The Washington times., 1911-12-14
.PLEA FOR THE
D. CLERKS IS MADE
BY W|CKERSHAM
Attorney General Pays Them
Tribute In His Annual
Report.


I annual report made public today comes
:; out strongly on the side of retirement
y legislation for Government clerks He
! PAYS warm tribute to the force in his
department. and points out they have
been doing extra work part of the last
year without complaint. He brings up
the retirement question in that connec-
ton.
t. The report also discloses that the De-
apartment of Justice has wiped out it's
deficit.
NJ. Department Expense.
Attorney General Wiokersham states
ne ran his iepNttment last year at a
proht. collecting In fines and receiving
In settlement Of snits s4.2oi,1l551, while
the total expenses. salaries, rent, and
AL OF maintaining the offices in WASH
Iihston and the offices of the district at
ltorneys throughout the country was
IsS. 22a 77s.ss. ~.
The Attorney General makes the fol-
lowing statement regarding the clerks:
! Although the force In the immediate
Hepartment Hepa I'm was crippled during the
members of the staff, yet the work has
been promptly disposed of, and a high
standard Of efficiency has been maifl-
tained. The clerical force Of the de-
Epartment has had an arduous year. Be-
cause or the increase in volume and
pressure of the work l deemed it ueces-
.sary, some time ago. In the exercise of
to increase the hours Of attendance OF
the clerical force at the department half
an hour, making the prescribed hours
durns the Three to sunmer p m %ansbs asiy except
ides this, they have cheerfully per-
formed without additional compensation
much extra work which could not be
done except after regular hours. The
salaries paid to members Of the classi-
he'd civil service are not large, and
they have, theI efore, very little oppor-
ltunity for saving. I ~
Retirement Law.
Some provision should be made by
Congress by way of a retirement law to
secure to faithful service over many
years at least that ordinary need of
justice which is coming to be recog-
,,nasr ,,ized as % dye from all private, employers
fessional members Of the department
know no hours: they have toiled early
and late. teke great pleasure in re-
earnest, loyal, and enthusiastic CO.
operation Of both the professional and
.Is.fas me clerical force of the Department of
I In lengthy discussion Of the anti
trust law prosecutions and decisions,
the Attorney General says the decisions
in the oil and tobacco cases have dem
tive. 7 80 o'S
He maintains, however. that neither
the courts nor the Department of JUS |
lice is fitted to work out reorgan,za-
tton of combinations which have been
sadjudged Illegal He suggests enlarge
msnt T. or H., the 5,i Bureau OF Corporations to
Wickersham calls spade a spade In |
his report. The Du Pont Powder Com
pany is referred to as the Powder trust. |
The Attorney General says he dis
missed the civfl suit against the Ma |
tional Packing Company when he
learned that the indicted Beef trust Of
1cdals were planning to base an appeal
Tor further delaying the criminal prose-
cution against them on a motion to wait
until the civil case was settled.
. Trust Cases Pending.
Eleven trust cases are pending in the
courts, and sixteen new trust prosecu-
'tions haye been started during the last
year. The Department of Justice has
indictments .against railroads and ship
pers for violations Of the rebate law il.
1911. In all. there were AS prosecutions
Of white slave dealers
The Attorney General renews recom-
lmendations for legislation made last
year. One of these Is that jurisdiction
the district 10 hear and determine cases
under the act relative to abandonment
OF wife or minor children.
Mr.. Wickersham uses strong language
IN describing the condition Of some of
the falls and conlmends the investiga-
ton conducted in the District with re-
spect to- the condition of the District
jail and other matters.
He urges a general investigation into
jails, and says: .-
''The attention of the department has
been directed. on several occasions. to
the conditions prevailing in certain of
the tails and places of detention in vari-
Gus parts Of the country, in which Fed
eral prisoners are confined while await
IVrr fIi nd 70 tn1 nhn
arp committed under sentences >of i'm
lpffsonment for shorter period than
one year. Many of these iails are
lwholly unsuitable for the detention of
any human beings and are shocking
breeding places of crime. The principal
sufferers from them are juvenile Of
TENDERS.
An excellent work was done by a
commission appointed by the President,
pursuant to an act Of Congress ap-
proved March 26. 1908, for the purpose
of investigating the condition of the
jail. of the District of Columbia, and to
report to the President concerning the
expediency of removing the jail, work.
house, and other adjacent buildings and
sites to a place more suitable to their
! needs, etc. The recommendations of this
! commission led to legislation by Con-
1gress which has placed on the statute
| books parole law for Federal prison.