The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-12-12
Past Year Has Been Strenuous
One For Department of Jus
tice Says Wickersham
in His Report
many DEFRAUD GOVERNMENT
Long Recital of Efforts of Manv Peo-
pie and Concerns to Deprive the
Treasury of Revenue. Many
Cases Pending.

Washington. Dec. 12.-The annua
report OF Attorney General Wicker
sham presented to congress today. Il
one long story of frauds against th
government.
Trusts, so-called and real, their al
legged conspiracies to defeat the law
land frauds; custom frauds, frauds OF
the Internal revenue, rebates, buckle
shops and fraudulent uses of tn,
mails have made 1910 the most strenu.
Gus year in the history of the depart.
ment OF justice. Mr.. Wickersham state.
that only the earnest and enthusiastic
work OF the men of his force has mad,
the work successful
Competent Counsel Secured.
The salaries paid are smalP' he
says, "and the funds available of fees
which bear any comparison with those
offered by private interests. But not
withstanding those obstacles the de-
partment is fortunate i'm having been
able to secure the services of earnest
and competent lawyers to whose abil-
ity and industry are due the very large
measure of success that has attended
the management of the legal business
of the government during the year.
Many Cases Pending.
prosecution for violations of the an
ti-trust law were foremost i'm the work
of the year. Actions says the Attor-
neg 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.
Butter and Egg Trust.
Brick Trust.
Bath Tub Trust.
Convictions Secured.
The following convictions were Sc
cured and fines imposed during the
year:
Paper Trust, fined -. $4,000.
Night Riders, fined -. ...$ $500,
Window Glass Trust. fined $40. 900
After the Attorney Generals report
came from the press however the Am
erican Naval Stores company, known
as the Turpentine Trust. and six CO.
defendants were convicted of viola
tions of the antitrust law. Two of
the individual defendants were SEN
fenced to three months each in Jail
and fines aggregating $17,500 were i'm
posed.
Prosecutions of the Sugar Trust for
frauds upon the government in the
weighing of raw sugar recovered for
the government $3.135, ,36SSs Con-
victions and sentence of individuals.
still fresh in the public mind, were
secured.
imports UndervaIr~1.
Most extensive of all fra against
the government yet disco. cred, are
these in the undervaluations of i'm
ports into the United States. The ex-
tent of the treasury losses can only
be conjectured. Every step of the in
vestigation shows fresh leads.
There are now suits under way to
recover 100000 of which the customs
revenue is said to have been defraud-
ed In imports of cheese and figs from
Mediterranean ports, indictments are
pending and some convictions have
been secured. A highly organized sys-
tenn to defraud the government has
been disclosed.
Big Losses Of Revenue.
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 fraud I'm undervaluations.
The conditions disclosed seem tol
Indicate a very general practice of
undervaluations." says the Attorney
General "and n very lax administration
OF the customs laws in the past, which
has subjected the government to a
very material loss of revenue. A gen.
eral investigation into the subject of
frauds by undervaluations has only
commenced and this branch of the
subject will now be pressed vigorous
ly"
General Immunity Law.
The Attorney General recommends
N'ot o StutTdi otbete', S'
as exists under the interstate COM
merce laws. should be enacted to APP
ply to criminal prosecutions generally,
but says such n statute should only
protect a witness from the conse-
quence of the testimony he Is about to
give.
Twenty-Five criminal indictments
charging rebating and other illegal
determinations are pending against
railroads. private corporations and IN
dividuals. Two convictions with fines
were secured during the year.
Land frauds, are probably entitled 10
place with the custom frauds and vio-
iation OF the antitrust law. The de-
partment won signal victories during
the year against unlawful fencing OF
the public domain. In 9s civil suits ana
and 2s criminal prosecutions moreI