The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-04-22
BOY SCOUTS
WHITEWASHED
Gluck's Complaint to Department Of
Justice Does Not Con-
tain Single
Charge.

limited Press Leased wire SerVlce.l
WASHINGTON, April 22.-The de.
partment of justice has effectually
squelched the effort recently made
by John D. Gluck, of New York. to
discredit the Boy Scouts OF America
and certain, of its officials.
On March 25, Gluck mailed to the
department OF justice papers which
he described as complaint against
Colin II. Livingstone. president OF the
national council, and James e. West
chief scout executive OF the Boy
Scouts Of America At the same time
he gave to newspapers an erroneous
statement to the effect that these
papers contained twenty charges
against the officials, whereas there
were no charges OF any wrong doing
in them.
Attorney General Gregory In . let
ter made public today brands Gluck's
action as an attempt to use the de-
partment OF justice to further his per.
sonal antagonism against the Boy
Scouts Of America and the officers OF
that organization. The attorney gen.
eral, in q letter to Judge Charles e.
Hughes, whose firm represents the
Boy Scouts OF America, said:
"In view of the publicity given to
the matter, I have concluded to re-
turn the papers to Mr.. Gluck and In
SO doing have written in way that
indicates my views respecting his
conduct"
The attorney general enclosed a
copy Of the letter dated April IS.
which he sent to Gluck, advising
Judge Hughes:
You are authorized to use the en-.
closure in any way you see fit
In the letter to Gluck, the attorney
general recited the action taken by
Gluck in sending the papers to the de-
partment of justice, stating:
ut is evident that there was plan
to injure the Boy Scouts OF America
and to use the department as a We
hicle to accomplish this end.
"Any person can mail a complaint
to the department OF justice. no mat
ter how irrelevant its subject matter
may be. If an examination OF this
shows that no action by the depart
ment would be justified, the ordinary
course is to retain 1t In the file room
I see that this procedure may be used
as q means to injure innocent per-
SONS. 1 return herewith to you
your complaint and petition with the
distinct statement that 1t contains
no allegation, much less proof OF any
wrong doing on the part OF the
officials of the Boy Scouts of America
and that it should never have been
submitted to the department OF JUS
tice."
In letter making these documents
public. Judge Hughes firm states:
Our associations with Mr.. West
and Mr.. Livingstone and the other
notional officers of the Boy Scouts Of
America have given us SO high an
opinion of their leadership and of
the work the organization is actual
ly accomplishing in these times of
war. that we are greatly interested in
seeing that the injustice perpetrated
is righted.
1t is not only unfortunate, but un-
patriotic for the little group of pro
motors of which Gluck is a leader to
thus prey on the Boy Scouts.
The Boy Scouts of America officials
explain that Gluck's action is a part
OF a campaign being conducted by
him because of suit they have
brought against the so called Unit
ed States Boy Scout Of which Gluck
is commissioner, to stop 1t from
collecting money under false pre-
tense by preying on the good name
of the original Boy Scout organiza-
ton.