Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-01-09
government JOBS FEED
POLITICIANS IS CHARGE
Millions Lost by Political Ap-
pointmentS, DeniSon De-
clareS

BALTIMORE, Nj, Jan. address
ing a meeting held here this evening
under the auspices Of the women's aux-
Hilary Of the Maryland Civil Service Re-
form association. winfred T. Denisou,
assistant United States attorney gem
eral asserted that the sugar fraads
in the customs service at New York ara
Philadelphia were due to politics.
Mr.. Denison also declared that the
pol seal app ,'.dn,sa't ns.ie in 1909 TO
this office of surveyor st the port OF
New York ''perpetrated those frauds
Cat New York; untrammeled and cost
la. government over 100000 on sug-
ar alone"
In a further reference to this loss
he said that cannot have been NOSE
than a fraction of the total financial
loss on all classes Of importations.-
Mr.. Denison was. however, emphatic
in saying that he did not believe the
surveyor in question was corrupt.
There was not seiatllla of reason
to suppose. and I do not believe ror a
moment that the surveyor in question
was corrupt Let us have no doubt on
that point" he said. a
In support Of his statements the as
sistant attorney general cited the fol-
lowing points:
1.-THE confession made to Collector
Loeb by the New York deputy sur
veyor in charge of the weighing divi-
sion that the sugar frauds were due
TO politics.
"2-The fact that the political appoint
ment made in 1902 to the office of sur
veyor at the port of New York and
which at the time was bitterly opposed
by civil service reformers, perpetrated
those frauds untrammeled and cost the
government over 100000 on sugar alone
POLITICS DID 1T.
"S-The Philadelphia sugar frauds have
just been reported by the special fed
eraI grand Jury there as having been
due to politics.
when Collector Loeb began his Gus
tom house cleaning in pursuance of Sec
rotary MacVeagh's policy, consequent up
on the revelations in the sugar cases"
the assistant attorney general contin-
ued, he called in the deputy surveyor
In charge OF the Weighing division and
asked why he should not be dismiss
ed.
s'The officer protested that he had been
honest and had never taken a cent.
collector Loeb asked how it was pos
sible that all of these frauds should
have gone on for all these years with
out his taking an effective step to stop
them, or at least to report them to his
superiors.
WOULD LOSE OUT.
"well, Mr.. Collector said the off
GER I was helpless. II I'd taken any
steps to stop those frauds the physicians
would have had me removed and would
/ 49,, taa,, xrr;fho,.f r11pqnE n eunDOrt
the sugar superintendents called me up
my family. Suppose, for example, one of
on the telephone and told me that gov
eminent assistant weigher was unsatis-
factory. IL I refused to transfer him he
would 20 to his political organization and
the orders would come around through
the surveyor to detan some other man
to that position. TT will be on some
plea that the weigher objected to was
too slow, or that the new man lived
nearby and wanted the detail. In that
way the sugar people could get what
ever they needed
This experience of the practical eff
feet of practical politics was not by any
means limited to New York. At Phila-
delphia as well as at New York that
has been determined officially.
''The special federal grand jury which
has Just made its report over there found
that the frauds and quasi-fraudulent
sharp practices resulting in loss of reve-
nue. to this government had been unre-
strained there in Philadelphia, at the
McCahan sugar refinery, ever since 1884,
at the FRANKLIN refinery during it's op-
GRAFTON from 1895 20 1897 and at the
spreckels refinery up TO 1906, but not
since.
"FEEDING TROUGH"
'eTney found no instance of bribery or
attempted bribery. In their formal re-
port they directly stated that the patron
age system and the violations and eva
sions of the civil service laws were the
real causes OF the government loss.
''For years, as the grand jury found,
that customhouse had been treated as
trough at which the politicians might
feed the men engaged in doing their po-
huc work.
1.-THE grand jury also found that the
concerns whose importations the en-
ployes were to watch were of great fl
nanciaI Importance to the Republican
political organization and made heavy
campaign contributions to it,