The San Francisco call., 1910-12-13
FRAUD IS RAMPANT
IN united STATES
Report of Attorney General to
Congress Is One Long Story
of Crookedness

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12.-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, bucket
shops and fraudulent uses of the mails
nave made 1910 the most strenuous
year In the history of the department
of Justice 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 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.
rowing trust on the great lakes, James A. Pat
Ton ana others. for an alleged corner in cotton;
beef trust, wholesale grocers' trust, butter and
egg trust brick trust, bathtub trust
Inc following convictions were Sc
cured and fines imposed during the
year:
- Paper trust. fined $4,000; night riders, fined
$1,000; window glass trust, fined $40, 600.
TURPENTINE TRUST CONVICTED
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 anti-trust law. Two of the in
dividual defendants were sentenced to
three months each in jail and fines ag-
gregating s17,500 were imposed.
Prosecutions of the sugar trust for
frauds upon the government in the
Weighing of raw sugar recovered for
the government S5,135,363.sS. Convic-
tions and sentence of individuals were
secured
Most extensive of all frauds against
the government yet discovered are
those in the undervaluations of i'm
ports into the United States. There
are now suits under way to recover
100000, of which the customs revenue
is said to have been defrauded in i'm
ports of cheese and figs from Mediter-
ranean ports, indictments are pending
and some convictions have been Sc
cured. A highly organized system to
defraud the government has been dis
closed
More than 80 individual indictments
are pending against persons charged
with smuggling. 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 attorney general recommends
that general immunity statute, such
as exists under the interstate COM
merce laws, should be enacted to apply
to criminal prosecutions generally.
FOR REBATING
Twenty five criminal indictments
charging rebating and other Illegal dis
are pending against rail
roads, private corporations and indi-
viduals. Two convictions with fines
were secured during the year.
The department won signal victories
during the year against unlawful fenc-
ing of the public domain. In SO civil
suits and % criminal prosecutions more
than 100000 acres of land illegally
fenced were restored to the govern
ment.
Prosecutions against the Oregon and
California railroad company and 45
other defendants to recover 100000
acres of land. valued at $50.o00.o 900, |
which the government claims are lille
gally held, are now pending There
are also under way "a suits against the
Central Pacific railway company and
others to recover thousands of acres of
lands which the government
contends were illegally patented, prob
ably with the private knowledge that
they were valuable for the minerals
ana OILS underneath.
In the departments campaign |
against bucket shops $50 such places |
were closed. others voluntarily closed |
as result of the crusade and indict- |
ments are pending against men and |
corporations and the telegraph com
pany which allowed the use of its
wires.
During the year there were 1871 |
cases of all sorts in the |
United States courts, which produced !
fines, forfeitures and penalties aggre- |
eating s1,083.974.
CUSTOMS HOUSE FRAUDS
Wickersham recommends legislation |
to give the right of appeal in Indian |
eases. law for the issue of search |
for property stolen from the |
government that federal Judges be al |
lowed the travelling expenses within |
their own districts, and that the sala-
ries of all federal justices be increased. |
He also recommends that the sta tute /
IF limitations in customs frauds be ex-
tended from three to five years. The |
attorney general also recommends |
egislation to permit the United States |
20 sue and prosecute an offending cor
0oration wherever that corporation may /
10 business
AS a result of the attorney generals /
recent trip to Alaska he presents some
commentators for the relief of that /
erritory. Under the present law, he
says, when a person is found with legs
lr arms frozen off or starved nearly to.
1eath 1T is necessary to charge the in
valid with vagrancy and have him
committed in order to get treatment in
,