The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-11-18
CONGRESS LIKELY
TO PROBE FRAUDS
Customs Department in New
York Reeking With Graft,
Is Assertion Made.
FORMER SUGAR SAMPLER
DOES SOME TALKING
Claims That Sugar Trust Had
Hands of Secretary of
Treasury Tied.

NEW YORK, Nov. l1.-llcnry C..
CoTsa, once employed as "A government
sampler at the American Sugar Re
iining company S docks in Jersey City,
added interesting material today 20 the
controversy surrounding frauds charged
to- the company and 10 various customs
house officers and employees.
Corsa was discharged from the gov
crnmcnt service seven years ago by
reason, as he believes, of his efforts to
obtain an investigation.
He reviews obstacles he met and re-
itcrates experiences similar i'll many in
stances to those Of Richard Parr and
Edwin Anderson. who are defending
their respective claims TO being expos
cTs of customs house corruption.
Pull Did Not Avail,
Wilbur +. Wakcman, a former APP
praIscr. brought toySa ) name into the
case some time ago when he attcsted
to the fact of his discharge after he
had brought TO the official attention
evidence of graft The evidence, Corsa
says. WIS pigconholcd after he was
ousicd. His efforts 10 obtain reinstatc-
mont. Corsa adds, were aided hy Leslie
NJ. Shaw. former secretary of the treas
Ury. Charles H. Treat, former collector
of internal revenue, and by several con
greSSmcn and other government Off
cials. None. however, he declares, was
able to overcome the grip the sugar
company had on the New York customs
service or to get him the Endorsement
of George Whitehead, who succeeded
WakcmaD as appraiser
torSa saws Secretary Shaw, after q
long conference, said.
81 II see that YOU arc put back. !
could demand it right now. but things
are working so smoothly between Mr..
Whitehead and myself that don I
want TO break in abruptly OH him with
this demand
Letter From Shaw.
\ short time later. according to
COrsa. he received a letter from Mr.
Shaw stating that Shaw found bis
hands so tied that he could do moth,
ing.
Corsa says he had evidence tha,
agents of the sugar company had Of.
fnr"d him brides IN return for his as,
sIstancc in substituting sugar of low
grade in samples taken by the gov.
ernment for tests upon which cargoes
were appraised. As part of this evi.
doncc he turned over to his superiors
money given him as "a hribe,
Richard Pnrr. still deputy surveyor
of the port, said today that recent in
yestigations have shown that one man
IN every Eve among employees in the
weighcrs division Of the New York
customs house mas been found impli.
Gated in the frauds or is under Sus.
plcion of The most positive character -
Congress May Investigate.
he conviction that a speedy imvcsti.
CATION by congress is certain was cX.
pressed today by Edward = Fowler,
former collector Of the port OF New
York
\ congressional investigation viii be
opposed by some officials in charge OF
the present investigation. A govern
mcnt official said today that such an
inquiry would defeat its own ends. in
that many guilty importers would bc
able 10 obtain immunity by tcstifyng
for the prosecution. 1t is suggested that
importers themselves are working for
congressional investigation.