forts have been made by representa-
| tives of the Electric Boat Co. and its
| predecessors to influence the actions of
The officials of the navy department,
and that such efforts in the past were
| so persistent and notorious as to call
forth the condemnation and criticism
of high officials of the navy department
whose testimony can be secured by the
| investigating committee.
| THAT from 1893 up to the present
time these efforts of the Electric Boat
Co. and Holland Co. have resulted in
absolutely auppressing any possibility
| of competition in submarine cOnStruc-
| ton, and securing and awarding of all
contracts, either by special appropria-
| ton or by Legislative appropriation
| Skillfully drawn, to this company with
out possibility of competition.
| That is can be shown by former in
| VeStigatiOnS before the naval COM
| mittee of the house, upon which no re-
| port was made to the house of repre-
sentatives that the Holland Boat Co.
| and the Electric Boat Co. have been
engaged in reprehensible efforts to in
| 1uence members Of Congress and
| officials of the navy department in
| favor of their boats and appropriations
| therefore.
| THAT it can be shown upon inveSti-
CATION that certain representatives of
leading newspapers have been sub
sidiZed and paid by the Electric Boat
| Co. for favorable newspaper articles
and reports in behalf of said COM
| panies.
IF these things are not actually
without the pale of the law, they are
wrongful practices and tend to throw
| United States.
Il have taken it for granted that if
| these things are not true a full in
veStigation would be welcomed, not
only By every member of Congress.
but by every member of the naval
committee, as we'll as by the officers
and agents of the Electric Boat Co, in
order that there might no longer
| {J1 fl,a
that the Electric Boat Co. had been
unduly and improperly endeavoring to
influence Congressional action.
Il cannot be expected to have
personal knowledge of all these
transactions, which, if they exist, must
necessarily remain largely in the
secret possession of the officers and
| agents of the Electric Boat Co, and of
those with whom they have conferred
in the prosecution of their attempts
to influence Congressional action"
Mr.. Lilley repeated to the committee,
/ as comfirmatory of his suspicious
| against the Electric Boat Co.. the in
cident related by him to the committee
on rules wherein an intimate friend OF
his, a large manufacturer in his home
| town, told him that he (the membert
| had the Ohe manufacturer) had the
promise of a large order if the Uillcy)
would vote for the Marines and that
a lawyer of his own city came to
| Washington and stayed with him and
eHdeavored to influence him in favor
of the Electric Boat Co.
Il am prepared to give the commit
tee the name of this lawyer" said Mr..
Lilley, and my statement can be Yer
ificd if you will call him as q witness.
/ make the same offer with regard to
the manufacturer referred to. I can
| also give the committee the name Of
a manufacturer of Waterbury, Conn,
| who endcayored to secure from the
| Electric Boat Co. an order to supply
certain manufactured products to that
company and who was by the repre-
| sentative Of the company informed that
| that order would be placed with him if
he would secure my support Of the
| proposed legislation in favor of the
| Electric Boat Co
| II can also call the attention of the
| committee to the character of the
amendment proposed by Representative
| Lducenslager to the naval appropria-
| ton bill which requires in specific
| terms that the secretary of the navy
| shall award the entire proposed APP
preparation for the construction of
boats of the Octopus type-constructed
| by the Electric Boat Co.-unless prior
| to March l. 1908, some other boat should
be presented which in the opinion Of
the secretary of the navy equals or ex-
| GELS the Octopus. 1t is a fact known
| OF all men that there is not at the
| present time in American waters and
| cannot in the nature of things be pre-
scented within the period of eighteen
months for the present time a.
| competing or rival boat to the boats
or the Electric Boat Co.
Mr.. Lllley said he had learned that
the Electric Boat Co. had employed as
It's attorney w. d. Gordon, in the
Congressional district of Representa-
tive Loud of Michigan, where the
company had or could have had no
possible business for an attorney in
the conduct of it's legitimate affairs;