New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-01-07
FRAUDS DUE TO POLITICS.
Responsible for Sugar Scandal,
Says w. 7. DenisOn.
CUSTOMS MEN POWERLESS
Assistant Attorney General Tells
of Confession Made to Col
lector Loeb Here.

Baltimore. Jan. 6.-Addressing a meeting
here this evening under the auspices OF
the women's auxiliary Of the Maryland
Civil Service Reform Association. Winfred
T. Denison. Assistant United States Attor-
ney General asserted that the sugar frauds
in the customs service at New York and
Philadelphia We're due TO politics.
Mr. Denison also asserted that the politi-
cal appointment made IN 1902 to the office
Of Surveyor Of the Port Of New York per
petrated those frauds (at New York; I'M
trammeled, and cost the government over
81 100000 on sugar alone" In a further ref
erence to this loss he said that cannot
have been more than fraction of the
total financial loss on all classes OF I'M
portations'
Mr.. Denison was. however, emphatic In
saying that he did not believe the Sur
veyor in question was corrupt
There was not a scintilla of reason 70
suppose. and ! do not believe for mo-
ment that the Surveyor in question was
corrupt Let MS have no doubt on that
point" he said.
In support of his statements the ASSISTANT
Attorney General cited the following points:
First-The confession made TO Collector
Loeb by the New York Deputy surveyor III
charge of the weighing division tidI the
sugar frauds were due to politics;
Second-The fact that the political az
pointment made In 1902 10 the once on I III
veyor at the Port of New YORK, ana ", " "tba
al the time was bitterly opposed by Ile e
Civil Service reformers, perpetuated lliu ,,
frauds untrammelled and cost the GOV"
msnt more than Nogo;oH on s sugar frauds
have iust been reported by the specldl ~
eral grand jury there as having been aus
TO politics.
when Collector Loeb began his custom
House cleaning, in pursuance or secretary
MacVeigh's policy, consequent on the rev
elations in the sugar cases the Assistant
Attorney General said che called In the
deputy surveyor In charge of the Weighing
division and asked why he should not pe
dismissed. The officer protested that he
had been honest and had never taken
cent.
Collector Loeb asked how it was posi-
BILE that all Of those frauds should have
gone on for all those years without his tax
ing any effective steps to stop them, OF at
least to report them to his superiors
"'Weu. Mr. Collector said the officer,
q was helpless. If | had taken any steps
TO stop those frauds the politicians would
have had me removed, and / would have
been without any means to support my lam
ily. Suppose, for example, one of the sugar
superintendents called me on the telephone
and told me that government assistant
weigher was unsatisfactory. If | refused
to transfer him he would go to the political
organization and the order would come
around through the surveyor to detail some
other man TO that position. II would 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 whatever wetghers
they needed
This experience Of the practical effect
OF practical politics was not by any means
limited to New York. At Philadelphia, ~
well as at New York, that has been de-
tCrmined officially
For years. the grand jury found. that
Ct stem house had been treated as trough
at which the politicians might feed the
men engaged i'm doing their political work.
The grand jury also found that the con-
Germs whose importatiOns the employees
were 10 watch were Of great financial I'm
portance to the Republican political or
eanizaton. and made heavy campaign con-
-, ton n