Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-12
Attorney General Outlines
Work in His Department.
SUMMARY OF COURT CASES
Suits Already Prosecuted and Those
Under Way Against Trusts.
MILLIONS PLACED IN TREASURY
Sum Recovered From Sugar Trust
Conspiracies to Defeat Law and
Other Offenses.

| Other Offenses.
| The annual report of Attorney Genera
| Wickersham, presented to Congress to-
day, is one long story Of frauds agains
| the government. Trusts, so-called anG
| real; their alleged conspiracies to defea
| the law: land frauds, custom frauds
frauds on the internal revenue, rebates
bucket shops and fraudulent uses of the
| mails have made 1910 the most siren.
uous year in the history of the Depart.
ment of. Justice. Mr.. Wickersham states
that only the earnest and enthusiastic
work OF the men of his force has made
the work successful.
THE salaries paid are small" he says
and the funds available for special coun.
sci do not permit the payment OF fees
which bear any comparison with those
offered by private interests. But notwith.
standing these obstacles the department
is fortunate in having been able to secure
the services of earnest and competen,
lawyers to whose ability and industry
are due the very large measure of sue
cess that has attended the management
OF the legal business of the government
during the year..
Antitrust Law Violations.
Prosecution for violations of the anti.
trust law were foremost in the work of
the year. Actions. says the Attorney
General are now under way or pending
against the following so-called trusts
Tobacco trust. Standard Oil Company
sugar trust, Hartman lines, hard coal
trust. powder trust, Terminal Railway
Association of st. Louis, towing trust on
the great lakes. James A. Patten and
others for an alleged corner in cotton
beef trust, wholesale grocers' trust, but.
ter and egg trust, brick trust and bathtut
trust.
The following convictions were secured
and fines imposed during the year: Paper
trust, fined $4,000: mig hit riders. fined
$500: window glass trust, fined $4,000.
After the Attorney Generals report
came from the press, however. the Amer
lean Naval Stores Company, known as
the turpentine trust. and six co-defend-
antitrust law. Two Of the individual
defendants were sentenced to three
months each in Jail and fines aggregating
81, 500 were imposed.
Frauds in Weighing of Sugar.
Prosecutions Of the sugar trust for
frauds upon the government In the weigh
ing Of raw sugar recovered for the gov
eminent So, 135. 363. SO. Convictions and
sentence of individuals, still fresh in the
public mind. were secured
Most extensive of all frauds against the
government yet discovered are those In
the undervaluations Of imports into the
United States. The extent OF the Treas
ury losses can only be conjectured. Every
step of the investigation shows fresh
leads.
There are now suits under way to re-
cover 100000 OF which the customs reve-
nue. Is said to have been defrauded in
imports of cheese and figs from Mediter-
ranean ports. indictments are pending and
some convictions have been secured. A
highly organized system to defraud the
government has been disclosed.
More than thirty individual indictments
are pending against persons charged with
smuggling with sleeper trunks" Offers
Of compromise and prayers for immunity
are in the hands Of the Attorney General
from several firms of importers who have
confessed to frauds in undervaluations.
Undervaluations General.
1.-THE conditions disclosed seem to in
dictate a very general practice Of under
valuations" says the Attorney General,
land very lax administration of the
customs laws in the past, which has SUBJ
JecIeQ the government 10 q very material
loss of revenues. A general investiga-
ton into the subject of frauds by unuer-
valuation has only commenced, and this
branch Of the subject will now be press
ed vigorously
The Attorney General recommends that
a genera! immunity statute. such as ex-
lists under the interstate commerce
laws, should be enacted to apply to
criminal prosecutions geneI ally, bue says
sucn statute should only protect wit
ness from the consequences of the testi-
mony he is about to give.
Twenty-Five criminal indictments charg-
ing rebating and other illegal discrimina-
tons are pending against railroads, pri-
vate corporations and individuals. Two
convictions with fines were secured dur
ing the year.
Land frauds are probably entitled to
place with the customs frauds and vio-
lailons OF the antitrust law. The de-
partment won signal victories during the
year against unlawful fencing of the pub
lie domain. In ninety-eight civil suits
and twenty-eight criminal prosecutions
more than 100000 acres Of land Illegally
fenced were restored to the government.
Pending Suits Against Railroads.