The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-05-01
american News Service)
~ SYDNEY EsPEY


Washington, April 3O-The depart
ment of justice, which prior to the ad.
ministration of President Roosevelt,
occupied a rather obscure position In
the public eye, has during the admin
istration Of President Taft, sprung into
the calcium of publicity through the
activity of Attorney General Wicker
sham. Although the department has
of course been grinding out it's work
since it has been a part of the govern
ment, 1t has been more in the nature
OF direction of the activity of its
various assistant attorney generals
stationed in districts throughout the
country, than actual federal jurisdic.
lions. Consequently the publicity at.
tending those suits was incident to
the locality where they were insti.
tuted rather than the department.
With the beginning of this admin.
istration, however, the work has not
only been directed from the depart
ment of justice, but it has been carried
on in various parts of the country by
assistant attorneys Of the department
in connection with the federal district
attorneys. Trust prosecutions, investi
cations of sugar customs, and other
important frauds as well as number
of civil suits for dissolution of mergers
have been directed by Attorney Cen
eral Wickersham in person. He has
held numerous conferences with local
occicfonf ut nd 30
in this work by assigning members OF
his personal staff to these cases when
they came to trial.
The fact hat the cases have been
brought into court, tried and dis.
posed of only presents one phase oil
the situation which phase is in all
probability familiar to every one. The
other side is one which very seldom
comes to the public's attention. It is
the base work which the various law.
yers connected with the department
"lay their case" 1t is not performed
by high salaried officials, nor is it d.
rected in the main by the attorney gen
eral. It is undertaken by what has
been termed the Investigating squad
of the department of justice.
MIR. Wickersham orders investiga.
tons to be made, signs the necessary
papers hat the work shall be per
formed and the squad" to see that il
is carried out. These particular Off
Gals number about 800 and are as
signed to secure evidence in any cases
which the department of Justice de.
cides to prosecute. When the officials
leave the department on their assign
ments, all connection with the govern.
ment is completely severed. They shut
themselves off from all communica
ton with the department in this city
and are given carte blanche in order
that their work may be thorough and
unhampered by too much "red tape"
The department of investigation is
in charge of Stanley w. Finch, who
has at his disposal a staff. of seven
clerks, and directs the energies oil
about 800 men who are constantly in
the field investigating various cases tc
which they are assigned. Notably
among the cases that have been work
ed up by these men are the night rid
err and tobacco cases in Kentucky and
the bucket shop cases which occupied
the attention of more than fifty men
of the department in New York, Phila
delphia. Baltimore. st. Louis, New Or.
leans and Washington, D. c.
At present the department has men
in the field investigating sugar frauds
in Network, New Orleans, Pueblo
Col, and also in Utah and California
The investigation of these cases while
centered in the places named have TAX.
en- department of justice operatives all
over the United States, Cuba and 9th
er places in the West Indies, search
ing for the threads of evidence which
make up complete case. Men are also
engaged investigating the importation
of mosquito netting in New Orleans
Galveston and several other southern
seaports, as well as the circumstances
surrounding the filibustering expedi
tons which have left those ports for
Nicaragua to aid the rebel cause
there.
In New York, London and Paris in
certain German. Italian and Scandina.
Wan cities, one or more of the men
in connection with the operation of
the transatlantic steamship pool. The
OneratiOn of this pool while catering