Arizona republican., 1910-12-14
4 BUSY YEAR W|CKERSHAM'S $ With Prosecution of Trusts
 and Frauds RECORD OF ACHIEVEMENT
In the Annual Report of the Attorney General-In the Year There Were 15,0O0 Criminal Cases of All Sorts Tn Federal Courts.

Washington, Dec. 13.-The annual report of Attorney General Wicker sham, presented To congress today, is one long story of frauds against the government
 Trusts, so called and real, their al- legged conspiracies to defeat the law; land frauds, custom frauds, frauds on the internal revenue, rebates b1cket- shops and fraudulent uses of the mails have made 1910 the most stren- uous year in the history of the de- pertinent of justice MT Wickersham states that only the earnest and en- thusiastic work of men of his force has made the work successful.
 The salaries paid are small,' he says, and the funds available for special counsel do not permit the pay ment of fees which bear any com parison with those offered by private interests. But notwithstanding these obstacles, the department is fortunate in having been able to secure the services Of earnest and competent lawyers to whose ability and indus try are due the very large measure of success that has attended the man.
 
 government during the year"
 Prosecution for violations of the antitrust law were foremost in the work of the year. Actions, says the attorney general. are now under way or pending against sixteen trusts.
 The following convictions were se- cured and fines imposed during the year: Paper trust, fined 57,O00; Night Riders. fined $S.50O; Window Glass trust. fined $10,0O0.
 After the attorney. generals report came from the press, however, the American Naval Stores company. known as the Turpentine trust, and six co-defendants were convicted of violations of the antitrust law. Two of the individual defendants were sen fenced to three months each in jail and fines aggregating $17,500 were imposed.
 Prosecutions of the Sugar trust for frauds upon the government in the weighing of raw sugar recovered for the government $3,l35, ,36S.SS Con- Victions 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 inn ports into the United States. The extent of the treasury losses can only be cOnjectured. Every step of the investigation shows fresh loads
 There are now suits under way to recover $7O0000, of which the GUS toms revenue is said to have been defrauded in imports of cheese and figs from Mediterranean ports In- dictments are pending and some con- victions have been secured. A highly organized system to defraud the gov ernment has been disclosed
 More than thirty individual indict- ments 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.
 ''The conditions disclosed seem to indicate a very general practice of undervaluations," says the attorney general, and a very lax administra- ton of the customs laws in the past. which has subjected the government to a very material loss of revenues A general investigation into the sub iect of frauds by undervaluation has only commenced. and this branch of the subject will now be pressed wig orOusly."
 The attorney general recommends that general immunity statute, such as exists under the interstate com merce laws, should be enacted to ap- ply to criminal prosecutions generally, but says such statute should only protect a witness from the conse quences of the testimony he is about to give.
 Twenty-Five criminal indictments charging relating and other illegal discriminations are pending against railroads. private corporations and individuals Two convictions with fines were secured during the year.
 Land frauds. are probably entitled to place with the customs frauds and violations of the antitrust law. The department won signal victories dur ing the year against unlawful fenc ing of the public domain. In ninety eight civil suits and twenty eight criminal prosecutions more tf&n 400. GOO acres of land illegally fenced were restored to the government.
 Prosecutions against the Oregon & California Railroad company and for ty-five other defendants to recover 230O, 900 acres of lands valued at S5e, 00O, 900 which the government