The sun., 1909-11-17
CARRIERS TOLD BONAPARTE
OFFERED OFFICIAL ENTRIES
TO PROVE SUGAR FRAUDS.

Charles J. Bonaparte when he was
Attorney General in President Roose-
velt's Cabinet had startling evidence OF
the sugar trusts frauds offered to him
by United States District Attorney j. W.
Thompson in Philadelphia in February.
1908. Mr.. Bonaparte was not interested
The profer OF evidence was made after
Special Agent Richard Parr had caught
Government officials squarely in the act
OF stealing for the sugar trust. when II
was supposed that the Administration at
Warrington was desirous Of getting all
the proof possible against the American
Sugar Refining Company.
II was a year after George II. Earle
had applied to President Roosevelt and
General Bonaparte and had
offered evidence against the trust. Mr.,
Earle was rebuffed, but early in 1908 a
committee of steamship agents and car
riers decided that the facts in their pos
session were such convincing evidence OF
fraud that the Attorney General would
be glad to get them
When Mr.. Earle wrote to Attorney
General Bonaparte on March 1l3. 1907.
that he had discovered facts OF the most
alarming character regarding the sugar
trusts frauds against the customs as we'll
as its part in the wrecking OF the Real
Estate Trust Company OF Philadelphia
and the Pennsylvania Sugar Refining
Company. none Of the thieves had been
caught in the act. After Parr had driven
the thin edge Of the wedge into the con-
spiracy and had obtained evidence in
person the Philadelphia carriers and
steamship agents became convinced that
they had indisputable evidence that would
back up the Government in its efforts
to nail the trust.
The Philadelphians had heard rumors
also that the Government was somewhat
puzzled how to get specific evidence
that a system Of robbing the Treasury
existed. They had heard. for instance,
that it had been very difficult for the
special agents to get all the names OF
vessels that carried sugar trust cargoes.
cargoes on which duty had been stolen.
They knew they had just what the Gov
ernment was supposed to want.
They had a list OF steamers entered
at the New York Custom House that car
ried cargoes on which the sugar trust
had stolen from 4 to per cent. pf duty.
They had a list OF steamers entered at
the Custom House at Philadelphia which
had brought cargoes whose average
loss" OF weight was from one-half to
ive-eighths of 1 per cent.
They arranged q series OF computa-
tions covering about FIVE years. from
1908 up to the end OF 1907. Their tables
presented the names OF steamers. the
amount OF cargoes and the invoice weights
and Government weights ON these oar
aaf nf
weights they had a set OF invoice weights.
and the discrepancy was extraordinary.
The carriers and steamship agents
declared that the figures showed on their
face collusion between Government Of
Treasury.
CARE USED IN TELLING.
Having Mr.. Earle's experience in mind
the Philadelphians did not take their
evidence in person to Attorney General
Bonaparte. They believed IL would have
more weight perhaps il il was put up
to the Attorney General by the United
States District Attorney OF Philadelphia.
So they wrote u letter to the District
Attorney which embodied their discov-
cries.
that gradually they had become aware
Of tremendous frauds against the United
States Treasury and that they would
present thir entries Of sugar carrying
steamships at the New York Custom
House and the Philadelphia Custom
House as samples OF evidence. They
furnished the names OF steamers at both
ports for upward OF five years. with
figures explaining the methods OF the
sugar trust in stealing and it's profits in
stealing.
They added that while these figures
covered a comparatively short period
they could produce. IL the Attorney
General requested. evidence Of duty steal
ing that ra n as far back as 1894, when the
tariff on sugar went into operation. They
suggested that the Government might
be interested in the discrepancies shown
between weights taken at Philadelphia
and weights taken at New York. 900
pound lots Of sugar being the basis for
weight taking in each case.
District Attorney Thompson sent their
evidence, SO he informed them later, to
Attorney General Bonapart with COM
munication OF his own which intimated
that here was interesting material. At
torney General Bonaparte did not ask
the carriers and steamship agents to
supply him with further evidence Of any
kind. and he took no interest whatever in
their communication so far as the car
riers and steamship agents were ever
able to find out.
Richard Parr went to Philadelphia in
1908 on a mission related to the complaints
OF the carriers and steamship agents.
He was sent directly by Secretary of the
Treasury Cortelyou TO find out why sugar
importations at Philadelphia had fallen
OF. to the direct increase OF importations
at the port OF New York. Mr.. Parr had
a specific case for comparison, the COM
plaint made that there had been under
weights on the steamer Dunbar at New
York amounting to per cent. He was
directed to ascertain what the percentage
OF underweights had been at Philadelphia.
He discovered that IL amounted to only
.4s per cent.
PARIS discoveries bore out the con-
tention OF the carriers and steamship
agents that the sugar trust was receiving