The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-12-18
CURLING OF ALIEN
ENEMYEEFQRTSlS
TOLD BY GREGORY
Attorney General Reports That
Department Is Armed With
Powerful Weapons
ONLY COLD FIGURES ARE
USED TO SHOW RESULTS
Prosecution Of !. W. w. Leaders
Found Efficient In Checking
Other Trouble

WASHINGTON, December 17--(As
ISOLATED Press 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 in Attorney General Gregory .
annual report. None of the details OF
the operations of the secret service OF
that department, touching almost every
condition from the romantic to the
sordid are disclosed. Most of those
must necessarily remain untold until
the end of the war, when set Of vol
umes rivaling the most exciting tales
of fiction might be written from them
The attorney generals report merely
tells the story Of result in the figures
of prison sentences which the agents
of German intrigue now are serving
in federal penitentiaries.
In dealing with the enemies within
the department has found that the es
pionage law, the trading with the
enemy act, and the prosecution Of sediti
Gus conspiracy have been fruitful OF
results. ~ s B.. ... At. s.
"The governments hands have beer
materially strengthened 50 that it now
has power to deal with disturbing NAL
contents, " says the attorney general
report. ... 80 49,. VIA " D.
l. w. w. Prosecutions g.. D..
"The prosecution of William ID. Hay
wood and other leaders of the so-called
Industrial Workers of the World, Il
the number of more than $50 in the
northern district Of Illinois is an in
stance of how these laws may be EN-
ployed for the public protection in thi,
time of stress. The effect of these
prosecutions is already having fai
reaching and highly beneficial influ
ence towards the maintenance of order
and obediance to law throughout the
country" F.! - F..... ..'.Tr "
After dealing with the war activitie,
of the department the attorney general
passes on to recommendations concern
ing the civil laws of the Nation.
Attorney General Gregory renews al
the outset his recommendations thai
the commodities clause of the inter
state commerce law be amended to meet
supreme court decisions, to divorce
transportation from Production. Wink
the legislation Mr.. Gregory recommends
is intended particularly to cover
the coal roads, it would also pro
hibit to the last degree a railway
from manufacturing or owning anything
it transports in interstate commerce
For Aged Judges ......
Also, the attorney general renews
his recommendations FOR a provision OF
law intended to benefit the federal
courts 1t would provide that when a
federal judge reaches the age of 70
years and refuses to avail himself OF
the retirement already provided by law
the President shall be authorized tC
appoint another judge for the same dis
trict to take precedence over the Older
one. .. =
Under existing law there is no legaI
penalty for sending threatening letters
through the mails unless to accomplish
extortation or as part of means tc
defraud. Mr.. Gregory recommends leg
islation to make il crime. The stat
ute of limitations for criminal pros
ecutiOn in bankruptcy cases, now one
year, the attorney general regards as
having defeated justice in some eases
and he recommends that it Re extend
ed to three years.
Anti Trust Legislation
In the enforcement of the anti trust
laws the attorney general says the de
partmcnt has been confronted by pc,
culiar conditions brought about by the
war. There are two broad limitations
on the power of the department.
Increases of price, brought about not
by agreement, conspiracy or monopoly
but by the common selfish impulse OF
traders to take advantage of the ex,
traordinary conditions of the times, arc
not punishable under the anti trust
laws, the report says, no matter how
completely lacking they may be of
economic justification 90 or how extor.
tiOnate. ~
Sales of commodities by retailers ia
consumers generally fall outside of in,
terstate commerce and therefore are
not within the purview Of the federal
laws. l-.r ,,. "' -. Fl.
Within such limitations, Attorney Gen.
eral Gregory says the department of
justice has utilized its full energy. q
Several of the great antitrust cases
previously begun, notably the Interna
tIOnal Harvester and Steel suits are
still in the supreme court. r.. .. 49,,
The attorney general devotes much
Of his report to informing congress of
the steps he has taken to carry out the
measures against enemy aliens. They
include cooperation Of federal marshals
and troops with local authorities, and
go into the legal procedure in great
detail ...'.