The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-11-26
TO STOP FRAUDS.
Only a Beginning Made In
Customs Exposures.
CONFERENCES AT WASHINGTON
Collector Loeb Says Government
Will Get More From the Sugar
Trust Than the $2,237, 900
Already Paid.


ences over the custom frauds in New
York were held here in the Office of
the secretary Of the treasury. They
were participated in by Secretary
Macveagh, Attorney General Wicker
sham, William Loeb, Jr., collector of
customs at the port Of New York, and
Henry A. Wise, United States attorney
for the southern district Of New York.
The conference had to do with addi-
tional prosecutions Of the sugar trust
and grating employees Of the New
York custom house. They lasted more
than FIVE hours. Afterwards Secretary
Macveagh gave an idea Of what had
taken place.
The government intends to go the
limit in stopping the frauds against
the customs revenues, according to
Secretary MacVeagh. What has been
done at the New York custom house
Is only beginning. Methods at Gus.
tom houses at other principal ports
will undergo a searching inquiry.
The conferences are expected to be
productive of interesting results in the
way Of an additional effort to make
the sugar trust pay to the government
some Of the money which the govern
ment lost through short weighing of
sugar and other devices. Mr.. Loeb
said the government would get some
thing besides the $2.237, 900 which the
sugar trust paid after the government
produced figures to show how much II
had lost.
Others well informed of the govern
ment's purposes admitted that ar
rangements were under way to recov-
er more money from the trust and that
the chance for success was good. In
cidentally Collector Loeb had some
thing to say about the credit for eX-
posing the sugar frauds.
The real beginning, he said, was
when Richard Parr was appointed a
special employee of the treasury de-
partment and put to work in the New
York custom house under instructions
to run down the corruption which
was going on. Mr.. Loeb said that Mr.
Parr owed his appointment to Mr..
| Loeb when the latter was secretary to
President Roosevelt.
He went on to say that Mr.. Roose-
velt had appointed Henry L. Stimson
special counsel for the government to
prosecute the sugar grafters and
thieves and that the first conviction
was obtained on the day after Mr.
Roosevelt left the White House. Mr.
Loeb added a good word for the pres
ent administration in it's effort to bring
those guilty Of the frauds to justice.
When Secretary MacVeagh was ask
ed to tell what went on at his office
he said that while the New York sugar
frauds were discussed the conference
took a wider range. One thing. he
said, was that the frauds against the
customs through the smuggling OF
Sleeper trunks" would amount tc
more than $1.OO0OOO at New York
alone.
Secretary MacVeagh admitted thai
another question under discussion wal
that of the statute of limitations. HI
said that the federal authorities were
fully aware that it would be necessary
to hasten matters in order to Obtain
the indictment of some of the guilty
before the Intervention Of the statute
and that Attorney General Wicker
sham and United States ATTORNEY
Wise were watching this matter close
ly with a view to keeping the case
alive.
The secretary said that the govern
ment would take the necessary step
to recover every dollar found to hav,
been lost to the treasury through Gus
toms frauds.
There had been a popular misappre
hension of the circumstances surround
ing the acceptance by the government
of the 100000 repaid by the suga
trust, he asserted. "This sum-" sal,
the secretary, twas in full settlemen
by the sugar trust of all money founC
to be due on account OF the weighing
frauds. 1t does not comprise none,