The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-12-11
Says Attorney General Wick
ersham on Sugar Frauds
IS A GREAT CONSPIRACY
He Requests a Special Appropriation Of
$4,000 to Effectively Prosecute the
Work Of Uncoyering the
WrongdOing.

fFNlH'itEk1hf ~ Ny ApNNt h1sT NJ VIA
paralleled depravity,1 is how Attorney
General Wickersbam in his annual rel
port, made public to-day. describes the
sugar trust frauds upon the government
al the port Of New York.
Speaking Of the investigations made
end their results so far, the attorney
general says @The evidence has dis
closed a network Of corruption, not con-
fined to the American Sugar Refining
company, extending over period Of
years, affecting both importers and Of
fccrs Of the government, and 1t Ii AS
yet premature to state the precise ex.
tent Of the conspiracy or the amount
of the revenues, Of which the govern
ment has been defrauded. While Il IS
feared that the statute Of limitations
may have run in favor of many Of the
malefaetors who are responsible for these
frauds, yet no effort viii be spared to
ascertain the precise amount Of which
the government has been defrauded, 20
recover all moneys due, and to punish
all those who may be found to have
participated in any respect IN the frauds,
whether as officers or agents OF the inn
porters or as officials Of the government.
! earnestly request special appropria-
tion of $4,000 TO enable this work to
be effectively prosecuted
Besides the indicating that the govern
ment hopes yet to recover more money
from the sugar trust, beyond the $1,000
600 already received, the attorney gem
eral lays stress upon the fact that in
accepting that sum in full settlement Of
all civil liabilities for penalties affect
ing the weighing of sugar at the Jersey
City and Brooklyn refineries Of the trust,
the government expressly reserved the
right to prosecute criminally "alI indi-
viduals who might be shown to have
ever occurring, even If such individuals
were officers Of the company
The investigation into the criminal La
bility Of participants in the frauds il
being vigorously pushed and number OF
individuals have been indicted
Probably having in mind certain things
that came up iii the customs inquiry
the attorney general recommends.
For the purpose Of meeting the condi-
tions which arise ri the endeavor to
procure testimony for the novernment.
general immunity statute should be
enacted. The same reasons TINT called
for the enactment Of the special I'M
munltv statutes rs to proceedings IN
der the interstate-cnmmeree laws ap-
ply with equal force to criminal
prosecutions generally The United
States should have the power to
compel incriminating disclosures bv Civ
ing compensatory immunity in all
eases whore individuals stand between
crime and its detection and punishment.
Such statute should be applicable only
to protect a witness summoned in
proceeding on behalf of the United
States from the consequences Of testi-
nony which he is compelled to give in
that proceeding"
Witnesses Immunity Wrongly Used.
He also recommends the repeal of
section $50 of the revised statutes which
intended by Congress to enable prose
cntors to give immunity to witnesses
compelled to testify against themselves.
has been held BY the supreme court not
to be q substitute for the constitu-
tional guaranty against Determination.
GAS a result the report says, st isI
availed Of constantly by criminals toI
prevent the government from using
against them any testimony given by
them at any time in any proceeding
So far as 4 am aware, no statute in any
Of the states protects man who isI
charged with crime from A~~ing used
against him IN criminal proceeding
testimony given by him IN a civil suit.
The United States attorney for the
southern district Of New York Informs
me that it is an everyday occurrence in
bankruptcy cases for hankrupts and
their witnesses to testify before spec
ial examiners. referees, etc, often falsely,
and then when indicted for some of
fense under the bankruptcy act, to ap-
pear in court and testify in direct con.
tradiction 81 what they may have de-
posed ID the proceedings before the referee
Of examiner; but the government is
prevented from using such testimony
against Them