The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-12-12
ATTORNEY GENERALS REPORT
ONLY COLD FIGURES GIVEN
SHOWING RESULTS IN DEAL
ING WITH GERMAN
PLOTTERS.
The Governments Hands Have Rccu
strengthened by Laws TO Handle
Alien Enemies.

Washington, Dec. Only the cold |
figures showing the results of the
work of the department of Justice in
coping with German plotters in this
country are given i'm Attorney Cen
eral GregOry's annual report submit.
ted today TO congress. None Of the
details Of the operations of the secret
service Of that department, touching
almost every condition from the 70
mantle to the Sordid are disclosed
Most of those must necessarily re-
main untold until the end of the war,
when set of volumes rivaling the
most exciting tales of fiction might be
written from them. Attorney generals
report merely tells the story of results
IN the figures of prison sentences
which the agents of German intrigue
now are serving in federal penitenti-
aries
In dealing with the enemies with
in, the department has found that the
espionage law, the Trading with the
Enemy Act and the prosecution of Sc
ditious conspiracy have been fruitful
Of results
THE governments hands have been
materially strengthened, so that it now
has power to deal with disturbing
malcontents." says the attorney GEN
erals report.
THE prosecution of William d.
Haywood and other leaders of the so.
called Industrial Workers of the
World, to the number of more than
150 in the northern district of Illinois
is an instance of how these laws may
be employed for the public protection
In this time Of stress. The effect of
these prosecutions is already having a
farreaching and highly beneficial in
fuence towards the maintenance of
order and obedience to law through
out the country"
After dealing with the war activities
Of the department the attorney gen
eral passes on to recommendations
concerning the civil laws of the ma
ton.
Attorney General Gregory renews at
the outset his recommendation that
the commodities clause of the inter.
state commerce law be amended Il
meet Supreme Court decisions. to di-
vorce transportation from production
While the legislation Mr.. Gregor;
recommends is intended particularly
to cover the coal roads, it would also
prohibit to the last degree a railway
from manufacturing or owning any
thing it transports in interstate CON-
merce.
Also the attorney general renews
his recommendation for a provision
of law intended to benefit the federal
courts. 1t would provide that wher
q federal judge reaches the age Of 7C
years and refuses to avail himself o1
the retirement already provided by
law, the president shall be authorized
to appoint another judge for the same
district to take precedence over the
older one.
Under existing law there is no legal
penalty for sending threatening let
ters through the mials, unless to ac
complish eXtortion or as part Of q
means tC defraud. Mr.. Gregory recon
mends legislation to make it q crime.
The statute of limitation for crimina
prosecution in bankruptcy cases now
one year, the attorney general regards
as having defeated justice in some
cases, and he recommends that it be
extended to three years.
In the enforcement of the antitrust
laws the attorney general says the
department has been confronted by
peculiar conditions, brought about by
the mar. There are two broad lim;-
tations on the power of the depart
ment.
| Increases of price, brought about
not by agreement, conspiracy or mo-
nopOly, but by the common selfish
impulse of traders to take advantage
of the extraordinary condition of the
times, are not punishable under the
antitrust laws, the report says, No
matter how completely lacking they
may be OF economic justification or
how eXtortionate.
Sales of commodities by retailers 20
consumers generally fall outside of
interstate commerce. and, therefore
are not within the purview of the fed
eral laws.